But I don't believe she had sex with Tony. Barbara Daly Baekeland (1922 November 17, 1972) was a wealthy socialite who was murdered by her son, Anthony Baekeland. She also knew she had the goods to make it happen. By 1972, Barbara and Tony still hadnt managed to extricate themselves from each other, and were living together in London, England. Disturbingly, throughout all these warnings, Barbara still refused to believe there was anything fundamentally wrong with her son. If the Baekelands thought that escaping to Europe would help them outrun their marital issues, they were very, very wrong. He became paranoid and angry, and doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia. A painting by Baekeland's wife, Celine, which she donated to the museum, is also on display. As her marriage to Brooks disintegrated, Barbaras relationship with her son grew intensely alarming. But it wasnt long after the power couples marriage in California and their eventual move to a luxurious apartment in New Yorks Upper East Side that the relationship started to show cracks and run into trouble. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Inadequate provisions had been made for the young mans release with it seems no one in both the UK and the US understanding how unstable Tony was. Their subject matter? Oh, just bloody human figures. To Barbaras great disappointment, Tony didnt bite even once, forcing her to move on to even more disturbing tactics. Herodotus tells the tale of Demaratus, a Spartan in exile at the Persian court, who warned his homeland of Xerxes impending invasion. This time, though, it had the opposite effect: Brooks filed for divorce once and for all, even stonily weathering another suicide attempt right after he served Barbara the papers. One of the reasons for Baekeland's desire to return to Ghent was that he had fallen in love there with Celine Swarts, the charming daughter of his professor of chemistry, Theodore Swarts, and his wife Nina (Plateau) Swarts. The Princess even expressed a desire to become a nun. He later confessed and was charged with murder. The first Baekeland murder was made into the 2007 film Savage Grace, starring Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Hugh Dancy, Elena Anaya and Unax Ugalde. He attended evening classes at the . King Leonides of Sparta is known for his doomed but heroic standoff against the Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae. Luckily, Barbaras friend rescued her, but the incident was serious enough that officers actually arrested Tony for attempted murder. Overall, Chulalongkorn had 153 consorts, concubines and wives who gave him over 77 children between them. The royal family, complete with all the wealth they could carry and the mad queen fled to Brazil. With snow on the ground, she dressed up in nothing but a fur coat, walked across Central Park in bare feet, and, once she made it to her ex-boyfriends apartment, banged on Greens door while begging him to take her back. She immediately drove across Europe, set on bringing Tony back to mommy dearest in Switzerland. The networks want stars who are in the right demo, said my contact at the production company, an industry veteran. $17.95. Then, after this brush with the law, Barbara Baekelands life really went off the rails. It was part of Hawaiian culture that royalty married royalty. After experiencing yet another rejection, Barbara went off the deep end. In order to sell this, we need younger travelers. For Chulalongkorn loved his sister-Queen- as was illustrated by his reaction to her death. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. Usually, Brooks had no reason to go flaunting his sidepieces around his wife, but this time it was different. While Barbara frittered away most of her evenings at parties, Tony started to regress back into a child-like state. After discovering the affair in February 1968, Barbara again tried to commit suicide. She was the wife of Brooks Baekeland. William never mentioned the incident, and, in any case, his credibility among elite travelers couldnt have been higher. Her response was blood chilling. But her beauty hid a history of mental health problems that were to plague her entire life and see her employing the services of expensive therapists and psychiatrists. Anthony was institutionalized at Broadmoor Hospital prison until July 21, 1980 when, at the urging of a group of his friends, he was released. Childhood & Early Life. To her, Tonys macabre taste in art, erratic behavior, and cruel sense of humor were just signs of his genius, and she adored him all the more for his, uh, quirks. King Rama V of Siam or modern Thailand was born on September 20, 1853. 