Two accounts of the arrival of Margaret "Daisy" Howard, Countess of Suffolk in Tucson (Born Margaret Hyde Leiter: September 1, 1879 – March 5, 1968)
By Sybil Needham
The Countess called her new home “Forest Lodge” because it was surrounded by a citrus grove. She bought the property that lies north of Westward Look and east of Oracle Road from Matthew Baird III on April 1, 1934. He had attempted to grow citrus there but the spot was a little too inclined to suffer frost. It was a perfect hideaway, however, for the reclusive Countess of Suffolk and Berkshire. She even bought it under an assumed name -Marguerite Hyde. Her real name was Margaret Howard. She was tall and beautiful and loved fast horses, cars and airplanes.
Lady Suffolk was a widow when she arrived here. Her husband, Henry Molyneaux Paget Howard, the Earl of Suffolk was killed in combat in WWI. Their courtship had been a storybook romance that had made headlines on two continents.
Margaret, or Daisy as she was known to her friends, was an American heiress from Chicago. Her father, Levi Leiter, was a business partner in the original Marshall Field store. He left that partnership and opened the Fair Store and speculated in lucrative real estate ventures. As was popular at the turn of the century, he sent Daisy and her two sisters to finishing school in England.
In England, American girls were known for their independence and spirit of adventure. Daisy and her sisters must have been sensational. They were famed for their intelligence and beauty. Sister Mary married Lord Crosone, who soon became Viceroy of India. Nancy married Major Campbell of the Palace Guard and Daisy became engaged to the Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire. Chicago papers carried pictorial features of the weddings.
The new Countess and her husband lived in his 17th century manor house called Redlinch. She bore his three sons. They traveled extensively and visited her sister in India and went on safaris in Africa where Daisy photographed big game. And then the Duke of Austria was assassinated in Serbia and that brought on World War One.
The death of the Earl was not the only tragedy that she suffered. We know that both of her sisters died and that there was a serious falling out with her father. He was unhappy that she visited him so seldom. When he died, he bequeathed her 48 million dollars which stipulated that she had to live 4 months of every year in the United States.
But why did she come to Tucson instead of Chicago? Climate? Health? Romance? Maybe a little of all three. We know that she accompanied an Englishman here and helped him find a place to rent. Colonel Gillette had a respiratory problem which required clean and dry air. Maybe he had been gassed in the trenches during the war. He was tall, handsome and charming. A likely companion for the elegant Countess. Their relationship was discreet, however, and the rental of the property was kept secret. As mentioned, even the purchase of her property was done under an assumed name.
The Countess herself had a touch of arthritis in her back and took therapy once a week from a local physical therapist.
In 1935, she engaged local architect Robert A. Morse to build her new home. The style was called “International” or “modern”. Local sceptics called it “neo-Hitler”. It had five master bedrooms, servants quarters, a four-car garage and air-conditioning. Later, she built the servants their own house nearby and had a green lawn planted for lawn bowling. It was never a cozy house. A local interior decorator described it as looking like an institution or a hospital. The Countess spent a lot of money on drapes and other touches to soften the rooms.
She had a Bentley Rolls/Royce and a chauffeur named Stone and was often seen driving around town and shopping in local stores. Howard Rosenfeld was a young man working in the linen department of Levy’s Department Store. He was new and not especially knowledgeable in fine linens. She arrived to shop and quickly perceived his ineptness and took him under her wing. He was always grateful for her understanding and they were friends until her death. He learned his lessons well for he married the boss’s daughter Jackie Levy and was a manager for Levy’s until it was sold in the 1980’s.
Stone the chauffeur may have been a former RAF pilot. He obtained a local pilot’s license and Daisy bought a Cessna 180, which she parked in her driveway, and together they flew forays around Arizona, California and Mexico where she photographed local wildlife. In 1969, he was flying her to California to visit her son Cecil when she had a heart attack. The plane made an emergency landing but there was nothing that could be done to save her. She was 88 years old at the time.
Margaret “Daisy” Howard, Countess of Suffolk
In 1957, she felt that Tucson was encroaching on her solitude, so she sold the ranch and bought land near Oracle. The Roman Catholic Church bought the buildings and the rest of the land was sold to a developer named Lusk who named the development Suffolk Hills. She built a beautiful new home on her new property and, as most of us know, that home is now part of the restaurant at Biosphere II.
By all accounts, she was a remarkable woman. She was impulsive. Once she had Stone drive her over to the Nasons, owners and founders of Westward Look. She sent Stone in to announce her. Mrs. Nason, who was busy as the proprietress of a popular resort, said “Tell her to come in.” The Countess was so miffed at the woman’s failure to come out to greet her that she had Stone drive her home again.
Another time she was visiting relatives in Casanovia, NY. They were very rich and very conservative. She rented a helicopter and landed in their front yard. The whole town was scandalized. I can imagine she enjoyed that reaction.
She liked giving parties occasionally. Once she invited a whole bevy of Tucson debutantes and their gentlemen friends for a dinner dance. An acquaintance of mine was among the young guests but she was so concerned about a spat with her boyfriend that she could remember nothing else about the evening.
There may have been a lot of coverage about Lady Suffolk in Chicago papers but very little was said about her in Tucson newspapers. She must have guarded her private life carefully. As today, the rich and famous regard their abodes in Tucson as places to recuperate from the public’s prying eyes. But as a nosy historian, it sure would be nice to know more.
