Heiress, Collector, Philanthropist, Style Icon, Daughter of James Roche, 3rd Baron of Fermoys, and Frances Ellen Work. Maternal grand-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales. Daring and skillful, Mrs. Cary was an exceptional automobilist, being one of the first ladies of her time to own an automobile. An accomplished horsewoman, she usually won first place at the Piping Rock Horse Show, sometimes held at her Locust Valley estate, 'Oak Hill'. In the field of dancing Mrs. Cary was unquestioned for her style and vivacity. A golfer, Mrs. Cary regularly played with her friend Mrs. Burns MacDonald at the Newport Country Club. Proud of her Anglo-Irish heritage, Mrs. Cary's name appeared on 'the' Mrs. Astor's "400", a list that described the socially prominent of New York. Mrs. Cary spent her summers at her childhood home in Newport, Rhode Island, 'Elm Court' and it was there that she married her second husband, Guy Fairfax Cary, a partner in the New York law firm Shearman, Sterling & Wright. Commanding in nature, self-assured and confident in her way of life, Cynthia Cary always carried with her a signature pink parasol, her trademark stamp, which she used to protect her complexion from the sun. A passionate collector of English and European decorative art books, Cynthia's collection contained nearly 200 books and magazines pertaining to furniture, decor and ornaments dating to the late 15th century up to the early 19th century. In 1981, Mrs. Cary's son, Guy Fairfax Cary Jr., donated the collection in it's entirety to the Redwood Library and Athenaeum of Newport, Rhode Island, in honor of Cynthia Cary's memory.

Bio by: Bobby Kelley