Anthony Dryden Marshall

Anthony Dryden Marshall (born New York May 30, 1924) is an American theatrical producer who is a former marine, C.I.A. intelligence officer, and ambassador. He also is the former vice president of the Vincent Astor Foundation, which was established by his stepfather, Vincent Astor.

Birth and childhood

Known as Tony, he is the only child of the American philanthropist Brooke Astor and her first husband, New Jersey state senator John Dryden Kuser. [ [http://www.geneall.net/U/per_page.php?id=578242 GeneAll.net: John D. Kuser] : lists children from his four marriages.] Marshall was the stepson of Charles H. Marshall (his mother's second husband, whose surname he adopted at the age of 18), and also of the American millionaire Vincent Astor (his mother's third husband). [According to a former housekeeper of Brooke Astor's, in the 1960s, Marshall suggested changing his surname once again, this time to Astor, a claim which Marshall denies.]

By his father's second marriage, he has a half-sister, Suzanne Dryden Kuser (born November 24, 1931), who served with the U.S. Department of State, was an intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, and has been a consultant to the National Security Agency.

He also had two stepsiblings, Peter Marshall and Helen Huntington Marshall (born April 6, 1918), wife of the composer Ernest Schelling and later of the cellist János Scholz.

Education and career

Marshall attended Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts. After enlisting in 1942, he served with the U.S. Marine Corps and participated in the battle of Iwo Jima, eventually attaining the rank of lieutenant. After the end of the war, he enrolled in Brown University.

Marshall was the U.S. consul in Istanbul, 1958-59; then, in the Nixon administration, the U.S. ambassador to the Malagasy Republic, 1969-71; to Trinidad and Tobago, 1972-74 and briefly to Kenya, 1973; and in the Ford administration to the Seychelles, 1976. He was also an assistant to Richard M. Bissell Jr. during the development of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.

Theatrical productions

Anthony Marshall and his third wife, Charlene, have produced Broadway productions of "Alice in Wonderland", "Long Day's Journey into Night" (2003), and "I Am My Own Wife" (Tony Award, 2004). They formed Delphi Productions in 2003 with producer David Richenthal.

Marriages and children

Marshall has been married three times:

* His first wife was Elizabeth Cynthia Cryan, whom he married on July 26 1947 in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. ["Elizabeth Cryan Will Be Married: Student at Pembroke College Engaged to Anthony Dryden Marshall of Brown U.", "The New York TImes", 8 April 1947, page 33] The groom's stepfather, Charles Marshall, was his best man. ["Elizabeth C. Cryan Ex-Marine's Bride", "The New York Times", 29 June 1947, page 46] The couple had twin sons, Alexander R. Marshall (born May 14, 1953), a photographer, and Philip Cryan Marshall (born May 14, 1953), a professor of architectural preservation at Roger Williams University.

* His second wife was Thelma Hoegnell (born May 11, 1928), whom he married on December 29, 1962. [ [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/marshall.html The Political Graveyard: Marshall, Anthony Dryden"] .] The couple were divorced on 24 January 1990, reportedly following Marshall's alleged affair with Charlene Gilbert, the wife of an Episcopal priest in Northeast Harbor, Maine. [Serge Kovaleski, "Mrs. Astor's Son Denies Neglect", "The New York Times", 28 July 2006]

* His third and present wife, whom he married in 1992, is the former Charlene T. Gilbert (born July 28, 1945).

Elder abuse allegations

In July 2006, Philip Marshall filed suit against his father, alleging mistreatment of his grandmother Brooke Astor and mismanagement of her funds. He requested that Anthony Marshall be dismissed as her guardian and replaced by family friend Annette de la Renta. That request was granted, temporarily, pending a court hearing on 8 August 2006.

On 1 August 2006, "The New York Times" reported that Anthony Marshall was accused by Alice Perdue, who was employed in his mother's business office, of diverting nearly $1 million from his ailing mother's personal checking accounts into theatrical productions. Marshall, through a spokesman, said that Brooke Astor knew of the investments and approved of them. Perdue countered that Marshall had advised her never to send to his mother any documents of a financial nature because "she didn't understand it."

On 7 September 2006, an article in the "Times" revealed that "J. P. Morgan Chase, the court-appointed temporary guardian of Brooke Astor’s assets, says in court papers that it is investigating whether her son improperly obtained about $14 million in cash, property and stocks from his ailing mother while managing her finances. The filing suggested that the bank might pursue litigation against the son, Anthony D. Marshall, to get some of the money and property back." The article further suggested that Brooke Astor's mental competency might be an issue, which put the transfer to her son of her estate in Maine as well as $3.4 million in securities into question. According to a statement in the affidavit that was presented to the New York Supreme Court by J. P. Morgan Chase, “We understand that Mrs. Astor’s signature may appear on certain documents relating to these gifts, but questions have been raised as to Mrs. Astor’s competence at this point in time to participate in such transactions and therefore the extent to which Mr. Marshall alone implemented these transactions." [Serge F. Kovaleski, "Mrs. Astor's Son Is Accused of Mishandling Millions", 7 September 2006]

On December 5th an independent court evaluator released a report stating that the specific claims of elder abuse were not proved. In the report, the court evaluator identified numerous financial dealings that were suspect. As of December 2006, at least some of these appear to be under investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

On 5 December 2006, it was reported that Marshall was ordered to return to his mother's estate $11 million in assets, which included art, jewelry , and money. He also agreed in the settlement to "cede any claims to his mother's medical treatment or finances." [Gregorian, Dareh, "Astor Son Is Cleared", "New York Post", 5 December 2006] ["Daily Intelligencer" It Happened This Week", "New York Magazine", 8 December 2006]

Following Brooke Astor's death, questions were expected to arise over changes made to her will in 2003 and 2004 that transferred beneficiaries from some of Astor's favorite institutions, like the Metropolitan Museum and the New York Zoological Society, to the Anthony Marshall Fund. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/15/america/NA-GEN-US-Astor-Funeral.php "The International Herald Tribune" "Brooke Astor's funeral in New York", August 15, 2007] ]

Criminal indictment

On November 27, 2007, Marshall surrendered to authorities at the Manhattan district attorney's office to face indictment on sixteen counts relating to the handling of Brooke Astor's will and financial affairs. The charges include conspiracy, grand larceny and possession of stolen property. Astor's lawyer Francis X. Morrissey, who is a longtime friend of her son, was also charged with six counts including conspiracy, forgery, and possession of a forged instrument. [http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/11/26/astor.indictment.ap/index.html]

At a press conference following Marshall's arrest, Manhattan district attorney Robert M. Morgenthau stated that "Marshall and Morrissey took advantage of Mrs. Astor’s diminished mental capacity in a scheme to defraud her and others out of millions of dollars." He further said that "Marshall abused his power of attorney and convinced Mrs. Astor to sell property by falsely telling her that she was running out of money. He is charged with stealing money from her as well as stealing valuable art work from her Park Avenue apartment." [citenews|title=Astor’s Son Surrenders on Charges|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/nyregion/27cnd-astor.html|author=Serge F. Kovalesky|publisher=The New York Times|date=2007-11-27|accessdate=2007-11-27]

External links

* [http://nymag.com/news/features/40662/?ftr-promo Steve Fishman, "Mrs. Astor's Baby: The Fight for A Mother's Love, And Money", New York Magazine, 12 November 2007]

Notes