Background

Her father was an Ohio State Supreme Court judge, and her brother (also named Nicholas Longworth) was a congressman from Ohio for three decades, eventually becoming Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1925 to 1931. Her brother Nicholas married Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

Education

University of Paris.

Career

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Nicholas Longworth and Susan Walker, Clara belonged to a wealthy family that was involved in Ohio politics. Clara was reputed to dislike Alice. In 1921, Suzanne died of heart disease in Paris.

Through such connections as this, the Countess was able to keep The American Library in Paris open even after France"s declaration of war in September 1939, organised an administrative set-up which made it possible to keep it independent after the United States entered the war.

She acted as its director until the fall of 1944 when her ties to Laval became a liability. Before she died, however, thanks were given to her for her actions.

In the fall of 1935, the countess rented her apartment at 58 rue de Vaugirard, at the corner of the Luxembourg Garden to the young poet Elizabeth Bishop, where Bishop wrote "Cirque d"Hiver", her first poem to be published in The New Yorker, and "Paris, 7 Department of Administration and Management".

Achievements

• That same year, at the age of 48, Clara earned a doctorate from the Sorbonne and five years later she received the Bordin Prize of the Académie française for a book on Shakespeare which she wrote in French. This was followed in 1928 by her election as a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Shakespeare Actor-Poet - As Seen by his Associates Explained by Himself and Remembered by the Succeeding Generation

    (Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)

  • Pieces Of The Game: A Modern Instance (1915)

    (This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)

  • Playing With Souls: a Novel
  • Shakespeare Actor-Poet - As Seen by his Associates Explained by Himself and Remembered by the Succeeding Generation by Clara Longworth De Chambrun (2011-11-29)
  • Shakespeare, Actor-Poet: As Seen by His Associates, Explained by Himself and Remembered by the Succeeding Generation
  • Shakespeare Actor-Poet - As Seen by his Associates Explained by Himself and Remembered by the Succeeding Generation by Clara Longworth De Chambrun (2011-11-29)

Membership

She was one of the founding members of The American Library in Paris, and served as a trustee from 1921 through 1924.

Connections

Friend:

Josephine Crane

Friend:

Mary Louise Partridge

Mary Partridge knew Countess Clara Longworth de Chambrun while the former, in her early 20s, resided in France while setting up libraries for servicemen following WWII. Mary was in France during the last several years of the Countess's life, beginning in about 1951, and enjoyed lively discussions with her in Paris parks and over tea. She remembered the Countess fondly as eccentric, and described her as lively, witty, and sharply intelligent.