Heiress Daisy Leiter and The Earl of Suffolk
This area once had its own Downton Abbey heiress. Like Lady Grantham from the television series, many young, wealthy American women married English nobleman in the pre-World War I era. Margaret (Daisy) Hyde Leiter was an heiress who married the 19th Earl of Suffolk, Henry Molyneux Page Howard. She followed in the footsteps of her sister Mary, Baroness of Kedleson and Vicereine of India, who also married a nobleman.
Daisy was the daughter of Levi Leiter, a very successful Chicago investor and department store owner who partnered with Marshall Field. John Singer Sargent was commissioned to paint Daisy’s portrait in 1898 (prior to her marriage). While visiting her sister, Mary, Daisy met Henry Howard, the Earl of Suffolk. They were married in Washington D.C. in 1904 and during the course of their marriage had three sons.
The Countess purchased land near what is now Magee and Oracle
As part of a stipulation in her father’s large estate, Daisy was required to spend at least four months of each year in the United States. Like many wealthy visitors, she was fascinated by the mystique and isolation of the desert. In 1937 the Dowager Countess came to Arizona with her son, Cecil Howard, and purchased land along the south side of what is now Magee Road, east of Oracle. Margaret commissioned local architect Robert Morse to build Forest Lodge on her land. The grand home was built in the international style, popular with wealthy European and American families in the pre-World War II era. The home had five bedrooms and several terraces, servants’ quarters, a four car garage and even rudimentary air conditioning.
Suffolk Hills was named after the Countess
The splendid isolation of Forest Lodge was disrupted in the 1950s by the growth of suburbia. It was time for the Countess to move on. She sold the home and surrounding land in 1957. The Suffolk Hills development was named after the Countess. She sold 320 acres to the Lusk Corporation for $500,000. The Lusk Corporation planned to construct 250 houses on the one acre lots. They used the hilly ground that adapted development to the natural environment. Eventually, 190 homes were built and the company won a national award for Suffolk Hills in 1960 for “usage of natural terrain, and preservation of the natural desert scenery.” The original homes were priced from $16,000. The remaining property and the Dowager’s Forest Lodge home were purchased by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart for an academy to be built on the site where it remains today.
Seeking solitude
The Countess relocated to the Oracle area to once again find solitude. This time her home, “Casa del Oro,” was designed in the Spanish style with arches, tiles, walls, gates and private gardens. It was located in what is now the Biosphere II complex.
The Dowager Countess of Suffolk and Berkshire died of a heart attack while en route by plane from San Francisco to her home in Oracle on March 5, 1968. She was 88.
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This article is an excerpt of the book Claiming the Desert – Settlers, Homesteaders and Ranchers in Oro Valley, Arizona 1865-1965 by James A. Williams. Williams is a local resident, retired teacher and historian. He is an Honorary Member of the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) and former president of the same. If you would like to learn more about Oro Valley homesteaders you can purchase his book at amazon.com or through the Oro Valley Historical Society (contact tcolmar@comcast.net). Jim generously donates profits from his book to OVHS!
Additional Credit Royalty in Residence by Barbara Marriott; Oro Valley Voice, November 2015.
Interested in local history?
Stop by Steam Pump Ranch on the second and fourth Saturdays in February, March and April. The Oro Valley Historical Society presents docent-guided tours from 10 a.m. to Noon. No reservations are required for the 50-minute tour that leaves on the hour and every fifteen minutes thereafter. Tours leave from the OVHS tent that is located just south of the Farmer’s Market ramada. The suggested donation supports the cost of our displays, exhibits and ongoing programs. We hope to see you!
The Oro Valley Historical Society is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit volunteer organization, whose mission is “To promote research, preservation, education, and dissemination of historical information related to the greater Oro Valley area.” We invite you to become a member or volunteer or donate.. Visit us at ovhistory.org and help keep Oro Valley history alive!
