Anthony Dryden Marshall
Encyclopedia
Anthony Dryden Marshall (born Anthony Dryden Kuser, New York
May 30, 1924) is an American theatrical producer who is a former U.S. 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. He is currently in the process of appealing a criminal conviction stemming from charges of scheming to improperly retain funds from the estate of his famous mother, Brooke Astor, toward the end of her life.
and her first husband, New Jersey
state senator John Dryden Kuser
. 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).
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.
in North Andover, Massachusetts. After enlisting in 1942, he served with the U.S. Marine Corps
and lead his platoon in the battle of Iwo Jima
, attaining the rank of lieutenant and earning a Purple Heart. 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). He was expelled by the Malagasy government in June 1971 following a Malagasy newspaper report that the government received a secret document bearing his signature that implicated him in a supposed coup d’etat against President Philibert Tsiranana. Later he served as ambassador 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
.
In the 1980s, he was an officer with United States Trust Company of New York, where he assisted the bank with the management of large estate accounts.
(2003), and I Am My Own Wife
(Tony Award, 2004). They formed Delphi Productions in 2003 with producer David Richenthal
.
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 August 8, 2006.
On August 1, 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 September 7, 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."
On December 5, 2006, 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. 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."
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.
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.
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."
The trial of Marshall and Morrissey started March 30, 2009 (coincidentally his late mother's birthday) with the jury selection. The judge, Justice A. Kirke Bartley Jr., estimated that the trial could last up to three months; instead, the defense rested and the case was sent to the jury on September 22, 2009, nearly six months after it began. On October 8, 2009, Marshall was found guilty of one of two first-degree grand larceny charges, the most serious he faced, and a total of 14 of 16 charges. Jurors convicted him of giving himself an unauthorized raise of about $1 million for managing his mother’s finances.
On December 21, 2009, Marshall was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison. Marshall's attorneys plan to appeal. According to the February 22, 2010 edition of The New York Times
, the defense alleges that juror Judith DeMarco only voted guilty because another juror threatened her. They further claim that Bartley failed to question any of the jurors when he received a note that DeMarco felt threatened.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
May 30, 1924) is an American theatrical producer who is a former U.S. Marine
Marine corps
A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
, C.I.A. intelligence officer
Intelligence officer
An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
, and ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
. He also is the former vice president of the Vincent Astor Foundation, which was established by his stepfather, Vincent Astor. He is currently in the process of appealing a criminal conviction stemming from charges of scheming to improperly retain funds from the estate of his famous mother, Brooke Astor, toward the end of her life.
Early life
Known as Tony, Marshall is the only child of the American philanthropist Brooke AstorBrooke Astor
Roberta Brooke Astor was an American philanthropist and socialite who was the chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation, which had been established by her third husband, Vincent Astor, son of John Jacob Astor IV and great-great grandson of America's first multi-millionaire, John Jacob...
and her first husband, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
state senator John Dryden Kuser
John Dryden Kuser
John Dryden Kuser was a New Jersey politician and a member of an influential New Jersey family. The son of Colonel Anthony R. Kuser and Susan Dryden, his father was the President of the South Jersey Gas and Electric Lighting Company and one of the original investors in Fox Movie Studios.Col...
. 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
Vincent Astor
William Vincent Astor was a businessman and philanthropist and a member of the prominent Astor family.-Early life:...
(his mother's third husband).
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
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, and has been a consultant to the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
.
He also had two stepsiblings, Peter Marshall and Helen Huntington Marshall (born April 6, 1918), wife of the composer Ernest Schelling
Ernest Schelling
Ernest Henry Schelling was an American pianist, composer, and conductor.Born in Belvidere, New Jersey, Schelling was a child prodigy. His first teacher was his father. He entered the Academy of Music in Philadelphia at age 4. At age 7, Schelling traveled to Europe to study. He was admitted to the...
and later of the cellist János Scholz.
Education and career
Marshall attended Brooks SchoolBrooks School
Brooks School is a private, co-educational, preparatory, secondary school in North Andover, Massachusetts on the shores of Lake Cochichewick.-History:...
in North Andover, Massachusetts. After enlisting in 1942, he served with the U.S. Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and lead his platoon in the battle of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, attaining the rank of lieutenant and earning a Purple Heart. After the end of the war, he enrolled in Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
.
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). He was expelled by the Malagasy government in June 1971 following a Malagasy newspaper report that the government received a secret document bearing his signature that implicated him in a supposed coup d’etat against President Philibert Tsiranana. Later he served as ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
(1972–74) and briefly to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
(1973); and in the Ford administration, to the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
(1976). He was also an assistant to Richard M. Bissell Jr. during the development of the U-2
Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single-engine, very high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency . It provides day and night, very high-altitude , all-weather intelligence gathering...
reconnaissance aircraft
Reconnaissance aircraft
A reconnaissance aircraft is a manned military aircraft designed, or adapted, to carry out aerial reconnaissance.-History:The majority of World War I aircraft were reconnaissance designs...
.
In the 1980s, he was an officer with United States Trust Company of New York, where he assisted the bank with the management of large estate accounts.
Theatrical productions
Anthony Marshall's first production was the Tony nominated Alice in Wonderland which he produced with Sabra Jones and WNET13. With his wife, Charlene Marshall, he produced Long Day's Journey into NightLong Day's Journey Into Night
Long Day's Journey Into Night is a 1956 drama in four acts written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play is widely considered to be his masterwork...
