History of the Brazilian Court Hotel

Chapter 2 Vincent Strong Mulford—Palm Beach Booms

Vincent Strong Mulford, son of Lewis James Mul- ford and Caroline Toles, was born in New York City March 11, 1872. He spent most of his childhood in New Haven, Connecticut. At about the age of 14 his family relocated to Montclair, New Jersey. His father offered to send him to Yale, but Mulford wanted to join the business world and make it on his own. In 1890 Mulford got a job selling advertising for the Jewelers World Circular magazine and by 1898 had secured stock control of the company. He named his father L. J. Mulford as President and he assumed the Vice President position of the publication that had been founded by Daniel H. Hopkinson in 1869. The main offices for the magazine (11 Johns Street) were just one block from Ground Zero where the World Trade Center would be built. Later Mulford and his father took over the Optical Journal , another publi- cation. Both magazines were sold in 1927 as the Mulfords wisely anticipated the coming depression. After his marriage in 1900 Vincent S. Mulford and his wife Madeleine Emma Day (1879 - 1925) spent much of the leisure time at Easthampton, Long Is- land. 1920 Census: Essex Co NJ, Montclair Ward 3, District 81, pg 12B, 130 South Mountain Avenue, hh 206/253, Vincent S. MULFORD, Head, Owns home, Free, m, w, 49, Married, NY, NY, NY, Edi- tor, Trade paper, Own account; Madeline, Wife, f, w, 39, Married, NY, NY, NY, No occupation; Made- line, Dau, f, w, 15, Single, NJ, NY, NY, No occupa- tion; Carol, Dau, f, w, 10, Single, NJ, NY, NY; Vin- cent, Son, m, w, 8, NJ, NY, NY; Donald L., Son, m, w, 1 6/12, NJ, NY, NY; four servants, (all foreign born), one boarder. By 1922 they also discovered the blossoming social destination of Palm Beach that had been created by Henry Morrison Flagler. Vincent and his wife often appeared in the Palm Beach Post as attending vari- ous social events on the island.

with its gay colors and beautifully gowned women. Mrs. Vincent Mul- ford was stunning in a gown of knit- ted white, with trimmings of cherry red. She had her debutante daughter, Miss Madeleine, with her. Master Donald Mulford was master of cere- monies for his mother and was a geni- al little host. Mulford, who took an interesting part in the social affairs of Olympia last season when she lived aboard the house boat, Harmony, with her fami- ly, is expected to join Mr. Mulford here the latter part of the month. With her will be her daughter, Mss Made- line, a social favorite among the young set, her son and her father, Mr. Day. They will reside at their home on the Beach road. NOTE: The Olympia Beach Hotel (formerly the Island Inn) was located on nearby Hobe Sound some 25 miles north of Palm Beach. It featured golf, tennis, luncheons, tea parties, dinner parties and dancing in the Tangerine Grove daily except Sunday. And February 18, 1925, page 7, Palm Beach Post : Olympia Society By VIVA CLARK - Olympia, Feb. 17. - Mrs. Vincent For a few years Mulford was distracted with an in- vestment in Hobe Sound. He and co - partner Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr. had purchased much of the island with the intention of making a luxury resort like Flagler had done in Palm Beach. In 1925 the Florida Boom became a bust and Mulford sold out his interest in most of the Hobe Sound property known as Olympia Improvement Company in 1925 for $150,000. Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr. was a wealthy socialite. He married three times, was appointed Am- bassador to Poland, served in the U.S. Army attain- ing the rank of major general, and appeared on the cover of Life magazine October 4, 1943. His father Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Sr. was an eccentric millionaire who kept alligators as pets and was named "boxing's greatest amateur" by Sports Illus-

An article in the March 22, 1924 page 12, Palm Beach Post :

Olympia News - Olympia, Mar. 21 - The Tangerine Grove was never more attractive than yesterday afternoon,

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