Murphy collection of Van Alen papers (RLC.Ms.036)

Biographical note

Laura Murphy resided in Newport, Rhode Island.

James “Jimmy” Henry Van Alen (1902-1991) was born on September 19, 1902, in Newport, Rhode Island. He was the eldest son of James Laurens (1878-1927) and Margaret Louise Post Van Alen (1877-1969), a relative of the Vanderbilt family and commonly referred to as “Daisy.” James H. Van Alen had two younger siblings: William Laurens (1907-2009) and Louise Astor (Van Alen) Saunderson (1917-2004). His grandfather, James John Van Alen (1846-1923), married into the Astor family with his 1876 marriage to Emily Astor (1854-1881), making James H. Van Alen a very socially connected man in both the New York and Newport social circles. His paternal grandparents built the summer cottage, Wakehurst, in Newport in the 1880s, and the Van Alens lived between there and homes in New York, England, and France. James H. Van Alen attended Cambridge University and graduated in 1924, during which time he played on their tennis team, a sport he played and enjoyed since the age of five. He continued to be an avid tennis player throughout his life and was a national single and doubles champion. In October 1929, he married his first wife, Eleanor Langley (b. 1902) and had two children: James Langley (1931-2008) and Samuel T. (1934-1970). The couple later divorced in 1948. With the start of World War II, James H. Van Alen enlisted in the United States Navy and worked for the Navy’s Book and Magazine Section before running a rest camp in England. He was discharged from the Navy on March 2, 1949.

Candace Baird Alig Van Alen (1912-2002) was born on March 28, 1912, in Louisville, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Otto Fidele (c. 1882-1933) and Candace Baird Alig (1888-1972), and had a younger brother, Baird Alig (1914-1918), who did not survive past childhood. Candace, or Candy as she was known, spent her childhood in Des Moines, Iowa, and was tutored at home until she was sent to Rosemary Hall, a boarding school in Greenwich, Connecticut. Candy attended Vassar College, where she majored in political science and economics and after her graduation in 1932, she began post graduate studies at Columbia University, Radcliffe College, and the Sorbonne in Paris, France. In 1937, she married Kevin Cox Vanderlip (1912-1956) of New York. The couple divided their time between New York and their Palos Verdes Ranch in California. The Vanderlips divorced in 1945 and at this time, Candy began her journalism career. She first worked as a correspondent for El Universal, Mexico’s largest newspapers, and represented them at a United Nations meeting in San Francisco. During World War II, she served as war correspondent for the International News Service and was stationed in Paris until the end of 1946. Upon her return to N.Y. in 1947, she became the assistant to the editor and editorial writer for the New York Herald Tribune, a position she held until 1948.

The Van Alens met at a cocktail party in New York in 1948 and were soon married on November 8, 1948. Throughout their forty-three year marriage, they became known as a high society couple recognized for their involvement in a multitude of activities and organizations. They owned a variety of residences including Penny Pond in Greenvale, N.Y., an apartment in Madrid, a condo in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and their primary residence, Avalon, in Newport. The couple enjoyed working together and for years wrote a joint newspaper column, “Between the Lines,” that was published nationally. In 1953, they began an annual reading of Clement C. Moore’s, “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” at Moore’s Newport summer home. The Van Alens hoped to turn this house into a Christmas museum, but this endeavor was never realized. They did continue their annual readings and in 1958, Jimmy wrote an introduction and addendum to the famous poem, which he also recited during their annual Christmas reading. They also worked to return the Newport Casino to its former position as the center of civic and social activity as well as establishing a Tennis Hall of Fame. In 1954, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which operated at the Newport Casino, was established. This is commonly seen as their greatest contribution to society.

Besides their work together, the Van Alens continued to work on individual projects and their own interests. James H. Van Alen made a major contribution to the game of tennis with his development of the Van Alen Streamlined Scoring System (VASSS). This system advocated a sudden death tie breaker for the game and eventually evolved into the best of twelve tie breaks seen in tennis matches today. He also spent time composing his own poems and music, and was actively involved with the Republican Party. Candace Van Alen served as contributing editor to Vogue for eight years and had a “How To” column in the New York Daily News and the Chicago Syndicate. She also served as chairman or committee member for various organizations including the International Debutante Ball, April in Paris Ball in N.Y., the International Red Cross Ball in Palm Beach, Florida, and the American Scottish Foundation.

James H. Van Alen died on July 3, 1991, after suffering a fall at his Newport home. Candace Van Alen lived on to the age of ninety, passing away on February 12, 2002. The couple is interred at the Berkeley Memorial Cemetery in Middletown, Rhode Island.