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Etti Plesch, born Maria Anna Paula Ferdinandine Gräfin von Wurmbrand-Stuppach (3 February 1914 – 28 April 2003), was an
Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
, huntress,
racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic ...
owner, and socialite. Plesch lost two of her six husbands to the same woman,
Louise de Vilmorin Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan o ...
, a French literary figure, and owned two winners of The Derby,
Psidium ''Psidium'' is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere (Mexico, Central and South America, the West Indies the Galápagos islands). Taxonomy This genus was described first b ...
in 1961 and Henbit in 1980.


Early life

Born as Countess Maria Anna Paula Ferdinandine von
Wurmbrand-Stuppach The House of Wurmbrand-Stuppach is an old noble family of Austria. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Counts of Wurmbrand-Stuppach gained notability in wars against the Turks in the Balkans. The Counts of Wurmbrand-Stuppach were highly decora ...
in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
, Austria, of Greco-Austrian heritage. "Etti", as she was known, was putatively the elder daughter of Count Ferdinand von Wurmbrand-Stuppach (1879–1933) and his wife May Baltazzi (1885–1981), but more likely was the countess's biological child by Count Josef Gizycki (1867–1926). Her mother, who was a cousin of
Baroness Mary Vetsera Baroness Marie Alexandrine "Mary" von Vetsera (19 March 1871 – 30 January 1889) was an Austrian noblewoman and the mistress of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria. Vetsera and the crown prince were found dead at his hunting lodge in Mayerling on 3 ...
(a mistress of
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria en, Rudolph Francis Charles Joseph , caption = Rudolf in 1887 , spouse = , issue = Elisabeth Marie, Princess Otto of Windisch-Graetz , house = Habsburg-Lorraine , father = Franz Joseph I of Austria , mother ...
), said that Count Gizycki's main interest in life was "the pleasuring of women in a physical way... He was amoral and cynical, but he was a marvelous lover." Gizycki was famed in the early 1900s because of his stormy marriage to American newspaper heiress
Cissy Patterson Eleanor Josephine Medill "Cissy" Patterson, Countess Gizycki (November 7, 1881 – July 24, 1948) was an American journalist and newspaper editor, publisher and owner. Patterson was one of the first women to head a major daily newspaper, the ''W ...
. Etti von Wurmbrand-Stuppach spent her childhood in her family's castle of
Napajedla Napajedla (; german: Napajedl) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Etymology The town's name is derive ...
and was raised in Vienna and in
Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. Th ...
, with travels to other sites throughout Europe. From the age of 10 until she was 17, she was treated for
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...
at the Waltzaner Sanatorium in Davos, the setting for
Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...
's novel ''
The Magic Mountain ''The Magic Mountain'' (german: Der Zauberberg, links=no, ) is a novel by Thomas Mann, first published in German in November 1924. It is widely considered to be one of the most influential works of twentieth-century German literature. Mann s ...
''.


Thoroughbred racing

With her last husband, Dr. Plesch, who shared Etti's passion for
Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
, for which she had been influenced by her maternal grandfather Alexander Baltazzi, who won the 1876 edition of the Epsom Derby with Kisber. Her husband and she began racing Thoroughbreds in 1954, and won major races such as the 1959
Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ...
with Nagami and that year's
Irish Oaks The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it i ...
with Discorea. Their 1961
Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey ...
winner
Psidium ''Psidium'' is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere (Mexico, Central and South America, the West Indies the Galápagos islands). Taxonomy This genus was described first b ...
was bred by Etti Plesch and raced by the couple. Following her husband's death in 1974, she continued to race horses, and in 1970 won France's most prestigious race with
Sassafras ''Sassafras'' is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.Wolfe, Jack A. & Wehr, Wesley C. 1987. The sassafras is an ornamental tree. "Middle E ...
. In 1980, Etti Plesch became the only female owner to ever win the Epsom Derby twice when her horse Henbit won England's most prestigious race. Among her other notable horses, Etti Plesch owned and raced
Miswaki Miswaki (February 22, 1978 – December 17, 2004) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse that was a Group One winner in France and a stakes race winner in the United States. He was an important sire of 97 stakes race winners and was the Le ...
, a
Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern race system introduce ...
winner in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
as well as a
stakes race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: * Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting * Glossary of equestrian terms * Parimutuel betting#Parimutuel bet types A B ...
winner in the United States, hat became an important sire of 97 stakes race winners and was the
Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain and Ireland The list below shows the leading sire of broodmares in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1899. This is determined by the amount of prize money won during the year in Great Britain and Ireland by racehorses that were foaled by a daughte ...
in 1999 and 2001.


Personal life

At the age of 17, she fell in love with Count Wladimir ''Wladschi'' Mittrovsky von Mitrowitz (1901-1976), but was forbidden to marry him because he had a blood disease. She journeyed to New York and met up with her mother's cousin, Prince Chlodwig
Hohenlohe The House of Hohenlohe () is a German princely dynasty. It ruled an immediate territory within the Holy Roman Empire which was divided between several branches. The Hohenlohes became imperial counts in 1450. The county was divided numerous ti ...
. While there, she met American railway heir Clendenin J. Ryan Jr. (1905–1957), grandson of
Thomas Fortune Ryan Thomas Fortune Ryan (October 17, 1851 – November 23, 1928) was an American tobacco, insurance and transportation magnate. Although he lived in New York City for much of his adult career, Ryan was perhaps the greatest benefactor of the Roman Ca ...
, who proposed to her on their third date. Etti married him on 20 February 1935 in Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Mayor
Fiorello La Guardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City fro ...
was best man. The marriage only lasted three months; they divorced in 1935 and she returned to Europe with "a settlement of only $35,000." The marriage was later annulled in 1944.


