Frank Lloyd Wright & Catherine Tobin
He abandoned his family for his client's wife -- and waited thirteen years for a divorce
Key Facts
What Happened
Frank Lloyd Wright married Catherine 'Kitty' Tobin in 1889, and together they had six children while Wright established himself as America's most innovative architect from their Oak Park, Illinois home. The marriage appeared stable until 1903, when Wright began designing a house for neighbor Edwin Cheney and fell in love with Cheney's wife, Mamah Borthwick, an educated feminist whom Wright considered his intellectual equal.
In 1909, Wright and Mamah Borthwick scandalously abandoned their respective families and fled to Europe together, living openly in Italy. The yellow press of the era sensationalized the affair relentlessly. Edwin Cheney granted Mamah a divorce, but Catherine Tobin refused to divorce Wright, publicly calling Mamah a 'vampire seductress.' Under early twentieth-century law, Catherine's refusal effectively trapped Wright in the marriage.
Tragedy struck in 1914 when a deranged servant named Julian Carlton set fire to Wright's Taliesin estate in Wisconsin and murdered seven people with an axe, including Mamah Borthwick and her two children. The massacre devastated Wright but did not change Catherine's position on the divorce. It took thirteen years from Wright's abandonment before Catherine finally granted the divorce in 1922.
Wright married sculptor Miriam Noel later in 1923, but that marriage was also disastrous, ending in divorce in 1927 amid allegations of mental instability and erratic behavior. He later married Olgivanna Lazovich in 1928, remaining with her until his death in 1959. The thirteen-year wait for Catherine's consent illustrated the enormous power one spouse could wield over the other in an era before no-fault divorce.
Legal Breakdown: When one spouse refuses to grant a divorce and the legal limitations of an earlier era
Fault-Based Divorce Era
In the early twentieth century, divorce required proving fault (adultery, cruelty, abandonment) and the consent of both parties was effectively needed. Catherine's refusal to grant a divorce kept Wright legally married for thirteen years despite his open cohabitation with another woman. This power imbalance was a key driver of the no-fault divorce reform movement.
Property and Abandonment
Wright's abandonment of the family home in Oak Park meant Catherine retained the property. Under early twentieth-century law, the 'innocent' spouse (the one who did not cause the marital breakdown) had significant advantages in property retention and alimony claims.
No-Fault Divorce Context
Cases like Wright's eventually contributed to the no-fault divorce revolution that began in California in 1970. Today, no state requires one spouse's permission for the other to obtain a divorce, eliminating the kind of legal limbo Wright experienced for over a decade.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →Modern no-fault divorce laws mean neither spouse can unilaterally prevent a divorce -- but the process can still be slowed by a non-cooperative partner.
- →Abandoning the family home can weaken your claims to the property and strengthen the remaining spouse's position.
- →Affairs with a client's or neighbor's spouse create additional legal exposure, including potential alienation of affection claims in some states.
- →Even in contentious situations, understanding the legal process and timeline helps manage expectations and reduce emotional distress.
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
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