Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney

Betsey Maria Whitney (née Cushing, formerly Roosevelt) was born on May 18, 1908, and died on March 25, 1998. She was an American philanthropist and a member of a prominent family with social and familial ties to notable American figures.

Her parents were Harvey Williams Cushing, a distinguished neurosurgeon, and Katharine Stone Crowell. Harvey Cushing was descended from Matthew Cushing, an early Massachusetts settler, and held academic positions as a professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale universities. The Cushing family established roots in Boston. Betsey was the middle child among three daughters and two brothers. Her sisters, Mary "Minnie" and Barbara "Babe," became known in social circles as the "Cushing Sisters." Minnie married Vincent Astor in 1940, inheriting part of the Astor family's wealth, while Babe married Stanley Mortimer Jr. and later William S. Paley, founder of CBS. Both sisters died of cancer within months of each other in 1978.

In her early years, Betsey and her sisters were noted for their social charm and beauty, with their mother encouraging them to seek marriages with wealthy and prominent men.

Betsey Whitney engaged in philanthropic activities throughout her life. She founded the Greentree Foundation in 1983 to support local community groups. She was a benefactor of North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, which was built on land donated by her. Her philanthropic involvements included support for the Museum of Modern Art, Yale University, and New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. She served on the boards of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the John Hay Whitney Foundation, and the Association for Homemakers Service. In 1982, following her husband's death, she donated $8 million to Yale Medical School—the largest gift at the time—and later donated money to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., including nine significant paintings and $2 million for acquisitions. She also left $15 million in her will to New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center.

Her art collection gained prominence in the auction world; in 1990, Sotheby's sold her Renoir painting, "Bal au moulin de la Galette," for $78.1 million, setting a record for Impressionist art. Following her death, her collection was sold at Sotheby's in 1999 for $128.3 million, setting a record for a single-owner auction.

In her personal life, Betsey Whitney married James Roosevelt II in June 1930. James Roosevelt was the eldest son of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served as Governor of New York and as U.S. President. During Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, Betsey often served as a White House hostess in Eleanor Roosevelt’s absence and was present during notable events, such as the 1939 visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Hyde Park.

Betsey and James Roosevelt had two daughters: Sara Delano Roosevelt, born March 13, 1932, and Kate Roosevelt, born in 1936. Sara married Anthony di Bonaventura; they divorced in 1972, and she later married Ronald A. Wilford. Kate was known as Kate Whitney after her stepfather adopted her, and she was the mother of Lulie Haddad. Betsey and James Roosevelt divorced in 1940, and Betsey was granted custody of their children.

In 1942, Betsey married John Hay "Jock" Whitney, a millionaire and diplomat, who had previously been married to Elizabeth Altemus. Whitney later served as U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James's in London from 1957. The Whitneys resided in multiple locations, including Greentree estate on Long Island, Greenwood Plantation in Georgia, properties in Manhattan, Fishers Island, Saratoga Springs, Augusta, Georgia, and in Surrey, England. Whitney was listed among the wealthiest men in the world during the 1970s.

Betsey Whitney passed away at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York. Her estate was valued at approximately $700 million in 1990, according to Forbes. Her estate included a significant art collection, with eight major paintings donated to the National Gallery of Art.