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Gertrude Gretsch Astor

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This article is about the American socialite. For the American actress, see Gertrude Astor.
Countess

Gertrude Gretsch Astor
Portrait of Astor for Collier's, 1944
Full name
Gertrude Gretsch Astor Coletti-Perucca
BornGertrude Gretsch
(1923-08-01)August 1, 1923
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
DiedJanuary 16, 1999(1999-01-16) (aged 75)
Glen Cove, New York, U.S.
BuriedGreen-Wood Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1944; div. 1954)​

Sonio Coletti-Perucca
​
​
(m. 1961; died 1997)​
Children1

Gertrude Gretsch Astor (née Gretsch; August 1, 1923 – January 16, 1999) was an American socialite who was a member of the Astor family and later a titular countess.

Early life and career

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On August 1, 1923, Gertrude Gretsch was born in Brooklyn, New York to the wealthy Gretsch family.[1][2][3] She was the daughter of Walter Gretsch, a son of the Gretsch Company founder Friedrich Gretsch, and Gertrude Gretsch.[1][2] She was raised in Manhattan, attended the Woodward School for Girls, and graduated from the Packer Collegiate Institute.[4] She went on to graduate from Smith College with a bachelor's degree.[5][6]

Before her marriage, Astor worked for the Navy League and other charitable organizations on behalf of blind children.[5]

In 1967, Astor served as a committee member of the 13th Imperial Ball held for the 5th Duke and Duchess of Aosta at the Plaza Hotel, attended by Mrs. Spyros Skouras, Mrs. Henry J. Heinz II, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, Mrs. Francis L. Kellogg, and Serge Obolensky.[7]

For over 30 years, Astor was a board member of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.[8]

Personal life

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Astor was Catholic.[2] She was a first cousin of activist Marion Wells.[9]

On September 18, 1944, in New York City,[10] Gretsch married John Jacob Astor VI,[8] son of Madeleine and Colonel John Jacob Astor IV.[11][12] Astor's best man was his half-brother, artist John Henry Dick.[5] The couple honeymooned in Canada.[13] For years, their marital problems were covered in the press.[14] Astor and Gretsch divorced on August 2, 1954, after a four-year separation, though a Mexican divorce in Juárez.[15][16][17] After ending his marriage, Astor married Dolly Fullman four days later.[18][19] Astor and Fullman separated after 41 days of marriage.[20][21][22] In 1956, Astor and Gretsch's divorce was ruled invalid.[23][24] An American divorce soon followed, adjudicated by Justice Matthew M. Levy.[25][26][27] Before their separation and divorce, the couple had a daughter:

  • Mary Jacqueline Astor (b. 1949), who married John Rozet Drexel IV (b. 1945), a son of John Rozet Drexel III and Mildred Sophia Noreen Stonor and 2x great-grandson of Anthony Joseph Drexel, in 1984.[28]

In her divorce settlement, Gretsch received a 19-bedroom apartment at 998 Fifth Avenue and an interest in a building on the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 35th Street.[25]

In October 1961, Astor married Sonio Edoardo Coletti-Perucca, a titular Italian count and playwright who was a classmate and friend of John F. Kennedy and Lem Billings at Harvard University.[29][30][31] Their wedding was attended by then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.[3] For years, the couple lived in Paris, France.[3] After 35 years of marriage, Coletti-Perucca died of cancer in March 1997.[32]

Death

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On January 16, 1999, Astor died at Glen Cove Hospital in Nassau County on Long Island, at the age of 75.[8] She was interred at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Gretsch — A Legacy of Family Spanning 141 Years". gretsch.com. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Mrs. Gertrude Gretsch". New York Daily News. March 7, 1956. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Knickerbocker, Cholly (October 22, 1961). "Astor ex-wife wed, will live in Paris". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  4. ^ "Gertrude Gretsch Presented at Dance". Brooklyn Eagle. December 30, 1941. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "J. J. ASTOR MARRIES GERTRUDE GRETSCH". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  6. ^ "GERTRUDE GRETSCH HAS A DEBUT PARTY; She Wears White Silk Net Bouffant Gown at Supper Dance Given by Mother". The New York Times. December 30, 1941. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  7. ^ Salvini, Renato (November 5, 1967). "Imperial Ball Is Set for Dec. 1 at Plaza". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c "Paid Notice: Deaths COLETTI, PERUCCA, GERTRUDE GRETSCH". The New York Times. January 20, 1999. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  9. ^ "Society". Brooklyn Eagle. December 19, 1948. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  10. ^ "J. J. Astor Marries Gertrude Gretsch. Son of the Late Colonel John Jacob Astor IV Weds Alumna of Finch at Her Home". The New York Times. September 19, 1944. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2025. ..... of the Late Colonel John Jacob Astor IV Weds Alumna of Finch at Her Home The..... Mr. Astor is the son of the late Col John Jacob Astor IV, who lost his life.....
  11. ^ Gretsch, Fred. "Gretsch Family Connection to Titanic Passengers". Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  12. ^ "Walter Gretsch, 58, Active in Charities". Brooklyn Eagle. September 18, 1944. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  13. ^ "J.J. Astor-Gretsch Wedding Today After Elope Ban". New York Daily News. March 7, 1956. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  14. ^ Cassini, Igor (January 28, 1951). "Trouble Loves Plague Astors in Romance Quest". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  15. ^ "Court Rules Gertrude Is Still Mrs. J. J. Astor". Newsday. February 18, 1956. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  16. ^ "Astor Tries to Free Fortune From Ex-Wife". Los Angeles Times. September 26, 1954. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  17. ^ "Astor Files Answer to 2nd Wife". Miami Herald. September 7, 1957. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  18. ^ "Un-American, Says Broker Dropped From Blue Book". San Francisco Examiner. November 27, 1954. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  19. ^ "Gertrude Attacks Mexican Divorce Of Honeymooning John Jacob Astor". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 1, 1954. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  20. ^ "Astor Asks Court Hurry Tell Him Which Wide Really His; Pays Both". Toronto Star. January 30, 1957. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  21. ^ "Names In The News". Daily News. December 18, 1954. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  22. ^ "Astor's Case Tossed Out By Justice". The Virginian-Pilot. February 17, 1957. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  23. ^ Albelli, Alfred (February 18, 1956). "Gertrude Is Once Again J.J.'s Wife". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  24. ^ "Court Rejects J. J. Astor Plea". The Daily Telegraph. June 18, 1957. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  25. ^ a b "EX-WIFE ATTACHES ASTOR'S REAL ESTATE". The New York Times. September 1, 1954. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  26. ^ "Astor Seeking Divorce. John J. Files Suit in Mexico Against Second Wife". The New York Times. July 3, 1954. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  27. ^ "Second Mrs. J. J. Astor Ties Up Huge Fortune". Montreal Star. September 22, 1954. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  28. ^ Curtis, Charlotte (August 22, 1967). "Newport Party Resembled Reunion Of John Jacob Astor's Relatives". The Daily Telegraph.
  29. ^ "Mrs. Gertrude G. Astor Wed To Sonio E. Coletti-Perucca". The New York Times. October 17, 1961. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  30. ^ "Scrapbooks and albums: School Year Abroad, Kathleen Kennedy, others, 1935-1937". John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  31. ^ Hruska, Milli (September 1, 1965). "Sun Shines for a Silver Anniversary". The Daily Register. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  32. ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths COLETTI, PERUCCA, SONIO". The New York Times. March 12, 1997.
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