Miriam Caracciolo di Melito

Countess Miriam Terry Caracciolo di Melito (née Crosby; 1888 – 23 August 1966) was an American socialite. Born into a prominent family from New Orleans, she was the daughter of the United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. She grew up in Virginia and Washington, D.C., where she was a prominent debutante. She married the Italian-American actor Mario Carillo, becoming an Italian noblewoman upon her marriage and assuming the courtesy title[1] of countess in society events. She was the sister of stage actress Juliette Crosby.

Countess Miriam Caracciolo di Melito
Born
Miriam Terry Crosby

1888
New Orleans, United States
DiedAugust 25, 1966
Rome, Italy
Occupationsocialite
Spouse"Count"[1] Mario Caracciolo di Melito
Children1
Parent(s)Oscar Terry Crosby
Jeanne Maria Bouligny
RelativesJuliette Crosby (sister)

Biography

Miriam Terry Crosby was born in New Orleans in 1888 to explorer and politician Oscar Terry Crosby (1861-1947) and his wife Jeanne Maria Bouligny Crosby[2] (granddaughter of Charles Dominique Joseph Bouligny, US Senator from Louisiana). Her father was the United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury during the Woodrow Wilson administration and as the president of the International Council of Finance during World War I.[3] She was the older sister of Juliette Crosby and of Celeste Crosby.[4][5] A prominent debutante, Crosby was well-known in Washington D.C.'s high society.[6]

She married the actor Mario Carillo, born Nobile Mario Caracciolo dei Duchi [of the Dukes] di Melito, aka "Count"[7] Mario Caracciolo di Melito, a former Italian cavalry officer who immigrated to the United States to pursue a Hollywood career.[3][8] The wedding, a private ceremony in Naples, was attended by the Duke of Cerranova, the Duke of Mondragone, the Baron Compagna, and Prince Ludovico Spada Veralli Potenziani.[6] The Caracciolos had a son, Ludovico Caracciolo di Melito.[9]

Countess Caracciolo di Melito remained a renowned society hostess in her adult life, hosting functions at View Tree, her parents' estate in Virginia, and attending society events in Virginia and Washington, D.C.[10][11]

She died in Rome on 23 August 1966.[9]

References
  1. The younger sons are not entitled to inherit the hereditary title of their father in the Nobility of Italy. They all usually bear from birth the junior titles of Nobile or Don.
  2. "Oscar T. Crosby Daring Explorer". The Washington Times. 28 July 1913. p. 7.
  3. The Spur. Angus Company. 1922.
  4. Wade, Margaret (20 September 1914). "Season Bound to be Brilliant". The Washington Herald. p. 11.
  5. Eliot, Jean (14 December 1919). "Washington Society Girls on Stage". The Washington Times. p. 19.
  6. "Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, June 13, 1915, Image 65". p. 3.
  7. Mendola, Louis (2015). "Italian Titles of Nobility". Regalis.com. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  8. "Becomes Bride of Titled Italian". The Washington Post. 5 Jul 1915. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
  9. "I Caracciolo di Castagneto".
  10. Martin, Mrs. James Bland. Follow The Green Arrow. The Dietz Press. Copyrighted by The Garden Club of Virginia, 1970.
  11. "May 1, 1940 Tarihli Evening Star Gazetesi Sayfa 24".
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