Jay O'Brien (1883-1940)
Polo Player & Manager of the 1928 U.S. Olympic Champion Bobsled Team
He started life as a dancer and after marrying his famous first wife he first climbed to prominence as a sportsman on the fringes of society who dabbled on Wall Street. He was described by Andy Bull in his book Speed Kings as, "a rogue, a fast-living, free-wheeling rake with a violent temper". In 1918, after just two years of marriage, O'Brien divorced actress Mae Murray. In 1919, he married his next wife, another actress, Irene Fenwick, who divorced him in 1923 and four days later married Lionel Barrymore. His third wife, Dolly, came with a very handy $5-million following her divorce from Julius Fleischmann, after O'Brien had plucked her from under his nose at The Lindens. He and Dolly were married in Paris in 1924 and to the surprise of many were, "very much in love and very happy". They travelled between the fashionable watering holes of France and England, and entertained the Prince of Wales on several occasions. He died of a heart attack at his home in Palm Beach (see images), without children.
