>>3311967 lb
mclean family is ......interesting
Early life[edit]
Edward McLean was born into a publishing fortune founded by his paternal grandfather Washington McLean, who owned The Washington Post and The Cincinnati Enquirer. He was the only child of John Roll McLean, for whom McLean, Virginia, is named, and the former Emily Truxtun Beale, the daughter of Edward F. Beale and the former Mary Edwards. Emily was a hostess and socialite who was the inspiration for the character Victoria Dare in the 1880 comic novel, Democracy: An American Novel by Henry Brooks Adams. He attended Brooks Debartolo Collegiate High School.[2]
Career[edit]
In 1916, Edward inherited the Washington Post, which he owned and published until 1933. The McLeans lived lavishly and had a large part in Washington society.[3]
Thoroughbred horse racing[edit]
In 1915, Edward McLean acquired Belmont Plantation [4] and built a horse stable and training track for Thoroughbreds.[5] Involved with show horses for a number of years,[6] in 1917 Edward McLean purchased thirty-two racehorses and hired trainer H. Eugene Leigh.[7] Among his notable runners, Toro won the 1928 American Derby, ran third in the Kentucky Derby, and second in the Preakness Stakes.[8]
McLean dispersed his bloodstock in June 1931; and, in December, the estate was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Patrick J. Hurley.[9]
Hope Diamond ownership and subsequent family misfortunes[edit]
On January 28, 1911, in a deal made in the offices of The Washington Post, McLean purchased the Hope Diamond for US$180,000 from Pierre Cartier of Cartier Jewelers on Fifth Avenue in New York City. A clause in the sale agreement for the diamond, which was widely believed to have brought death and disaster to its owners, stated that "Should any fatality occur to the family of Edward B. McLean within six months, the said Hope diamond is agreed to be exchanged for jewelry of equal value". By March, the diamond had not been paid for in accordance with the terms in the sale agreement. Cartier hired a lawyer to sue McLean for payment. McLean responded by saying that the diamond was on loan for inspection.[10] On February 2, 1912 The New York Times reported, "Wealthy Purchasers of Famous Stone to Retain It Despite Sinister Reputation."[11]
Personal life[edit]
In 1908, Edward McLean married Evalyn Walsh, the only surviving child and sole heiress of mining millionaire Thomas Walsh.[12] Following a honeymoon trip around the world, the couple returned to Washington and settled in at the McLean family's country house 'Friendship' (now the McLean Gardens Condominium development) along Wisconsin Avenue to the south of the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, D. C. They were close friends of Senator and President Warren G. Harding and first lady Florence Harding.[3]
McLean was also a friend of Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall, through whom he became embroiled in the Teapot Dome scandal.[13] McLean falsely told investigating Senator Thomas J. Walsh that he had given Fall a $100,000 loan when, in fact, Fall had illegally received money from private oil companies. When Walsh threatened to have McLean charged with perjury, McLean admitted the falsity of his claim.[13] This admission was later characterized as "the first climactic sensation" and "the smoking gun" of the scandal.[13][14]
Divorce, mental illness, and death[edit]
cont
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Beale_McLean