Ellen Channing Day Bonaparte
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Ellen Channing Day Bonaparte (née Day) (1852–1924) was an American member of high society who is best remembered for her marriage to Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte.
Ellen Channing Day Bonaparte | |
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 Photograph by Harris & Ewing | |
| Born | Ellen Channing Day September 25, 1852 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | June 23, 1924 (aged 71) Washington D.C., U.S. |
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| Parents |
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| Relatives | Bonaparte family (by marriage) |
Family
[edit]Ellen Channing Day was born on September 25, 1852, in Hartford, Connecticut. She was the daughter of Thomas Mills Day of Hartford,[1] an attorney,[2] and a nephew of Jeremiah Day, President of Yale.[3] She was known as "Nellie." She wrote an account of the Great Chicago Fire, as she was visiting the city with her mother, Anna Jones (Dunn) Day, when the fire occurred.[4] She also wrote poems, one of which is dated December 1878. Her mother died in 1896, and her father in 1905.
Marriage
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On September 1, 1875,[5] in Newport, Rhode Island, she was married to Charles Joseph Bonaparte, the son of Jerome Napoleon "Bo" Bonaparte and his wife, Susan May Williams. Charles' grandfather was Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia, and his first wife, Elizabeth Patterson of Baltimore. Elizabeth was still alive at the time of their marriage, and many of Elizabeth's belongings would overtime end up in the possession of Ellen, who cared far more for the sentimental value of the items than her husband, who despised his Bonaparte lineage. Ellen, on the other hand, may have been far more favorable to Elizabeth's Bonaparte legacy, and was said to even wear dresses that were once worn by Elizabeth.[6] Charles and Ellen had actually met in 1871, before their 1875 marriage, but were unable to marry until 1875 as a result of a visit to Europe Ellen had with her mother.[4] They would have no children.
Charles would serve as Attorney General to President Theodore Roosevelt, who he enjoyed a friendship with. Known for his Progressive values, he also created the Bureau of Investigation, which would later become the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The Bonapartes lived at the Bella Vista estate in Baltimore, and lived there May to December each year (with the exception of July and August.) It was constructed by James Bosley Noel Wyatt and William G. Nolting. The house was never electrified due to Charles' despisal of technology, with Charles preferring to ride in a horse-drawn carriage. The couple were described as "stay-at‑homes," with Ellen not being particularly physically strong, and Charles experiencing heart problems. Ellen left the house after Charles died in 1921, and once she returned to Baltimore, she lived in another house instead. Their townhouse, located in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, was destroyed shortly after her own death, and the Bella Vista was destroyed in a fire in 1933.[3]
Ellen died on June 23, 1924, in Washington D.C., at the age of 71.
References
[edit]- ^ "Portrait of Ellen Channing Day". Maryland Center for History and Culture.
- ^ Berkin, Carol (2014). Wondrous Beauty: The Life and Adventures of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte. Alfred A. Knopf.
- ^ a b Macartney, Clarence E. "The Bonapartes in America".
- ^ a b "Charles J. and Ellen C. Bonaparte collection". md.history.libraryhost.com.
- ^ "Charles Joseph Bonaparte (1851–1921)". msa.maryland.gov.
- ^ Deutsch, Alexandra. A Woman of Two Worlds.