Mary Elsie Moore

Mary Elsie Moore, Princess di Civitella-Cesi (October 22, 1889 – December 21, 1941), was an American railroad equipment heiress who married and divorced Italian Prince Don Marino Torlonia, 4th Prince of Civitella-Cesi.

Mary Elsie Moore
Born	(1889-10-22)October 22, 1889 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	December 21, 1941(1941-12-21) (aged 52) New York City, U.S.
Other names	Donna Elsie Torlonia,[1] the "Dollar Duchess"
Occupation	American heiress
Title	Princess of Civitella-Cesi
Spouse	Don Marino Torlonia, 4th Prince of Civitella-Cesi ​ ​ (m. 1907; div. 1928)​
Children	Donna Olimpia Torlonia dei Principi di Civitella-Cesi Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi Donna Cristina Torlonia dei Principi di Civitella-Cesi Donna Marina Torlonia dei Principi di Civitella-Cesi
Parent(s)	Charles Arthur Moore Mary L. Campbell
Relatives	Francis Alexander Shields (grandson) Brooke Shields (great-granddaughter)

Early life

Mary Elsie Moore was born October 22, 1889, in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest child of Charles Arthur Moore (1846–1914)^[2] and Mary (née Campbell) Moore (1854–1928).^[3] Her father was a shipping broker and hardware manufacturer from Connecticut, who went on to become the president of Manning, Maxwell and Moore, a large industrial concern.^[4][5]

Her siblings were Charles Arthur Moore Jr. who married Annete Sperry and Elizabeth Hyde (maternal grandfather of actress Glenn Close); Eugene Maxwell Moore, who married Titanic survivor Margaret Graham; and Jessie Ann Moore, who married the son of U.S Navy Admiral Colby Mitchell Chester.

Moore was educated at Mrs. Dow's School in Briarcliff Manor, New York.^[4]

Personal life

On August 15, 1907, Moore married the then Duke of Poli and Guadagnolo Don Marino Torlonia (1861–1933) at Old Orchard, her parents' estate in Belle Haven, Greenwich, Connecticut.^[6] She was nicknamed, "the Dollar Duchess" by the media.^[5][7] Upon his brother Augusto Torlonia's death in 1926, her husband became the 4th Prince of Civitella-Cesi. Together, the Prince and Princess of Civitella-Cesi had four children:^[4]

• Princess Donna Olimpia Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi^{[citation needed]}
• Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi (1911–1986),^[4] who married Infanta Beatriz of Spain (1909–2002), the daughter of King Alfonso XIII of Spain.
• Princess Donna Cristina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi (1913–1974), was married to banker Daniel Lord from 1935 until 1937.^[4][8][5]
• Princess Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi (1916–1960),^[4] who married two Americans: Francis Xavier Shields (by whom she had several children, including a son who became the father of the actress Brooke Shields) and Edward Slater.^[9]

In 1922, the Duke of Torlonia fought a duel with Count Filippo Lovatelli, the famous Italian sculptor, over a statue of the Duchess, causing an international sensation.^[10][11]

The Prince of Torlonia was having an affair.^[5] In 1925, the couple separated and in 1926, the Duchess filed for divorce in the United States.^[12] Her American citizenship was brought into question,^[13] but the Connecticut courts decided that her residence in the state was legal and granted her divorce in February 1928.^[14][15]

Once settled in the United States she became a socialite, active in society life in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island.^[5] Moore died at her home, 375 Park Avenue in New York City, on December 21, 1941.^[4]