Harriet Beale

Harriet Blaine Beale was born on October 29, 1871 in Augusta, Maine. She was the daughter of James G. Blaine and Harriet Stanwood Blaine. Her father was a U.S. Senator, Speaker of the House, Secretary of State under three US Presidents and Republican Candidate for President (narrowly losing to Grover Cleveland) She married Truxtun Beale and they had one child, Walker Blaine Beale. Mrs. Beale had edited the letters of her mother which were published into a book entitled "Letters of Mrs. James G. Blaine" which was published in 1908. She would go on to author several books, including; Stories from the Old Testament for Children and Chemistry for Beginners. Harriet was one of seven children. At the time of her mother's death in 1903, Mrs. Blaine left equal shares of her home in Augusta to her 3 remaining children, James G. Blaine Jr. Margaret Blaine Damrosch and Harriet Blaine Beale as well as to two of her grandsons by her daughter,the late Alice Blaine Coppinger. As a birthday gift to his son, Truxtun Beale (now divorced from Harriet) purchased the shares from the heirs and gave them to Walker Beale. Walker Blaine Beale died in action during World War I and was buried in France. After his death, his shares in his grandparents house returned to his parents. Mr. Beale signed his shares over to Walker's mother and with her shares made her the sole owner of the house. In memory of her son, Harriet Blaine Beale donated the "Blaine House" to the State of Maine to be used as the Governor's Mansion. Since 1920, twenty one Governors and their families have lived in the Blaine House which is located across the street from the State Capital. Later in life, Harriet and her sister Margaret worked tirelessly to preserve the memory of their father. Making sure that he received recognition for his work regarding US Foreign Policy. Harriet Blaine Beale was 86 years old when she died at her home on East Seventy-fifth Street in New York on January 28, 1958. She was buried at Ledgelawn Cemetery in Bar Harbor, Maine.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Aug 3 2019, 2:35:22 UTC