Vida Whitmore (1882 – February 23, 1978), later Vida L. W. Hudson, was an American musical theatre actress, businesswoman, and major benefactor of

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Early life

Vida L. Whitmore was from

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458 with a majority bla ...

, one of seven siblings born to Emmet Archer Whitmore and Martha Merrill Whitmore."Miss Virginia L. Whitmore"
''Progress-Index'' (May 28, 1959): 26. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

Career

Whitmore went to London in 1903 with the show '' Dolly Varden''. On Broadway she appeared in ''

The Earl and the Girl ''The Earl and the Girl'' is a musical comedy in two acts, with a book by Seymour Hicks, lyrics by Percy Greenbank and music by Ivan Caryll. It was produced by William Greet and opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London on 10 December 1903. It t ...

'' (1905), ''

Miss Dolly Dollars ''Miss Dolly Dollars'' is a musical comedy written in two acts with the book and lyrics by Harry B. Smith and music by Victor Herbert. The musical concerns a wealthy American girl in Europe, who is sought after by bankrupt aristocrats. Its scor ...

'' (1905), ''Up and Down Broadway'' (1910). and ''

The Balkan Princess ''The Balkan Princess'' is a musical theater, musical in three acts by Frederick Lonsdale and Frank Curzon, with lyrics by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens and Arthur Wimperis, and music by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens. It opened at Lond ...

'' (1911). She co-founded Whitmore & Lyden Dressmaking Company, incorporated in New York in 1907. The company employed twenty dressmakers in its first year of operation.

Personal life and legacy

Vida Whitmore married twice. She married Mandeville de Marigny Hall in 1908. He was still married to his first wife at the time, and was soon arrested for passing bad checks and other crimes. Hall pawned about $20,000 worth of Whitmore's jewelry while they were on honeymoon in Europe. That marriage was annulled in 1912. She married Percy Kierstede Hudson, a stockbroker, after being named in his well-publicized 1928 divorce. The couple were living in Guatemala in 1959. She was widowed in 1962, and she died in 1978, aged 95 years, in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...

. Together the Hudsons left twelve million dollars to

. There are several professorships at Columbia named for Percy K. and Vida L. W. Hudson."Prof. Laine Appointed Percy K. and Vida L.W. Hudson Professor of Biomedical Engineering"
''Biomedical Engineering'', Columbia University (November 14, 2011).

References

External links

Vida Whitmore Hudson's gravesite
in Georgia, on Find a Grave. (Her gravestone gives a birthdate of 1892, which is unlikely given her stage work in 1903 and 1905.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitmore, Vida 1882 births 1978 deaths People from Petersburg, Virginia Columbia University people Actresses from Virginia American musical theatre actresses 20th-century American actresses