Claire de Forbin La Barben (; 10 April 1908 – 1992) fought with the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Married to the last marquess of Forbin-la Barben, she was the lover of

Isabel Pell Isabel Townsend Pell (September 28, 1900 – June 5, 1951) was an American socialite and member of the French Resistance during World War II. She was subsequently decorated with the Legion of Honour. Early life and family Pell was born on Sept ...

and

Mercedes de Acosta Mercedes de Acosta (March 1, 1892 – May 9, 1968) was an American poet, playwright, and novelist. Although she failed to achieve artistic and professional distinction, de Acosta is known for her many lesbian affairs with celebrated Broadway and ...

Biography

Claire Charles-Roux was born on 10 April 1908 in

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune ha ...

, the daughter of Charles Wulfran Marie Louis Charles-Roux (1875–1918) and Henriette Marie "Magdeleine" Yvaren (1887–1979). Her grandfather was

Jules Charles-Roux Jules Charles-Roux (14 November 1841 – 6 March 1918) was a French businessman and politician. He served as the vice president of the Suez Canal Company. He served as a corporate director of shipping companies in the Antilles, West Africa and ...

, her paternal uncle was François Charles-Roux. She was raised in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

. On 6 June 1932, she married Michel François Marie Antoine de Forbin des Issarts La Barben (1903–1987). De Forbin, last marquess of Forbin-la Barben, sold château de La Barben to his friend André Pons in 1963. During World War II, she was active in the Resistance. In the 1930s and 1940s, her partner was

; while in a relationship with Pell, De Forbin met Pell's friend

, and they had an affair. De Forbin visited de Acosta during the Christmas season of 1947. When de Forbin returned to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, de Acosta followed her. She died in 1992 in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , , , ) ; it, Losanna; rm, Losanna. is the capital and largest city of the Swiss French speaking canton of Vaud. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway between the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and fac ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbin, Claire De 1908 births 1992 deaths French marchionesses French socialites French Resistance members House of Forbin 20th-century French LGBT people