Queen of Diamonds

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ISBN: 9781577361923 | 157736192X
Cover: Hardcover
Copyright: 8/30/2000

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The last and longest private owner of the Hope Diamond, Evalyn Walsh McLean purchased the diamond when she was only twenty-four; spent more than $200,000 on a fabulous honeymoon and ended up in a Paris hotel without enough money to pay the bill; wandered the gloomy rooms of her home imagining crawling reptiles while overcoming her morphine addiction; and stood in the rain wearing a fur coat and clutching the Hope Diamond as her beloved Washington Post was auctioned. The deep indigo stone is but a single facet of her rags-to-riches story.

Foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xvii
1886-1936	p. 1
I Tell My Right Age	p. 3
An Immigrant Lad from Ireland--and a Church Organist	p. 13
"Daughter, I've Struck it Rich!"	p. 25
The Camp Bird Mine	p. 39
The Walshes Meet the McLeans	p. 49
The Walsh Gold Engine	p. 59
We Meet a King	p. 67
"Don't Sell the Camp Bird Mine!"	p. 81
It Is No Fun to be a Lady	p. 93
More about Gold-Seekers	p. 109
A Tollgate on Our Road	p. 119
Romance in Washington	p. 133
A Fantastic Honeymoon	p. 145
The Hundred-Million-Dollar Baby	p. 157
Drink and Drugs and the Hope Diamond	p. 167
My Relatives-in-Law	p. 183
Newport and Palm Beach	p. 197
Washington Scandals	p. 213
Tragedy	p. 225
The McLeans, the Hardings, and Calvin Coolidge	p. 235
The Distaff Side	p. 255
Oil and the First-Page McLeans	p. 273
Private Problems--and Public	p. 287
Depression Days	p. 295
1936-1947	p. 305
Descendants of Thomas Francis Walsh	p. 306
Epilogue	p. 307
Notes	p. 323
Select Bibliography	p. 325
Acknowledgments	p. 326
Index	p. 327
List of Illustrations
Evalyn Walsh McLean
Evalyn Walsh McLean wearing an ermine-tailed gown	p. x
Hope Diamond	p. 1
Walsh family portrait	p. 2
Grandmother Reed	p. 3
Grand Hotel, Leadville, Colorado	p. 4
Thomas F. Walsh's cabin in Imogene Basin	p. 5
Thomas F. Walsh at his desk at Camp Bird Mine	p. 6
Camp Bird Mine and Mill	p. 7
Aunt Lucy Reed Lee	p. 8
Carrie Bell Reed Walsh circa 1900 in Washington, D.C	p. 9
Thomas F. Walsh in white tie circa 1900	p. 10
Wolhurst	p. 11
Sunroom of Wolhurst	p. 12
Box Canyon	p. 13
President Taft at Wolhurst	p. 14
Ned McLean dressed as a cowboy	p. 15
2020 Massachusetts Avenue	p. 16
John R. McLean	p. 17
Evalyn Walsh McLean with Emily Beale McLean	p. 18
Dining room of I Street House	p. 19
Reception area of I Street House	p. 20
Evalyn Walsh McLean and Ned McLean on honeymoon in Egypt	p. 21
Evalyn Walsh McLean, circa 1915	p. 22
Ned McLean with Vinson McLean	p. 23
Evalyn Walsh McLean wears the Star of the East	p. 24
Evalyn Walsh McLean wears the Hope Diamond	p. 25
Vinson McLean circa 1916, shortly before his death	p. 26
Briar Cliffe, the McLean home in Bar Harbor, Maine	p. 27
Jock, Evie, and Neddie McLean	p. 28
Evalyn Walsh McLean, moviemaker	p. 29
Evalyn Walsh McLean and Florence Harding	p. 30
Ned McLean and President Warren Harding	p. 31
Evalyn McLean Reynolds, Neddie McLean, Agnes Bacon McLean, Ann Meem McLean, Jock McLean, and Eleanor Meem at christening, October 11, 1939	p. 32
Friendship I	p. 33
Evalyn Walsh McLean and Evie pose circa 1933 with Great Dane, Mike	p. 34
Evalyn Washington McLean, circa 1940	p. 35
Wedding of Evalyn Washington McLean and Robert Rice Reynolds	p. 36
Friendship II	p. 37
Servicemen and woman wearing Hope Diamond	p. 38
Gardens at Friendship II, circa 1945	p. 39
Evalyn Walsh McLean holding Mamie Spears Reynolds	p. 40
Mamie Spears Reynolds at Friendship on May 19, 1944	p. 41
Last known portrait of Evalyn Walsh McLean, circa 1947	p. 42
Evalyn Walsh McLean jewelry collection	p. 43
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Queen of Diamonds

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