Cornelia Armsby
Cornelia Wicker Armsby (1884 – April 23, 1969) was an American golfer and socialite, who lived much of her adult life in Europe.
![](../I/Cornelia_W._Armsby.jpg.webp)
Early life
Cornelia Wicker Armsby was from Evanston, Illinois, the daughter of James Kendall Armsby and Cornelia Anderson Armsby. Her father was a veteran of the American Civil War from Massachusetts.[1] One of her older brothers was George Newell Armsby, a banker and an executive in the food industry.[2]
Golf
Armsby won the Del Monte Cup for Women in 1907, at the site now known as Pebble Beach Golf Links. She also played in the mixed foursomes competition at the event.[3] She played at Burlingame in 1912.[4] In 1919 she was described as "former holder of the women's golf title of Switzerland."[5] She was still playing golf in 1932, when she won the Scordia Golf Cup in Rome.[6]
Personal life
Cornelia Wicker Armsby had an eventful personal life. She was one of the survivors of the 1903 Iroquois Theatre Fire in Chicago.[7] She moved to France before World War I and lived there into the 1930s, sharing a Paris home with her brother Gordon.[8] In 1923, she and her brother Raymond appeared in a silent film, Foolish Wives, among other "society extras".[9] In 1930, she and her brother Raymond had an audience with Pope Pius XII.[10]
She later lived in Rome,[11] where she was a "social leader" among the American residents, and lived in the San Francisco, California area during World War II.[12] She died in Rapallo, Italy, in 1969, aged 85 years.[13]
References
- "Obituary Record: James K. Armsby" Inter Ocean (October 20, 1894): 5. via Newspapers.com
- "Wins Golf Meet in Rome" Akron Beacon Journal (April 4, 1932): 24. via Newspapers.com
- Arthur Inkersley, "The July 'Golf Week' at Del Monte" Western Field: The Sportsman's Magazine of the West (August 1907): 69.
- "Sweepstakes Golf at Burlingame" San Francisco Call (July 10, 1912): 10. via Newspapers.com
- "Boys Beat Girls in Golf Tourney" Sacramento Union (November 29, 1919): 2. via California Digital Newspaper Collection
- "Miss Armsby Wins in Rome Golf" New York Times (April 5, 1932): 30. via ProQuest
- Judy Cooke, The 1903 Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago.
- "Society and News of Interest for Women" San Francisco Chronicle (April 1, 1920): 11. via Newspapers.com
- "'Foolish Wives' Continues as the Rialto Attraction" Hamilton Evening Journal (August 14, 1923): 6. via Newspapers.com
- "Pope Receives Americans" Salt Lake Telegram (November 20, 1930): 15. via Newspapers.com
- "Will Return to Rome" Baltimore Sun (February 23, 1936): 56. via Newspapers.com
- "Cornelia Armsby Arrives for Bay Section Visit" The Times (January 22, 1941): 5. via Newspapers.com
- "Cornelia Armsby" The Times (April 24, 1969): 31. via Newspapers.com