Prince Serge Obolensky | |
|---|---|
 Obolenskyc. 1943 | |
| Born | Sergei Platonovich Obolensky (1890-10-03)October 3, 1890 |
| Died | September 29, 1978(1978-09-29) (aged 87) |
| Alma mater | Oxford University |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Ivan Sergeyevich Obolensky |
Prince Sergei Platonovich Obolensky Neledinsky-Meletzky (November 3, 1890 – September 29, 1978), known asSerge Obolensky, was a Russian-born aristocrat then American citizen,U.S. Army colonel, socialite and publicist. He served asvice chairman of theboard of directors of theHilton Hotels Corporation.[1]
Obolensky's parents were Prince Platon SergeyevichObolensky-Neledinsky-Meletzky (1850–1913)[2] and Maria Konstantinovna Naryshkina (1861–1929).[3] He had a younger brother, Vladimir (1896–1968),[4] who died unmarried and childless.
He was an enthusiastic polo player and played for hisUniversity Team atOxford in 1914.[5]
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Obolensky was a soldier in twoWorld Wars and in theRussian Civil War and fled his native country after battling Bolsheviks as a guerrilla fighter. He was alieutenant colonel in theU.S. paratroopers and a member of theOffice of Strategic Services (OSS), forerunner of theCIA, and made his first five jumps in 1943 at the age of 53.[6]
After his second marriage, he settled in the U.S., working with his new brother-in-law, the real estate entrepreneurVincent Astor.[6] He also started a business, Parfums Chevalier Garde, with fellow emigre,Aleksandre Tarsaidze (1901–1978). Tarsaidze was president until 1940 when they were cut off from their French suppliers duringWorld War II.[7] When Obolensky was president of theSherry-Netherland Hotel, Tarsaidze became his assistant. Tarsaidze later wrote a novel about the parents of Obolensky's first wife,Alexander II andCatherine Dolgorukov.[7]
In 1949, he started his own public relations firm in New York City, Serge Obolensky Associates, Inc.,[6] handling accounts likePiper-Heidsieckchampagne. "Serge", a friend once remarked, "could be successful selling umbrellas in the middle of the Sahara".
In 1958, Obolensky was madevice chairman of theboard ofHilton Hotels Corporation.[6] In the same year, he released his autobiography,One Man In His Time. The Memoirs of Serge Obolensky.[8][9] He maintained a substantial art collection.
On October 6, 1916, he marriedPrincess Catherine Alexandrovna Yurievskaya (1878–1959) atYalta. Catherine was the youngest daughter ofRussian EmperorAlexander II (1818–1881) and his second,morganatic wife,Princess Catherine Dolgorukova (1847–1922), and was the widow of PrinceAlexander Vladimirovich Baryatinsky (1870–1910), with whom she had two children.[10] They divorced in 1924 without any issue.
On July 24, 1924, he marriedAva Alice Muriel Astor (1902–1956) inLondon,Middlesex. Ava was the daughter ofJohn Jacob Astor IV (1864–1912) and his first wifeAva Lowle Willing (1868–1958).[11] Before divorcing in 1932,[12] Obolensky had one son with Ava: PrinceIvan Sergeyevich Obolensky (1925–2019[13]), who married (1) Claire Elizabeth McGinnis div. 1956, and (2) Mary Elizabeth Morris.
PrincessSylvia Sergeievna Obolensky (1931–1997),[14] was Ava's daughter withRaimund von Hofmannsthal.[15] Ava and von Hofmannsthal would marry quietly in January 1933[16] after she and Obolensky divorced in 1932, but at the time of Sylvia's birth Ava was in Austria and still married to Obolensky. Sylvia married Jean-Louis Ganshof van der Meersch (1924–1982) inNew York City on November 1, 1950,[17] they divorced in 1957 without issue. She then married Prince Azamat KadirGiray (1924–2001),[18] atEast Hampton, New York on August 11, 1957. He was the son of KadirGiray, Prince ofCrimea (1892–1953)[19] and Vaguide Sheret-Luk, and had issue before divorcing in 1963. Through his father, Giray was a direct male line descendant ofGenghis Khan andBörte throughJochi and theKhans of Crimea.
On June 3, 1971, he married for the third and final time to Marilyn Fraser-Wall (1929–2007) ofGrosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, with whom he did not have children.[11][20]
Obolensky died in 1978,[21] and is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, Michigan.[1]
The "Serge Obolensky Room", at the back of the first floor at theSoldiers', Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard and Airmen's Club inManhattan, memorializes his services as a soldier. Portraits and memorabilia festoon the walls.
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