Irene Hayes (1896 – September 16, 1975) was aZiegfeld girl and businesswoman who owned Irene Hayes Wadley & Smythe, a leadingManhattan florist, andGallagher's Steak House after the death of her husband, Jack Solomon.

Irene Hayes
Born	1896
Died	(1975-09-16)September 16, 1975 (aged 79) New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Stage actress, businesswoman
Spouse	Jack Solomon

She bought the florist Wadley & Smythe onPark Avenue, adding her name, as no new businesses were allowed on Park Avenue at that time. "The right flowers do a lot of good and the wrong ones work mischief," she would often say. "I honestly believe that flowers, or rather the lack of them, have the power to change the map of the world. Do you thinkNero would have burnedRome if he had been surrounded with the peace and gentleness ofmimosa,lilies andacacia? I could mention any number of tyrants whose lives would have been less violent if only they had loved flowers."

An active participant in the Manhattan social scene, she was a good friend of theNordstrom Sisters. Until her death in the 1970s she always had a table at the Ziegfeld Ball and made her home in Manhattan at her apartment onSutton Place.

She died of an apparent heart ailment atSt. Vincent's Hospital inGreenwich Village, New York City, aged 79 and was cremated atFerncliff.^[1]

• New York Times obituary, "Irene Hayes, 79, Florist Here, Dies", September 17, 1975.

• Gallagher's Steak House
• Irene Hayes Wadley Smythe Florists