Dorothy Douglas Robinson Kidder (June 30, 1917 – September 18, 1995) was an American socialite, philanthropist and political hostess. She was president of the Association of American Foreign Service Women.
Dorothy Douglas Robinson Kidder | |
|---|---|
 Dorothy Douglas Robinson Kidder, from a 1967 publication of the US Department of State | |
| Born | Dorothy Douglas Robinson June 30, 1917 |
| Died | September 18, 1995 (aged 78) Washington, D.C., US |
| Occupation(s) | Philanthropist, political hostess |
| Spouse |
Randolph Appleton Kidder
(m. 1938) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives |
|
Early life and education
editDorothy Douglas Robinson was born in Manchester, Massachusetts, the daughter of Monroe Douglas Robinson and Dorothy M. Jordan Robinson (later Chadwick).[1] Her grandparents included Douglas Robinson Jr. and Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, and her great-grandfather was Boston businessman Eben Dyer Jordan.[2] Her aunt Corinne Alsop Cole and her uncle Theodore Douglas Robinson were both in politics. Her first cousins included journalists Joseph Alsop and Stewart Alsop.[3] Writer Susan Mary Alsop, a relation by marriage, was a close friend and one of her bridesmaids.[4][5]
Robinson attended the Chapin School in New York and the Foxcroft School in Virginia.[1]
Personal life
editDorothy Douglas Robinson married foreign service officer Randolph Appleton ("Randy") Kidder, son of archaeologist Alfred V. Kidder, in 1938.[2][6] They had a son, Michael, born in Canada, and a daughter, Charlotte, born in Australia.[7][8] She died from lung cancer in 1995, aged 78 years, at her home in Washington, D.C.[9] Her memorial service was held at the National Cathedral.[10]
Career
editWith her diplomat husband, Kidder lived and worked in Canada, Australia, Brazil, Vietnam, and France from 1938 to 1968. Her husband was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia in 1964, but was not able to serve.[7] She was president of the Association of American Foreign Service Women in the 1960s,[11] and contributed travel, fashion, and interview articles to the Boston Globe, while she was living in Paris in the 1970s.[12][13][14]
Kidder's philanthropic efforts focused on the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Arboretum, and the Kennedy Center, especially its dance programs. She also founded the Hopeful Fund, to support services for the unhoused population in Washington, D.C.[15]
In June of 1988, Kidder gave an "amusing" oral history interview to the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training,[16] recounting dances with the Ballets Russes in Sydney, exorcisms in Brazil, and too many gimlets in Saigon, among other adventures. "We had a joint career," she said of her time as a foreign service wife.[17]
References
edit- ^ a b "Dorothy Robinson Becomes Engaged; Daughter of Mrs. Elbridge G. Chadwick Will Be Married to Randolph Kidder". The New York Times. September 18, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ a b "Dorothy Robinson to be Wed Feb. 5; Her Marriage to Randolph A. Kidder Will Take Place in St. Bartholomew's Here". The New York Times. January 26, 1938. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ Merry, Robert W. (1997). Taking on the world : Joseph and Stewart Alsop--guardians of the American century. New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-014984-8. OCLC 36673891.
- ^ Margerie, Caroline de (November 8, 2012). American Lady: The Life of Susan Mary Alsop. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-101-60116-7.
- ^ Patten, Bill (July 1, 2008). My Three Fathers: And the Elegant Deceptions of My Mother, Susan Mary Alsop. PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-0-7867-2171-9.
- ^ Randolph, Nancy (February 6, 1938). "Dot Robinson married to Randy Kidder". Daily News. p. 252. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Kidder Chosen Envoy to Cambodia". Department of State News Letter: 35. July 1964.
- ^ "Charlotte Ramsay, Conservationist, 53". The New York Times. September 21, 1995. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ Conroy, Sarah Booth (September 25, 1995). "Dottie Kidder's International Style". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ "Dorothy Kidder". The Boston Globe. September 22, 1995. p. 27. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Presentation". Department of State News Letter: 47. February 1967 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Kidder, Dorothy R. (March 14, 1976). "She tames lions, tigers". The Boston Globe. p. 65. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kidder, Dorothy R. (May 15, 1977). "Following Marco Polo's path is a journey back in time". The Boston Globe. p. 69. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kidder, Dorothy R. (November 12, 1974). "Training a new generation at Paris circus school 'a matter of national pride'". The Boston Globe. p. 15. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dorothy Kidder, 78; Helped the Homeless". The New York Times. September 20, 1995. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ Barker, Anthony J. (December 15, 2019). US Diplomats and Their Spouses during the Cold War: Americans Looking down on Australia and New Zealand. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-4985-9180-5.
- ^ Kidder, Dorothy Robinson (June 1, 1998). "Dorothy Robinson Kidder" (PDF). Foreign Service Spouse Series (Interview). Interviewed by Jewell Fenzi. Washington, D.C.: Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.