Saturday, July 2, 2022

The Gun Wielding Philanthropist and the Adventuress Socialite: The Charming and Eccentric Lives of Truxtun and Marie Beale, 1856 – 1956

I don't blog here nearly as often as I should, but I figured I would stop by (6 months late) to let everyone here know that my book about Truxtun Beale is finally out.

You can buy a copy of The Gun Wielding Philanthropist and the Adventuress Socialite:  The Charming and Eccentric Lives of Truxtun and Marie Beale, 1856 – 1956 though most online book sellers, such as Amazon. If you are in Annapolis, you can buy a signed copy from Back Creek Books on Main Street.

Who was Truxtun Beale? He was an American diplomat, adventurer, and philanthropist, among other things. He lived from 1856 until 1936, where he died near Annapolis, Maryland. His wife, Marie, lived until 1956, where she was a major player in the social scene in Washington, D.C.

Named after his great-grandfather, Thomas Truxtun, who commanded the USS Constellation in the Quasi-War, he was also the son of Edward Fitzgerald Beale, who served with distinction in the Mexican-American war and who Beale Air Force base is named after (among other places and things). Although Truxtun Beale never served in the military, as a young man he faced danger as a diplomat, especially as U.S. Minister to Persia (now Iran).

I became interested in Truxtun Beale after moving to Annapolis and spending time in Truxtun Park, which is named after Thomas Truxtun, but was donated to the city by Truxtun and Marie Beale. There were plenty of books out there about his father and great-grandfather, but no books published about him. So, I set out to gather together all I could find about him and put it in a book.

It is a relatively easy read and full of crazy adventures that he and his wife had. I also think there is much that we could learn from him that would be useful to us today.