Madeleine Ives Goddard, Marquise d'Andigné was an American socialite and nurse, who became the Marquise d'Andigne upon her marriage in 1906. In France, she continued her interest in nursing, and was decorated for her contributions during World War I.
Early life
Madeleine Ives Goddard was born in Providence, Rhode Island on July 1, 1874. She was one of three children born to Robert Hale Ives Goddard and Rebecca Burnet Goddard, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. Her father was a banker and industrialist, and a veteran of the Union Army in the American Civil War. Her older brother, William Groesbeck Goddard, died young, and her younger brother, Robert Hale Ives Goddard Jr., married Margaret Hazard and was involved with Brown & Ives, the family investment firm. Her paternal grandparents were Charlotte Rhoda Goddard and William Giles Goddard, a Brown University alumni and professor who owned and published the Rhode Island American newspaper. Her cousin was yachtswoman Hope Goddard Iselin. Her maternal grandparents were Elizabeth Groesbeck and William S. Groesbeck, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Cincinnati. Although she was "one of the richest of the American heiresses", she was "not fond of society or social functions"; instead, she studied violin, enjoyed sports, and trained as a nurse.
Philanthropy
In France, the Marquise d'Andigné used her nursing training to volunteer during World War I. With several other American women in Paris, including Elizabeth Beers-Curtis and Mary Alsop King Waddington, she co-founded and was president of Le Bien-être du Blessé, a national organization of volunteers, purchasing and delivering supplies to hospitals near the front, and building and staffing hospital kitchens. Her wealthy contacts in the United States helped to raise funds, especially the organization's American president, writer Gertrude Atherton. Cooperation with the American Red Cross added useful expertise. Madame d'Andigné was decorated for heroism, and received the Legion d'Honneur for her wartime service. In 1927, with her brother, she gave Rhode Island Goddard Memorial State Park, a state park along the shores of Greenwich Cove and Greenwich Bay in Warwick, Rhode Island, in memory of their father.
Personal life
Goddard turned away several notable suitors until 1905, when she met René d'Andigné, the Marquis d'Andigné, while motoring in France. René was the son of General the Marquis d'Andigné, a cavalry commander in the Franco-Prussian War who became one of the political leaders of France. They married on December 29, 1906 at Hopeton House, her family's home in Providence. Her husband died in 1929. She died from cancer in 1931, aged 56 years, at her brother's home in Providence, Rhode Island. In her will, she left $100,000 to the Rhode Island Foundation, "for the relief of incurables." The Marquise d'Andigné Fund continues into the 21st century, supporting people with Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and other diagnoses in Rhode Island.