Second marriage

After she returned to Europe, she met Hungarian Count
Paul Pálffy ab Erdöd Count Franz Paul Rudolf Maria Josef Pálffy ab Erdöd (12 February 1890 – 11 October 1968) was a Hungarian aristocrat, landowner, and author best known for his eight marriages. Early life Franz Paul Rudolf Maria Josef was born on 12 February 18 ...
(1890–1968) and became the fourth of his eight eventual wives in late 1935. They lived in
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
. Their life was taken up with tiger hunts in
India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
; they both became good shots, killing stags, elephants, and antelopes. They attended the World Exposition of Shooting at Berlin, hosted by
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
. Shortly afterwards, Pálffy became smitten with siren-like writer
Louise de Vilmorin Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan o ...
in Paris, divorced Etti in December 1937, and married Louise.


Third marriage

On the rebound, Etti married Count Tamás Esterházy de Galántha (1901–1964), descendant of the junior committal branch of a great princely family, on 5 March 1938, and went to live in his Devecser castle, in Hungary. They hunted, traveled, and had one daughter: * Marie-Anna Berta Felicie Johanna Ghislaine Theodora Huberta Georgina Helene Genoveva "Bunny" Esterházy de Galántha (1938–2021), who married the Hon. Dominic
Elliot Elliot (also spelled Eliot, Elliotte, Elliott, Eliott and Elyot) is a personal name which can serve as either a surname or a given name. Although the given name has historically been given to males, females have increasingly been given the nam ...
(b. 1931), a younger son of the 5th Earl of Minto, in 1962; they divorced 1972. In 1942, she journeyed abroad alone, and her husband became involved with Vilmorin, the same woman who had married her second husband Count Pálffy. Count Esterházy divorced Etti in 1944 and ran away with Vilmorin, although the two never married.


Fourth marriage

Etti's next husband was Austrian Count Sigismund Berchtold zu Ungarschütz (1900–1979), son of Count
Leopold Berchtold Leopold Anton Johann Sigismund Josef Korsinus Ferdinand Graf Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz, Frättling und Püllütz ( hu, Gróf Berchtold Lipót, cs, Leopold hrabě Berchtold z Uherčic) (18 April 1863 – 21 November 1942) was an Austro-Hu ...
, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who advised the Emperor to declare war on the
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their ...
, starting
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. They wed in 1944 and divorced in 1949.


Fifth marriage

The fifth was
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
millionaire
William Deering Davis William Deering Davis (March 9, 1897 – 1965) was an American designer and author who was one of the first American aviators to serve in Italy in World War I. He is also known for his marriages to movie star Louise Brooks and racehorse owner Etti P ...
, who had been briefly married to silent film star
Louise Brooks Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) was an American film actress and dancer during the 1920s and 1930s. She is regarded today as an icon of the Jazz Age and flapper culture, in part due to the bob hairstyle that she helpe ...
, in the 1930s; Plesch's marriage, at age 34, to Davis, aged 52, lasted from 1949 until their divorce in 1951.


Sixth marriage

In 1954, Etti married her last husband, Dr
Árpád Plesch Árpád Plesch (1889–1974) was a Hungarian financier, banker, and lawyer. He owned a celebrated collection of rare botanical books and esoteric pornography. His botanical collection has been included in Douglas Cooper's ''Great Private Collect ...
(1889–1974), a wealthy Hungarian lawyer, international financier, and collector of rare
botanical Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany ...
books and pornographic esoterica. She met Plesch through her friends
Gloria Guinness Gloria Guinness previously Gloria von Fürstenberg, née Rubio y Alatorre (27 August 1912 – 9 November 1980) was a Mexican socialite and fashion and cultural icon, as well as a contributing editor to '' Harper's Bazaar'' from 1963 to 1971, co ...
and
Thomas "Loel" Guinness Group Captain Thomas Loel Evelyn Bulkeley Guinness, (9 June 1906 – 31 December 1988) was a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bath (1931–1945), business magnate and philanthropist. Guinness also financed the pur ...
in Paris. The Plesches lived on the
Avenue Foch Avenue Foch () is an avenue in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France, named after World War I Marshal Ferdinand Foch in 1929. It is one of the most prestigious streets in Paris, and one of the most expensive addresses in the world, home to ...
in Paris, and at the Villa Leonina at
Beaulieu-sur-Mer Beaulieu-sur-Mer (; oc, Bèuluec de Mar; it, Belluogo; "Beautiful Place on the Sea"), commonly referred to simply as Beaulieu, is a seaside commune on the French Riviera between Nice and the Principality of Monaco. Located in the Alpes-Mari ...
in the south of France, where he had a famous botanical garden. After her husband's death in 1974, she took up partying, and writing her memoirs, which were almost completed at the time of her death. They were edited by
Hugo Vickers Hugo Ralph Vickers DL (born 12 November 1951) is an English writer and broadcaster. Early life The son of Ralph Cecil Vickers, M.C., a stockbroker, senior partner in the firm of Vickers, da Costa, by his marriage in 1950 to Dulcie Metcalf, V ...
and published posthumously in 2007 as ''Horses and Husbands''. She died 28 April 2003 in
Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino i ...
.


Descendants

Through her daughter Bunny, she was a grandmother to two boys, Alexander Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (1963–1985), who died unmarried, and Esmond Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (b. 1965).Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christin ...
, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 2, page 2713.


References


Further reading

* ''Horses & Husbands – The Memoirs of Etti Plesch'' (2007) Dovecote Press {{DEFAULTSORT:Plesch, Etti French racehorse owners and breeders Owners of Epsom Derby winners Owners of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners Austrian countesses Hungarian nobility Esterházy family Etti Austrian expatriates in Hungary Austrian expatriates in France Austrian people of Greek descent Nobility from Vienna 1914 births 2003 deaths