Mary Livingston Ripley


Mary Moncrieffe Livingston Ripley was a U.S. horticulturist, entomologist, photographer, and scientific collector.

Early life

Mary Livingston was born in New York City in 1914. She was the daughter of Gerald Moncrieffe Livingston, a governor of the New York Stock Exchange, and Eleanor Hoffman Livingston. Through her father, she was a member of the long prominent Livingston family. Her sisters were Mrs. Livingston Briggs and Geraldine Livingston.
Her paternal grandfather was Crawford Livingston and her maternal grandfather was William MacNeil Rodewald of Tuxedo Park, New York. Her great-grandfather was the Rev. Dr. Charles Frederick Hoffman.

Career

She worked in a clerical position for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. While traveling with the OSS, she was a roommate of Julia Child.
After she married, she accompanied her husband on ornithological and entomological expeditions to India, Bhutan, Indonesia and Irian Jaya. Ripley's work of organizing volunteers led to the creation of the Smithsonian Institutions Women's Committee.
In 1983, Ripley was made an Honorary life member of the Smithsonian's Women's Committee.

Personal life

Mary, a member of the Colony Club and the Colonial Lords of the Manors and the Colonial Dames of America, was first married to Spencer F. Eddy Jr., son of diplomat Spencer F. Eddy, before their divorce in 1935. While while stationed in Sri Lanka and working for the OSS, she met Sidney Dillon Ripley. They married in 1949, and were the parents of three daughters:
Ripley died in Litchfield, Connecticut on April 15, 1996.

Legacy

The Mary Livingston Ripley Garden, part of the Smithsonian Gardens, is named after her.