492 pp. Tony Baekelands violent death has not been verified as either suicide or murder and is still a mystery. From the summer of 1954 onwards, with Anthony aged eight, the couple led a nomadic seasonal existence, maintaining their home in New York while being mainly based in Europe. Men who thought they had been everywhere would be stumped when, in his posh, upper-crust British accent, he would name-drop places like Kapingamarangi, a forgotten atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia, or Trindade and Martin Vaz, a stunning archipelago in the southern Atlantic Ocean that serves as a garrison for the Brazilian Navy. He was also clearly mentally ill; while locked up before trial, he would often ask visitors how his mother was. In the shocking aftermath of the murder sordid details soon unfolded about how Barbara and Tony really lived in what some friends described a volcanic atmosphere of arguments. This small spat pushed Tony over the edge, and he finally made good on all the dark omens. George had 2 siblings: Jenny Baekeland and one other sibling. By Natalie Robins and Steven M. L. Aronson. An invitation to Hollywood for a screen test with the actor Dana Andrews didn't lead to film stardom but did lead to a friendship with fellow aspiring actress Cornelia "Dickie" Baekeland. Many of the places I wish to reach are hard, inaccessible and utterly remote.. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? It worked, and suddenly Barbara went from hungry social climber to high society socialite in her own right. Princess Nahienaena of Hawaii was born in 1815, the only child of Kamehameha I, the chief who conquered and united the entire Hawaiian island system and his chief wife, Keopuolani. Not every incestuous relationship is consenting. I dont know what to do I feel desperate. He began to threaten his mother, brandishing knives at her during arguments. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of Terms and Conditions. In 1807, Napoleon invaded Portugal. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) She was the ex-wife of Brooks Baekeland, who was the grandson of Leo Baekeland, inventor of Bakelite plastic. She didnt believe him. Sent to Rikers Island prison, after eight months of assessment by the psychiatric team there, he was expecting to be bailed at a court hearing on March 20, 1981. Barbaras dubious therapy didnt work. Leo was born in 1863. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. She was murdered at her London home when her son Antony stabbed her with a kitchen knife, killing her almost instantly. Flying directly to New York City, Anthony stayed with his 87 year old maternal grandmother, Nina Daly. This then became a 2007 film starring Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmaynebut the attention these works received also brought out one crucial detail about Barbaras life that might change everything. Dancy Mason is the Editor-in-Chief at Factinate. Could a young man who barely needed to shave dupe a collection of the worlds best-traveled people? The young socialites introduction to the dashing Brook Baekeland, a trainee pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force, cemented the status of a celebrity couple bestowed with looks, money and in Brooks case, a lineage linked to the Bakelite empire, as he was the grandson of Leo Baekeland who invented what was the worlds first plastic. This dramatic episode was possibly the beginning of a stormy mother-son relationship that culminated both in Barbaras extreme behaviour to cure her gay son and also brought about her own divorce from Brook who, tired of his wifes emotional problems, had begun an affair with a young Spanish girl. Although Anthony displayed increasingly regular signs of schizophrenia with paranoid tendencies, his father refused to allow him to be treated by psychiatrists, a profession he believed to be "amoral". Not that he had much support. But he had even more disturbing acts in store. But Barbara had her sights set on a different mark. However, despite his love for Sunandha and his reforming nature, Chulalongkorn never changed the law that brought about the death of his wife. When Barbara was barely an adult, she got the attention of some very powerful men. In early 2018, I became obsessed with untangling this question. In Reminiscences which she wrote at age twenty-five, Virginia recalls her initial hero worship for this brother, which declined over the years, taking him from someone thought of strong and handsome and just to little better than a brute.. