Francis Alexander Shields

Francis Alexander Shields
Born	Francis Alexander Shields Jr. (1941-05-16)May 16, 1941 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	April 25, 2003(2003-04-25) (aged 61) Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Other names	Frank Shields
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania
Spouses	Teri Schmon ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1966)​ Diana Lippert ​ (m. 1970)​
Children	4, including Brooke
Parents	Francis Xavier Shields (father) Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi (mother)
Relatives	Marino Torlonia, 4th Prince of Civitella-Cesi (grandfather) Mary Elsie Moore (grandmother)

Francis Alexander Shields Jr. (May 16, 1941 – April 25, 2003) was an American businessman and an executive at Revlon in New York City.[1][2] He was the father of actress Brooke Shields.[3]

Early life

Shields was born in New York City.[1] He was the eldest son of Francis Xavier Alexander Sr., a top-ranking American tennis player and Davis Cup winner, and Italian Princess Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi.[2][1] After his parents' divorce, his father married Katharine Mortimer in 1949.[4]

He attended the Buckley School in Manhattan and St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire.[1] He attended in the University of Pennsylvania.[1] While at Penn, he captained the crew that rowed in the Henley Royal Regatta in 1962 and was a member of St. Anthony Hall.[5]

Career

Shields began his career with Wall Street brokerage Loeb Rhoades.[1] He then worked in sales and marketing for cosmetics firms Revlon and Estee Lauder.[1] He also worked for Handy Associates, an executive recruiting firm in New York City.[1]

He formed his own real estate firm, Frank Shields Associates, in Palm Beach, Florida in 1989.[1]

Personal life

In 1964, Shields married Maria Theresia "Teri" Schmon.[3] They had a daughter, Brooke Christa Shields in 1965.[3] They divorced when their daughter was five months old.[6][3]

In 1970, he married Diana "Didi" Lippert, former wife of Thomas Gore Auchincloss[7] (son of Hugh D. Auchincloss). They had three daughters: Marina Torlonia Shields, Olympia Torlonia Shields, and Christina Torlonia Shields.[8]

An avid hunter and fisherman, Shields spent much of his free time at Canoe Creek, at a camp he owned in rural west Florida.[1]

He was a longtime member of The Brook, The Bath and Tennis Club in Palm Beach, Florida, Piping Rock Club, and The Racquet and Tennis Club.[1]

In 1980, Shields founded the Power Ten, a New York nonprofit organization supporting youth rowing and making contributions to the U.S. National rowing team and U.S. Olympic rowing team through the National Rowing Foundation and Row New York.[5][9]

In 2003, Shields died in Palm Beach, of a "protracted illness" at the age of 61.[1] After his death, the National Rowing Foundation offered the Frank Shields Fellowships.[5]

References

1. "Francis A. Shields Obituary (2003)". Legacy.com. The Palm Beach Post. April 28, 2003. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
2. "PRINCESS DIES IN CRASH: Marina Torlonia Slater Killed in Accident in Italy". The New York Times. September 16, 1960. p. 3. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
3. Baum, Joan (2015-10-30). "Brooke Shields Opens Up About Her Mom in Bridgehampton – Dan's Papers". www.danspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
4. "Deaths BLAINE, KATHARINE MORTIMER". The New York Times. April 17, 2003. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
5. "Frank Shields Fellowships". National Rowing Foundation. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
6. "Brooke Shields's Mother, Teri Shields, Dies at 79" Archived 2016-08-28 at the Wayback Machine. People. November 6, 2012.
7. "Ella Davila Wed to T. G. Auchincloss Jr". The New York Times. May 29, 1988. p. 45. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
8. Shields, B (2008). Welcome to Your World, Baby. HarperCollins. p. 6.
9. "Power Ten New York Inc - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2022-06-06.