Betty Leggett

Elizabeth MacLeod Sturges Leggett, also known as Bessie Leggett or Betty Leggett, (January 24, 1857 – October 1, 1931) was an American socialite, letter writer, and disciple of the Hindu monk and philosopher Swami Vivekananda. Early life and family Elizabeth MacLeod was born in Cincinnati on January 24, 1857, to John David MacLeod and Mary Ann Lennon. She was descended from Scottish settlers who were planters and enslavers in the American Southeast. Her father made a fortune through trade in Ohio. She was a sister of the spiritual writer Josephine MacLeod. Married life On October 8, 1876, she married William Sturges, a widowed businessman from Chicago who was descended from the colonial politician Jonathan Sturges. They had a son, Hollister, and a daughter, Alberta. The family lived at 21 West 34th Street in Manhattan and travelled to Europe, where they kept apartments in Paris and London. Her husband died in 1894, a few years after surviving the sinking of the SS Oregon.