Bouvier Beale (February 13, 1922 – May 3, 1994) was an American lawyer. Beale was one of the sons of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and was also a brother of Edith Bouvier Beale, whose lives were highlighted in the documentary '' Grey Gardens''. Beale was a first cousin of former First Lady

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

and Princess

Lee Radziwill Caroline Lee Radziwill (; March 3, 1933 – February 15, 2019), previously known as Lee Canfield and Lee Ross, was an American socialite, public relations executive, and interior designer. She was the younger sister of former First Lady of the ...

Early life and education

Beale was born on February 13, 1922, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He was the youngest son of Phelan Beale Sr and his wife Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (known as "Big Edie"), daughter of his father's law partner, John Vernou Bouvier Jr. Beale grew up at Grey Gardens at 3 West End Road in the wealthy Georgica Pond neighborhood in East Hampton on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. Beale was known as "Buddy" to his friends and family. He attended

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

in Simsbury,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Unlike his sister and elder brother Phelan Beale Jr., Beale followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather by attending

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

and establishing his own law firm in New York—Walker and Beale (later Walker, Beale, Wainwright and Wolf).

Personal life

Beale married Katharine Ridgely Jones, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Ridgely Jones of New York and Glen Cove, New York, at St. Johns Episcopal Church of Lattingtown in 1942. Beale's brother Phelan was his best man for the ceremony. Beale's ceremony was half over when his mother Big Edie arrived, dressed like an opera star. Beale and Katharine had three sons: *Bouvier Beale Jr. *Nicholas Beale *Christopher Prince Beale Beale and his family resided in the historic 1906 Italian Renaissance-styled home Cedarcroft in Glen Cove on Long Island, and in 1971, built their summer home in Bridgehampton, New York. Beale spent his weekends and summers on Long Island at the Piping Rock Club, Jones Beach, and Bridgehampton. Beale was raised a Catholic by his mother, but was an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

and nihilist in his adulthood. It was Beale's belief that

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

"had it right about religion." Beale died on May 3, 1994, in Glen Cove. His funeral service was held at St. John's Episcopal Church of Lattingtown in Locust Valley on Long Island. His eulogy was given by his son Christopher Beale.

Grey Gardens

Despite a successful career in law, Beale was best known for playing an active role in trying to persuade his mother Big Edie and sister Little Edie to vacate and sell their Grey Gardens estate in East Hampton. He and his brother Phelan refused to pay for the home's utilities and upkeep in order to compel the women to leave the dilapidated mansion. After the Suffolk County Health Department raided the mansion on October 22, 1971, Sidney Beckwith of the health department contacted Beale to convey the report of his inspection. Beale responded, “Mr. Beckwith, you’ve described it very well, but it’s nothing new—Mother is the original hippie." After his first cousins Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill came to the aid of Big Edie and Little Edie by having the mansion repaired and cleaned to meet health, sanitation, and building codes, Beale reluctantly paid the back property taxes on the estate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beale, Bouvier 1922 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American lawyers American atheists Beale family Bouvier family People from Bridgehampton, New York People from East Hampton (town), New York People from Glen Cove, New York Lawyers from Manhattan Westminster School (Connecticut) alumni Yale Law School alumni