America’s “Dollar Princesses” Lived A Dark Fairy Tale

Name: America’s “Dollar Princesses” Lived A Dark Fairy Tale
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When Alva Vanderbilt divorced her husband, it was an instant scandal. At first, some blamed a mistress, while others claimed Alva strayed. No one guessed the real, sickening reason.

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America’s “Dollar Princesses” Lived A Dark Fairy Tale
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Expensive Facts About America’s “Dollar Princesses”
May 6
PEOPLE
Dancy Mason
Dollar Princesses: In For A Penny, In For A Pound
They say when you marry for money, you earn every penny—but even though these American heiresses were the ones holding the purse strings when they entered into their idealized unions with European nobility, they still managed to find tragedy. One by one, they proved that these “fairy tale” marriages were just Faustian bargains.
Wikimedia Commons
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1. The Meaning Of A Dollar Princess
The term “Dollar Princess” came about in the Gilded Age, when wealthy American families—usually the nouveau riche robber barons who made their fortune off railroads—married a series of their daughters off to prestigious, if penniless, European noble houses.
It seemed like a fair exchange: An injection of American money for the renown of an old name. But it ended up being fair to no one, least of all the brides themselves.
New York, Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc., Wikimedia Commons
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2. Elizabeth Patterson: The First Of Her Kind
One of the very first dollar princesses preceded the Gilded Age, but her dramatic life and tragic marriage set the pattern for the women who followed. Born in February of 1785, Elizabeth Patterson was the eldest daughter of merchant William Patterson, the second wealthiest man in Maryland. From a young age, people considered Elizabeth one of the most beautiful women in Baltimore—and she put those good looks to good use.
François Kinson, Wikimedia Commons
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3. She Had French Tastes
In 1803, the teenaged Elizabeth met Napoleon Bonaparte ’s wayward brother Jerome, who was stalling around the United States, afraid to go back to France because he knew the Emperor was annoyed at his conduct during a recent military incident.
But Elizabeth didn’t care about this yellow flag, and the pair quickly developed a romance, only for more problems to come their way.
François Gérard, Wikimedia Commons
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4. Her Family Got An Anonymous Warning
Despite Jerome’s high standing in European society, most everyone around Elizabeth was worried about their relationship. Her father even received an anonymous letter claiming that any wedding vows Jerome made would only be for the sake of wasting more time in America. It was another yellow flag, but Elizabeth pushed through again.
Firmin Massot, Wikimedia Commons
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5. She Made A Hasty Decision
Elizabeth wasn’t used to hearing no, and every warning she got about Jerome only made her more determined to marry him. She even threatened to simply elope if her father didn’t give an official union his blessing.
So on Christmas Eve 1803, months after first meeting Jerome, she became Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister-in-law. It was an unmitigated disaster.
veuve Degobert (widow of P. Degobert (Lithographic printer in Brussels, active 1825-1850)) (artist) (printer), Wikimedia Commons
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6. Napoleon Despised Her
However irritated Elizabeth’s family was about Jerome, Napoleon himself was ten times more unhappy about his brother’s new wife. The minute he heard about their union, the ruler ordered his brother back home—without his bride—so he could annul the mistake.
Though Jerome didn’t listen and brought the now-pregnant Elizabeth with him across the ocean, they were in for a rude awakening.
Screenshot from Glorious Betsy, Warner Bros. Pictures (1928)
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7. She Received A Brutal Insult
Once more, Elizabeth Bonaparte nee Patterson was very used to getting what she wanted, so it was quite the shock when they landed and Napoleon’s men, on his orders, wouldn’t even let the American woman set foot in continental Europe.
Jerome, incensed, swore he would “do everything that must be done” before heading off to Italy to convince his brother to relent. It simply got more tragic.
Screenshot from Glorious Betsy, Warner Bros. Pictures (1928)
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8. He Abandoned Her
Elizabeth waited for months for Jerome to succeed in his mission, giving birth to a son in London in the summer of 1805 in the meantime. Yet even though she kept receiving letters from her husband saying he would never abandon her and he was working on his brother, a sinking feeling must have been growing in her stomach—and she was right.
Jerome eventually caved to Napoleon’s demands, accepting a post as an admiral in and eventually the position of King of Westphalia for his troubles. Elizabeth never saw her husband again…except in one excruciating moment.
Screenshot from Glorious Betsy, Warner Bros. Pictures (1928)
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9. She Was Left In The Dust
Napoleon made good on his word and annulled the union (with Elizabeth getting an official divorce in 1815). Then, just two years after the birth of their son—whom Jerome refused to support—Elizabeth’s ex married another woman, the German princess Catharina of Wurttemberg. But for all that, they weren’t quite done with each other.
Sebastian Weygandt, Wikimedia Commons
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10. She Had An Awkward Reunion
In 1822, Elizabeth and Jerome accidentally crossed paths in Florence at the Pitti Palace. Reportedly, they made brief eye contact in a mortifying moment where neither of them spoke to each other, and Jerome informed his current spouse, who was with him, that this was his “American wife”. This was the last time the two would ever meet, though they both lived decades longer, with Elizabeth passing in 1879 at the ripe old age of 94.
Yet for all that, at least Elizabeth Patterson chose and fought for her doomed marriage. Her successors weren’t always so lucky.
Screenshot from Glorious Betsy, Warner Bros. Pictures (1928)
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11. Jennie Jerome: The First Lady
One of the first true Gilded Age dollar princesses also turned into the most infamous. Born in 1854, Jeanette “Jennie” Jerome was the daughter of an American financier and speculator, and she had an aura of mystery to go along with her father’s money. Paying a compliment to her beauty, one commenter noted she had "more of the panther than of the woman in her look”.
Her parents seemed to know what they had on their hands, too, and they weren’t going to let it go without a profit.
José María Mora, Wikimedia Commons
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12. Her Family Was In It For The Money
In 1873, Jennie met Lord Randolph Churchill, the third son of the Duke of Marlborough, while at a regatta with none other than the future King Edward VII . With Jennie’s beauty and money, she was irresistible to the young Lord, and he proposed within three days. Nonetheless, it took well into the next year for the marriage to take place, as their respective parents argued over payments and inheritances for the well-to-do lovebirds.
More than that, some say the wedding came none too soon.
Edwin Long, Wikimedia Commons
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13. She Had A Famous Son
The same year she was married, Jennie gave birth to her biggest claim to fame: Her son Winston Churchill , the future Prime Minister of Britain. But Winston was born two months premature, after Jennie reportedly fell, leading many to wonder if she hadn’t been pregnant before her wedding. When aske…

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