Alicia Patterson

Alicia’s father was Joseph Medill Patterson. He started TheDaily News.His father, Robert W. Patterson, Jr. was a journalist at the Chicago Tribune. Her mother was Alice HiginbothamPatterson. Alice’s father was the president of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the financial executive for Marshall Field & Co. Alicia’s aunt was known as “Cissy” Patterson and was the editor and publisher of the Washington Times- Herald from 1930 until her death in 1948. Alicia, was the middle daughter, but she behaved as a substitute “son” for Joseph Patterson. She learned to fly a plane, hunted big game and was a risk-seeker and adventurer. Alicia had a love of flying, and she became a Transport Pilot in 1931. She held the Woman’s Aviation Record from New York to Philadelphia. Alicia worked for her father at the Daily News, first in the promotions department then as a reporter. She managed to get a high profile divorce case mixed up in print and the paper was sued for libel. That was the end of her initial newspaper career. Her first husband was James Simpson Jr. He was the son of Marshal Field’s Chairman of the Board. Her parents announced her engagement to him without Alicia’s knowledge. She told her father she would stay married for one year. True to her word, they married in 1927 and divorced a year later. Alicia Patterson met Amelia Earhart at an event in New York City at the Hotel Commodore in 1930. Grover Loening (an aircraft manufacturing company) gave out a trophy for the greatest progress during the year by flying students of colleges and universities. The Harvard Flying Club won the award and both Amelia Earhart and Alicia Patterson Simpson were invited guests. Alicia did not have children but was quite involved with her younger sister Josephine’s children and enjoyed their company. Alicia lived a life of leisure at this point and traveled around the world. After finishing his education, Guggenheim served in World War I and World War II. He had always been interested in aviation and learned to fly small planes. Harry rose to the rank of captain in the Navy and was often referred to with that moniker. Harry was Jewish and Alicia’s parents did not necessarily approve. “He also had more money, bigger estates, and more national prominence than they did,” according to her niece Alice Arlen. Alicia and Harry lived in Falaise, the Sands Point house that Harry had built by architect Frederick Sterner for his second wife Caroline Morton. The house was completed in 1924 and built in the Northern French Chateau style. It contained many artifacts from their European honeymoon trip in 1923 and had quite a dark interior. According to Ken Horowitz who provided tours of the house when it was given to Nassau County, any of the rooms that were bright and airy were done by Alicia. When Harry married Caroline Morton, his father gave them 90 acres of waterfront property in Sands Point. Originally a rose garden, the pool was created when Harry became ill and his doctors recommended exercise. In 1940 Harry and Alicia purchased a failing newspaper in Hempstead which had been run out of a former car dealership. Guggenheim paid $50,000 for the paper they started and named Newsday. Harry owned 51 percent of the new company and Alicia, 49 percent. At first Alicia balked at the idea of purchasing the presses – she thought they were too old and would be unable to run the kind of tabloid she was interested in printing. She and Harry fought about it and she finally agreed that they should try to create a paper for Long Island. Alicia with Alan Hathwayeditor of Newsday. Alicia “stole” Hathwayfrom her father’s paper The Daily Newsin 1942. He started as the city editor and eventually became the executive editor of Newsday. Although Harry had a controlling interest in Newsday the paper was really Alicia’s. She was known to remark, “Harry go on upstairs to the money. You’re not supposed to meddle in editorial.” And although Alicia was not born on Long