Charlotte Ford died on December 23rd.
I mention this now because at one time Charlotte Ford was a society name you heard all the time. She was the great granddaughter of the Henry Ford, and lived a jet set life that — as Donald Trump might say — will never be seen again.
In her paid obit in the NY Times, Ford hails herself as an author, which is fine, and true.
But she was also known for her flamboyant marriages, to people like Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos, arch rival of Jackie Kennedy’s second husband, Aristotle Onassis. If you think the Kardashians are famous, these were the real society stars of the 50s and 60s, and they had the money and lineage to back it up. They made today’s scandals look like peanuts.
After Charlotte divorced Niarchos, she went on to marry financier Tony Forstmann (who died in 2023). She eventually divorced Forstmann (whose also deceased brother Teddy, also a billionaire lawyer and financier of giant standing, was the boyfriend of much younger food personality Padma Lakshmi) and married media player Ed Downe. (He may still be alive, born in 1929.) Downe — who once owned Ladies’ Home Journal, American Home and Family Weekly — was eventually caught by the SEC in a major insider trading scandal.
According to the Ford-Downe wedding announcement in the New York Times, “Miss Ford, who will retain her name professionally, was educated in private classes in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.; Noroton, Conn.; Florence, and Paris. She is a fashion designer and consultant and has written books on etiquette and shopping. Her father, former chairman of the Ford Motor Company, is a board member and chairman of the finance committee of the company, which was founded by his grandfather Henry Ford.”
Charlotte’s father was Henry Ford II, Ford president from 1945-60, CEO from 1960-79 and chairman of the board of directors from 1960-80. Her daughter, Elena, with Niarchos, is 59, lives in Detroit, and is first female member of the family to have a role in the company. She’s chief customer experience officer.
Let’s give Charlotte Ford the last word on her life. Click here for her official obit.
All these people were the daily fodder of columns by Liz Smith, Suzy aka Aileen Mehle, Cindy Adams, and Billy Norwich back in the halcyon days. They were almost better than great fiction! As Arthur Miller put it, Attention must be paid!
