Florence Gould

Florence La Caze Gould (1 July 1895 – 28 February 1983) was American writer and salon-holder who became involved in a money laundering plot before creating a legacy as a patron of the arts at institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1] She held a salon under the Nazi Occupation of Paris entertaining Nazi officers, and narrowly escaped high treason charges in 1945.

Personal life

Florence La Caze was born in America to French parents; her father was Maximilien Lacaze, a French publisher. She married once. Her second marriage was as the third wife of Frank Jay Gould in 1923.[2]

Fortune and notoriety

Gould hosted salons in their French residence through the 1920s, as she and her husband collected French Impressionist paintings.[3] They also kept an open marriage, which allowed her to take lovers such as Charlie Chaplin.[4]

The couple owned a gambling casino and several hotels and restaurants. These allowed them to move money from Nazis, which caused her to be charged but never found guilty of treason by the US government.[5]

She also founded the following prizes:

  • the Critics Prize
  • The Max Jacob Poetry Prize
  • The Roger Nimier Prize for literature
  • The Engraving Prize and the Musical Composition Prize[3]

References
  1. "Florence Gould, The Woman Who Bought Happiness | Midday on WNYC". WNYC. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
  2. Ronald, Susan (2018-03-10). "Florence Gould Was Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
  3. Ap (1983-03-02). "Florence Gould Dead; Benefactor of the Arts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
  4. Ronald, Susan (2018). A Dangerous Woman: American Beauty, Noted Philanthropist, Nazi Collaborator - The Life of Florence Gould.
  5. Linge, Mary Kay (2018-02-24). "This American socialite loved sex, luxury and Nazis". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
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