Courtesy John W. Miller Jr.
Mrs. Edith Hanan of Narragansett, pictured above, was considered one of the most beautiful women of her day. The wealthy grand dame was an influential patron of Narragansett.
By John W. Miller Jr.
In a story titled “When The Great ‘White Fleet’ Came To Narragansett,” South County historian Oliver H. Stedman described extraordinary happenings at the Pier Aug. 5, 1905. During that ebullient period shortly after the great Spanish-American War victory, when America was beginning to assert itself internationally through the muscular diplomacy of President Teddy Roosevelt, the U.S. fleet was formidable and on the prowl. Accordingly, when the fleet’s North Atlantic Squadron interrupted its maneuvers for a social stop in Narragansett Pier, that event was very noteworthy.
The hosts on this occasion were Mr. and Mrs. John H. Hanan. Their invitation had prompted the fleet’s visit and their hospitality made it a great success. The Hanans greeted Rear Adm. Robley D. Evans when he landed at the casino dock near The Towers. Then they took him on an automobile tour (a novelty, then) of the area. “Meanwhile the scene along Ocean Road all afternoon was one never known before or since at Narragansett,” according to Oliver Stedman (who was there).
Stedman described the proceedings that followed: “The dinner given by the Hanans at their home, Shore Acres, on that evening honoring Admiral Evans and the squadron officers was one of the grandest events that ever took place in the then-gay social life of Narragansett Pier ... The dinner was served by Sherry’s of New York and during the dinner a Hungarian band, brought from New York for the occasion, furnished the music ... Following the dinner the naval officers went directly to the Casino [the new casino, which had opened that year] for a special Naval Ball ... It was by far the most brilliant event of the season and probably never before in the history of Narragansett was there such an array of distinguished guests present ... Surely the visit of the fleet to Narragansett Pier on August 5, 1905 will be called Narragansett’s finest hour.”
The inspiration for this momentous occasion was Mrs. Hanan, who not only loved sponsoring parties but had found a willing ally in her adoring and very rich husband, John.
In another of his tales, “A Trip Through Narragansett,” Stedman recited Mrs. Hanan’s impact on the town: “After her marriage to Mr. Hanan, Mrs. Hanan became the lady bountiful to the summer colonists, the people of Narragansett, her family, and all the countryside. She built a new Casino, largely at her own expense, and there at Shore Acres from the time of her marriage to the time of the First World War were the most lavish parties and entertaining in all the history of the Narragansett summer colony.”
Mrs. Hanan was born Edith Evelyn Briggs Aug. 3, 1867. She was the third of four daughters of the beautiful Caroline Caswell Briggs and Jeremiah Slocum Briggs. According to J.H. Beers’ genealogy of old Rhode Island families, she “numbered among her ancestry many of the families prominent in the colonial and later state annals of Rhode Island. Two of her ancestors came over in the Mayflower, three served in the Revolutionary War, and one was Roger Williams of blessed memory.”
Edith’s father, Jeremiah, an exceptionally handsome man, began his career as a farmer in South Kingstown. “In 1865,” his obituary stated, “he opened one of the first hotels in Narragansett, called the Elmwood House.” Later, he ran hotels in the Catskills, Newport and at the Chicago World’s Fair. “Mr. Briggs was a man of manly traits and of genial and unaffected ways,” according to the obituary.
Educated in the public schools of Narragansett and at South Kingstown High School, Edith served for several years as a governess in the Pier. During that period she was introduced to Charles Talbot Smith, the grandson of Alfred Smith, a wealthy Newport real estate owner and broker.
Edith and Charles T. Smith were married in St. George’s Church in Newport Oct. 29, 1890, in a tasteful ceremony attended “by members of the two families and very intimate friends.” The Rev. W.N. Ackley of Narragansett officiated. Following the ceremony a reception was held at the residence of Col. and Mrs. Smith, the groom’s parents, “where the newly wedded couple received a few friends, among which were Governor Davis and several from Narragansett Pier and Wakefield.”
Unfortunately, the marriage suffered more than its share of tragedy. Edith bore two sons: her beloved older child, Charles Talbot Smith Jr., who was born with a harelip, and Alfred, who died in infancy. And then, Oct. 19, 1896, only six years after their marriage, Charles T. Smith died of typhoid fever.
At this sad juncture the young widow might have withdrawn and accepted a prosaic fate. Edith, however, treated the setback as a challenge. Inspired somewhat by her avid participation in amateur theatricals during her youth and sustained by her husband’s estate, she resolved to play a part on the broader world stage.
Edith possessed an exceptionally strong character. She was intelligent, literate, articulate and charming. She was remarkably loyal and generous to family, friends and Narragansett. In an era when women were often subordinated, she was consummately outspoken, audacious, free-spirited and independent-minded. But, beyond her personality attributes, Edith had another important asset: she was one of the great beauties of her generation. The Providence Journal described her as having “a magnetic personality and rare charm, combined with unusual beauty.” The Newport Daily News judged her “very beautiful.” A New Yorker once told her grandson that the most beautiful women of his time were Edith Hanan and Gertrude Lawrence, the famous Broadway musical comedy star.
After her husband’s death, Edith spent a few months in Newport and Narragansett and then moved to Brooklyn, New York, a very fashionable address in those days. She then quickly sailed to Europe, visiting London and Paris before returning. That summer she was a guest at the Mathewson Hotel in Narragansett for a short time but then cemented her summertime relationship with her birthplace by purchasing Suwanee Villa, an immense mansion on Ocean Road. She later renamed this edifice Shore Acres.
Edith was apparently enjoying life to its fullest. On May 18, 1900, The Narragansett Times carried an item from a New York newspaper reporting that she had won $63,000 ($1.2 million in today’s dollars) in one week at Monte Carlo, becoming “the biggest winner of the year.” Edith enjoyed gambling. In another Oliver Stedman story, “A Night To Remember at Narragansett Pier,” she was caught in a raid on a Narragansett gambling den but refused to name those in attendance with her. Mr. Stedman noted, “The New York Times even carried an editorial commending her for not ‘preaching’ on her companions.” Questioned by the press about her possible legal jeopardy, Edith responded: “Many of my friends have advised me to go away, depart for Europe ... But I have no intention of going away. I was born here and I am here to stay.”
Next week: Around the same time, however, Edith made a serious mistake; she gambled that a lawyer named James H. Thompson would be a prize catch.
John W. Miller Jr. is a historian in Narragansett.
John W. Miller Jr. is a historian in Narragansett. The life of Edith Hanan, will be celebrated Sept. 15 as "Mrs. Hanan's Village Ball" kicks off the three-day Gansett Days festival and honors the centennial of The Towers rebirth in 1916, after the Great Fire of Sept. 12, 1900.