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. At some point, Tony's father, Brooks, began having an affair with Sylvie instead. I think she simply enjoyed shocking people. Still connected to one of the most rich and powerful American dynasties Barbara lived a privileged life where its material trappings of great wealth hid from the outside world the reality of her dealing with an increasingly out of control son who had threatened her life with knives, choking and even trying to push her in front of vehicles outside of the London family penthouse apartment. But it didnt take long for the cracks to show. Antony Baekeland - Biographical Summaries of Notable People - MyHeritage Antony Baekeland In Biographical Summaries of Notable People Save this record and choose the information you want to add to your family tree Save record Relatives Spotted an error? Leo Henricus Arthur Baekeland was born on November 14, 1863, in Sint-Martens-Latem, Belgium. Her mother had experienced a nervous breakdown just a few years prior to her birth. It transpired that in his mind after injuring Nini he had thought it kinder to kill her while also admitting in a confession that he wanted to have sex with his 87 year old grandmother. Baekeland wasnt in it for the money. AETNUK All Rights Reserved. However, Sylvie started an affair with Brooks. The infant, a daughter, did not live long after the birth. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. When William S. Baekelands name first popped into my Gmail inbox on October 12, 2015, it felt like an encounter with an elusive celebrity or a brush with a member of the British royal family. Of course, it didnt take long for her horrific plan to unravel. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. Months before, I had pitched a television production company on making a TV series about the worlds top travelers and they paid me a trifling sum for the rights to my idea, with the promise of significantly more if a network bought the show they developed. He later committed suicide in prison. Soon after Tony began his relationship with Sylvie, the Baekelands home life turned downright scandalous. Brooks didnt simply divorce Barbara; he also took right up with Sylvie after, actually marrying the girl and having another son with her. Barbara tried her best to fix up her son with a variety of the young ladies who floated on the edge of the prominent social circle that she and her elite friends and acquaintances occupied, however, Anthony was not interested. After all, he was a busy young man who apparently had billions at his disposal. That year, fresh off her divorce from Brooks Baekeland and mired in a panic over her sons sexuality, Barbara took Tony on a summer vacation to Majorca to unwind and get away from the world. Gorgo was her fathers only child. Tony was still susceptible to intensely violent moods, and he and Barbara would get into such massive fights that their well-to-do neighbors resorted to calling the authorities multiple times. Barbara Daly Baekeland lived a fantasy life of glamorous parties, wealthy admirers, and Hollywood starlets. The details are skin crawling: Sickeningly, Barbara supposedly believed she was doing Tony a favor by finally showing him what a real woman could do. In 1967, the Baekelands were still bouncing around the continent when their son Tony, now 20 years old, met a bisexual Australian bad boy by the name of Jake Cooper. In 1967, and with the family based in both Switzerland and the Spanish-resort of Cadaques, Anthony met the bisexual Australian Jake Cooper. If that sounds like a bad idea, thats because it definitely was. At this point, both Brooks and Barbara were cycling through depressions together, had engaged in several affairs, and were generally miserable. On the brink of her sanity, Barbara tried to take her own life. Renting houses and villas from London, Paris and Zermatt, to Cap d'Antibes and many parts of Italy; they continued to party, entertain and both to have affairs. According to Green, Barbara and Tony didnt have an inappropriate relationship at all. Does Historical Accuracy Matter in Historical Fiction? It was a decision that enraged Tonys father Brooks who had made attempts to get his sons release reversed as he believed Tony was capable of killing again. As weve seen, Barbara was so obsessed with maintaining her picture-perfect facade that there was almost nothing about her troubled son that she couldnt wave awayemphasis on almost. By all accounts, the marriage was a happy one. In 1980, wealth, money and connections involving Coutts bank, the American Embassy and contacts in Washington finally did the job securing Tonys release on the proviso he was to be entrusted under the duty of care to his 87-year-old grandmother Nini in New York. The same luck didnt hold for Tony, though. However, she found herself in the middle of a cultural tug of war. Tony threatened to murder Brooks' second wife Sylvie. Tony Baekeland . His father was a cobbler and his mother was a housemaid. What is relevant is she ensured Pleistarchus, her son with Leonides, grew to manhood to rule Sparta until his death around 458BC. After one intense session with the boy, the doctor gave Barbara some disturbing news. Sign up to our newsletter to receive email updates on new series, features, and more