Kay Halle (nonfiction)

Kay Halle (1938). Photograph by Carl Van Vechten.

Katherine 'Kay' Murphy Halle (October 13, 1903 – August 7, 1997) was a Cleveland journalist, author, radio broadcaster, department store heiress, World War II intelligence operative with the Office of Strategic Services, and intimate confidant and/or mistress of many luminaries of the 20th century, including George Gershwin, Randolph Churchill, W. Averell Harriman, Joseph P. Kennedy, Walter Lippmann, and Buckminster Fuller. She compiled and edited Irrepressible Churchill: A Treasury of Winston Churchill's Wit in 1966.

Biography

Halle was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Blanche (née Murphy) and Samuel Horatio Halle. Her father co-founded the Halle Brothers department store with his brother, Salmon Portland Chase Halle. Her mother was an Irish Catholic and her father Jewish. She attended Smith College and the Cleveland Institute of Music.

References

• Thomas, Robert McG. (5 October 1997). "Kay Halle, 93, an Intimate of Century's Giants". The New York Times.
• Service, New York Times News. "KAY HALLE, GLAMOROUS HEIRESS WHO CAPTIVATED THE POWERFUL". chicagotribune.com.
• "Kay Halle Personal Papers | JFK Library". www.jfklibrary.org.
• Smith, J.Y. (August 12, 1997). "Kay Halle, Washington Grand Dame, Dies At 93". Washington Post.

Fiction cross-reference

• Gnomon algorithm
• Gnomon Chronicles

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Buckminster Fuller (nonfiction)

External links:

• Kay Halle @ Wikipedia
• Biography @ archives.gov
• FBI report @ archive.org
• Oral history interview @ jfklibrary.org