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Irene <I>Langhorne</I> Gibson

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Irene Langhorne Gibson Famous memorial

Birth
Danville, Danville City, Virginia, USA
Death
20 Apr 1956 (aged 82)
Greenwood, Albemarle County, Virginia, USA
Burial
Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
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Muse. Philanthropist. Born in Danville, Virginia to Nancy Witcher Keene and Chiswell Dabney Langhorne. Her father struggled to support his family until making his fortune in the railroad business. They then moved to Richmond and were considered to be among the social elite. Considered a beauty, she was invited to open the Patriarchs' Ball at Delmonico's in New York City, the first southern woman do do so. By 1894, she had reportedly refused several dozen proposals of marriage. That year she met popular artist Charles Dana Gibson in New York. The following year, the couple married in Richmond, Virginia, and afterward, her husband's famous “Gibson Girl” often resembled her; her interests and taste were often those depicted in his art. The couple would have two children. In 1908 she, along with four other society ladies, founded Big Sisters, Inc. She was also associated with the Equal Franchise Society, Women's Political League, and the Federation of Women's Clubs. In 1916 she chaired the Eastern Women's Bureau of the Democratic National Committee. In 1918 she was appointed chair of the Committee on Local Defense by the New York mayor's office. In 1923 she and her husband were made trustees of the Heckscher Foundation, and she was appointed chair of the Child Placing and Adoption Committee of New York's State Charities Aid Association, a position she held for over twenty years. After her husband's passing, she returned to Virginia in 1951, living in a cottage on her son's property. She died there after a long illness at the age of 82. Her biography, “Gibson Girl: Portrait of a Southern Belle” by Langhorne Gibson, Jr. was published in 1997, followed by “Five Sisters: The Langhornes of Virginia” by James Fox in 2001.
Muse. Philanthropist. Born in Danville, Virginia to Nancy Witcher Keene and Chiswell Dabney Langhorne. Her father struggled to support his family until making his fortune in the railroad business. They then moved to Richmond and were considered to be among the social elite. Considered a beauty, she was invited to open the Patriarchs' Ball at Delmonico's in New York City, the first southern woman do do so. By 1894, she had reportedly refused several dozen proposals of marriage. That year she met popular artist Charles Dana Gibson in New York. The following year, the couple married in Richmond, Virginia, and afterward, her husband's famous “Gibson Girl” often resembled her; her interests and taste were often those depicted in his art. The couple would have two children. In 1908 she, along with four other society ladies, founded Big Sisters, Inc. She was also associated with the Equal Franchise Society, Women's Political League, and the Federation of Women's Clubs. In 1916 she chaired the Eastern Women's Bureau of the Democratic National Committee. In 1918 she was appointed chair of the Committee on Local Defense by the New York mayor's office. In 1923 she and her husband were made trustees of the Heckscher Foundation, and she was appointed chair of the Child Placing and Adoption Committee of New York's State Charities Aid Association, a position she held for over twenty years. After her husband's passing, she returned to Virginia in 1951, living in a cottage on her son's property. She died there after a long illness at the age of 82. Her biography, “Gibson Girl: Portrait of a Southern Belle” by Langhorne Gibson, Jr. was published in 1997, followed by “Five Sisters: The Langhornes of Virginia” by James Fox in 2001.

Bio by: Iola



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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Originally Created by: Laurie
  • Added: Dec 1, 2003
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8143811/irene-gibson: accessed ), memorial page for Irene Langhorne Gibson (7 Jun 1873–20 Apr 1956), Find a Grave Memorial ID 8143811, citing Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.