from your favourite Crime+Investigation shows: Google Images. Gorgos was also loyal. Whether Gorgos did marry again is another matter. In many ways, it was the kind of wealthy, jet-setting life that most people dream of, and Barbara flitted from party to party in a cloud of perfume. He was then twenty-nine. His therapist warned Barbara that her son was going to kill her. Barbara Daly was born in the year 1922 in Boston, Massachusetts to Nini and Frank. One mother who most certainly seduced her son was Barbara Daly Baekeland. But a problem emerged as they began to interview the travelers whom I had recommended: the worlds top travelers were all older, straight white guys, and many of them were retired. Virginia later recalled in Moments of Being how Gerald would stand her in front of a mirror just outside the dining room and explore her private parts. Gorgos advised against it- and Cleomenes listened to her. On May 31, 1880, the pregnant young Queen was making her way to the royal summer palace by boat when the vessel capsized. In his Christmas card, Baekeland described 2016 as an indescribably bad and difficult year. In August, his sister Muguette died in New York. In early 1968, Barbara found out about Brooks affair with young Sylvie, and the discovery sent her into yet another terrifying depressive episode as she tried once more to take her own life. On that day, on March 20th, 1981 Tony went back to his cell. The Baekeland heir was so out of it, he ordered a Chinese takeout meal directly after slaying his mother, and was still munching on it when he calmly called the authorities to turn himself in. There, on seeing the welcoming natives, Maria truly believed she had entered hell. Here Are the Best Reviewed Books of the Week, What I Said on My Private Island Was Taken Out of Context! On Celebrity Apologies, 21 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Look Forward to in 2023, How Fine Art Has Become a Tool for the Bad Guys. Chulalongkorn also engaged western tutors for all his children and sent his sons to Europe for their university education. After this failed, and the pair were living in Majorca, Mrs. Baekeland was alleged to have manipulated or coerced her son into having sex with her. But everyone in the tight-knit community of extreme travel, including several men whom I had profiled, had heard that he was a billionaire who had inherited his fortune from his great-grandfather, Leo Baekeland, considered the father of the plastics industry for his invention of Bakelite, an inexpensive, nonflammable, and versatile plastic, in 1907. At these parties, Barbara became well-known to many for her unstable personality, rude outbursts and bouts of severe depression. Besides his pronounced psychological issues, Tony had also grown up in posh isolationso he needed very little encouragement to let loose with Jake Cooper. You see, Frank Daly wasnt the only family member to suffer from mental health issuesboth Barbara and her mother had psychological demons, with Barbara later employing a series of expensive therapists to help her find some modicum of happiness. It was clear that Virginia felt this abuse bitterly because it made a lie of the person she had believed her brother to be, as much as anything else. Murdered at her London home, her son Anthony stabbed her with a kitchen knife, killing her almost instantly. While the chiefs tried to persuade her to marry her brother, her Christian tutors railed against the match. At the end of October 1972, he warned her that he believed Tony was capable of murder. I am f***ing my mother, he told a friend. In the 1960s, while the couple was hosting a party in their Paris apartment, Brooks happened to meet an English diplomats daughter who, while strikingly beautiful, was also a full 15 years younger than him. Then he really twisted the knife. Could a young man who barely needed to shave dupe a collection of the worlds best-traveled people? Excerpted from Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed, and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth by Dave Seminara. Suggest an alternative Share your comments about this record Post comment Barbara Daly Baekeland, a previous model for Vogue and Harpers Bazaar, had married into wealth and high-society when she wed Brooks Baekeland, whose grandfather was chemist Leo Baekeland, the inventor, Black History Month 2018 X the Gun Violence Prevention Movement, SHOCKING TRUE CRIME./// (& some other stuff). Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Thankfully, Barbaras elderly mother got luckier than Barbara herself, and she survived her grandsons vicious attack. As a regular on the high-society party circuit, Barbara met and started up a fling with none other than John Jacob Astor VI, the fabulously wealthy scion of the Astor clan. 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