(2003), and I Am My Own Wife
I Am My Own Wife
I Am My Own Wife is a play by Doug Wright based on his conversations with German transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. The one-man play premiered Off-Broadway in 2003 at Playwrights Horizons. It opened on Broadway later that year. The play was developed with Moisés Kaufman and his Tectonic...
(Tony Award, 2004). They formed Delphi Productions in 2003 with producer David Richenthal
David Richenthal
David Richenthal is a lawyer and Broadway theater producer. He is currently the President of Richenthal Productions, Inc. Former companies include Delphi Productions, LLC and Barking Dog Entertainment, Inc....
.
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, PennsylvaniaWynnewood, PennsylvaniaWynnewood, Pennsylvania is a suburban community located outside of Philadelphia in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania and Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Wynnewood was named in 1691 for Dr. Thomas Wynne, William Penn's physician and the first Speaker of the Pennsylvania General...
. The groom's stepfather, Charles Marshall, was his best man. The couple had twin sons (born May 14, 1953), Alexander R. Marshall, a photographer, and Philip Cryan Marshall, a part-time professor of architectural preservation at Roger Williams UniversityRoger Williams UniversityRoger Williams University, commonly abbreviated as RWU, is a private, coeducational American liberal arts university located on in Bristol, Rhode Island, above Mt. Hope Bay. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams...
.
- His second wife was his former secretary Thelma Hoegnell (born May 11, 1928), whom he married on December 29, 1962. The couple were divorced on January 24, 1990, reportedly following Marshall's affair with Charlene Gilbert, the wife of an Episcopal priest in Northeast Harbor, MaineNortheast Harbor, MaineNortheast Harbor is a village on Mount Desert Island, located in the town of Mount Desert in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The village has a significant summer population, and has long been a quiet enclave of the rich and famous. Summer residents include the Rockefeller family, as well as...
.
- His third and present wife, whom he married in 1992, is the former Charlene Detwiler Tyler (born July 28, 1945), the former wife of Paul E. Gilbert, a naval officer turned Episcopal priest, and a daughter of Charles Matthew Tyler, an insurance actuary and businessman who was well loved and respected and a valued member of Charleston, S.C. society. By this marriage Marshall has two stepdaughters, Arden (born 1969) and Inness (born 1972) and a stepson, Robert (born 1976).
- There are other children that are not acknowledged for several years by Anthony Marshall; though today are. Those documents are sealed and the the children and the mother's of those children are bound by confidentiality agreements and other legal instruments that preclude primary disclosure with some latitude given for legal purposes. Those who are known to be natural born children of Anthony Marshall are known to persons who know the family and having much history of his life having been disclosed in the civil and criminal case that was brought against him. Upon internet and other dBases searches of those believed to be the sons and daughters of Anthony Marshall; his name will appear; though documents definitely acknowledging this have been removed from the internet via court orders.
Elder abuse allegations
In July 2006, Philip Marshall filed suit against his father, alleging mistreatmentElder abuse
Elder abuse is a general term used to describe certain types of harm to older adults. Other terms commonly used include: "elder mistreatment," "senior abuse," "abuse in later life," "abuse of older adults," "abuse of older women," and "abuse of older men."...
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
Annette de la Renta
Annette de la Renta is an American philanthropist and socialite married to the fashion designer Oscar de la Renta.-Birth and childhood:...
. That request was granted temporarily, pending a court hearing on August 8, 2006.
On August 1, 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 September 7, 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
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
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."
On December 5, 2006, 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
New York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
's office. 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."
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.
Trial
On November 27, 2007, Marshall surrendered to authorities at the ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
's office to face indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
on sixteen counts relating to the handling of Brooke Astor's will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
and financial affairs. The charges include conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
, grand larceny
Grand Larceny
Grand Larceny is a 1987 thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and starring Marilu Henner, Ian McShane, Omar Sharif and Louis Jourdan.-Plot summary:...
and possession of stolen property
Possession of stolen goods
Possession of stolen goods is a crime in which an individual has bought, been given, or acquired stolen goods some other way.In many countries, if an individual has accepted possession of goods or property and knew they were stolen, then the individual is typically charged with a misdemeanor or...
. Astor's lawyer Francis X. Morrissey, who is a longtime friend of her son, was also charged with six counts including conspiracy, forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
and possession of a forged instrument.
At a press conference following Marshall's arrest, Manhattan district attorney Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert Morris Morgenthau is an American lawyer. From 1975 until his retirement in 2009, he was the District Attorney for New York County, the borough of Manhattan.-Early life:...
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."
The trial of Marshall and Morrissey started March 30, 2009 (coincidentally his late mother's birthday) with the jury selection. The judge, Justice A. Kirke Bartley Jr., estimated that the trial could last up to three months; instead, the defense rested and the case was sent to the jury on September 22, 2009, nearly six months after it began. On October 8, 2009, Marshall was found guilty of one of two first-degree grand larceny charges, the most serious he faced, and a total of 14 of 16 charges. Jurors convicted him of giving himself an unauthorized raise of about $1 million for managing his mother’s finances.
On December 21, 2009, Marshall was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison. Marshall's attorneys plan to appeal. According to the February 22, 2010 edition of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, the defense alleges that juror Judith DeMarco only voted guilty because another juror threatened her. They further claim that Bartley failed to question any of the jurors when he received a note that DeMarco felt threatened.
External links
- Steve Fishman, "Mrs. Astor's Baby: The Fight for A Mother's Love, And Money", New York Magazine, 12 November 2007
- Indictment, New York v. Anthony D. Marshall and Francis Morrissey