Life on Ye Ole Homestead by Bob Riddle
In 1937, out of a clear blue sky, the folks decided it would be nice to have a “little nest egg” by renting the Homestead for six months or so and take a place in town. It came as a blow to Sis and I since we were so firmly planted in the life on the desert. By this time, we had graduated to a 1936 Dodge sedan, a bright maroon one, that was certainly a far cry from the “tank.”
An ad was readied for the local papers but, as luck would have it, one afternoon a large black sedan drove up the driveway. A chauffeur got out and opened the rear door. Out stepped a tall woman dressed in white including a white, wide brimmed hat. She came to the front door accompanied by a tall, husky and good-looking man.
Mom opened the door, and the visitor apologized for the trespassing and for the intrusion. She introduced herself as Lady Suffolk and the gentleman as Colonel Gillette. They were both from England. They were invited in. A more charming and handsome woman I, nor the rest of the family, have never seen or met. She had been looking on the outskirts of Tucson, with the Colonel, for a home in private atmosphere for him. They preferred a period of six months for a minimum stay which could possibly last longer. The price was no object: that is within reason. Their search so far had been in vain for a place that suited his taste and hers.
After a tour of the Casa and a walk to the pump area guided by the folks, the two had a private conversation. They returned all smiles. Name a price, fully furnished, and the Colonel would like to take possession within two weeks. The Lady did all of the talking; was very business-like, yet spoke in such a manner it didn’t seem so.
There were three stipulations involved. First, no publicity or announcing to anyone about this venture. The Colonel wanted absolute privacy and would handle any intruders. It seems he had some sort of respiratory problem which required Tucson’s climate but out of the dust and pollen area. The second, was that Dad and I agree to come out once a week to turn on the pump. And the third, believe it or not, was that Jiggs remain. The Lady and the Colonel fell in love with him at once. And the darn cat purred as they stroked his back and whispered sweet nothings into his alerted ears. Could it be felines recognized royalty? We knew Sis would have a fit so Mom politely refused this request.
We found a house near the U of A. and moved in, with a feeling that heaven was left behind. How does one act in civilization? Or react? For sure there was less mileage to contend with. Some consolation for me as the guns were left behind in my closet.
There was a terrible time deciding how to tell friends of the move. “Well, let’s see.” Mom smiled. “Our great aunt is occupied at the Casa writing a novel.”
“No. this sounds better,” I offered. “How about the place is haunted with ghosts of homebrewers?” Dirty looks came fast.
“We’ll have to think of something,” Sis said, which was true since the Colonel’s privacy must be protected.
“A big help, but no.” Dad replied, “we’ll just say the Homestead is rented and everyone please stay away.”
We had the privilege of calling at any time. The first visit came a week after being in town. It was not a social visit. Sis was very upset because Jiggs was missing. All searched and called to no avail. The Colonel called from St. Mary’s and said it was urgent to come at once.
Upon arrival there was Jiggs in all of his glory sitting in his favorite chair on the front porch_ The Colonel smiled and pointed to the King of the Homestead. He had arrived the afternoon before footsore, tired and hungry. Sis was happy again. Mom heard cats have the built-in radar to perform this neat trick, but none gave it much thought. The Colonel suggested we take Jiggs back in a burlap sack placed on the floor of the car. We did One week later another phone call. Twice in a row? That’s what the man said.
It didn’t take long to find out why the darn feline traveled the hard way. It was his menu. No twenty-five-cent hamburger. No, sir. Only the choicest of sirloin steak which the Colonel cut into small hunks. For a variation it was baked chicken also cut into tasty morsels. This was unbelievable. Just so Jiggs wouldn’t become bored, he was fed fancy canned meat imported from England. He even enjoyed dessert. Imported chocolate cookies which cost one dollar and one half per dozen.
There was no way we could keep Jiggs in town. There was an invitation to stay for dinner. My mouth waters at the thought of the dinner and dessert truly fit for royalty. But us?
Again, it was quite noticeable how gracious Lady Suffolk could be. She had returned after a two weeks’ absence for a short stay before returning to England. We wondered if our manners were correct for dining with royalty, and do they use a knife and fork different from our style. Perhaps the Lady could read minds because she smiled when we gathered around the table and said to just be ourselves.
The Colonel was a great story teller and told of his experiences in the English Army and how he loved to prepare various food delights with the help of Arthur. “There is nothing quite like a delicious meal,” he laughed, “and not just mutton, warm beer and Yorkshire Pudding.”
Lady Suffolk refrained from talking much about royalty except to give a brief history of her family heritage, which was really at the top of English bloodlines. She preferred to talk about business and predicted a great growth for Tucson and the surrounding area. She was a shrewd student of finance and made a painstaking study of the locale.
“I do not see how Tucson cannot grow forward in the future,” she said in a firm voice with an English accent. “All of the ingredients are here, like climate, beauty. The only thing is when.”
Years later, of course, her predictions came true. The Colonel felt much better after his stay on the Homestead and begged the Lady to buy some land and build a home. He had fallen completely overboard with the desert. She refused and finally purchased a vast amount of land in what is now known as Suffolk Hills, located on the western slopes of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
The Colonel and Arthur drove out to the Casa on more than one occasion, and stayed as long as he could, even though the food certainly was a come down for his taste buds. He was very disturbed because he didn’t feel nearly as good since living in the other location.
And what a time we had getting Jiggs “down to earth after returning to the Casa. He refused to eat for two days, and then he reluctantly went back to hamburger. We will never forget the experience nor Lady Suffolk and the Colonel. Our friends never did know until long after who lived in the Homestead for six months.