Barbara Daly Baekeland Biography, Wife, Son, Parents, Family

Barbara Daly Baekeland is a story of beauty and tragedy. She was a socialite and model who was touted for her great beauty and grace, appearing on the covers of some major magazines including Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. She also described herself as a painter.

While her fame came as a result of her beauty and marriage to Brooks Baekeland, she was also said to have been murdered by her son after she tried to seduce him, believing she could cure him of homosexuality.

Barbara Daly Baekeland Biography,

It was in 1922 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. that the beautiful model was born. Barbara Daly Baekeland was also raised in Boston until she was 10 when her father killed himself. He died in his car of carbon monoxide poisoning. After the tragedy, she moved to New York with her mother.

Her childhood was not smooth as her mother reportedly suffered from a nervous breakdown even before the glamorous Barbara was born.

With a beauty that had described her as one of New York’s most beautiful women, she easily landed modeling contracts. What she really wanted was to become an actress, but unfortunately, she did not register any success in Hollywood, which forced her to forget her dream.

Parents and family

Barbara Daly Baekeland came from a very troubled past and she did not escape it herself. Both of her parents, Nina Daly and Frank Daly, had mental problems. This is what drove his father to commit suicide. He said it looked like an accident for his family to get the insurance money.

An only child, the only information available about his mother is that she also had a mental problem.

Husband and son of Barbara Daly Baekeland

In her attempt to become an actress, Barbara met Cordelia Baekeland, the granddaughter of Leo Baekeland, inventor of Velox photo paper. Cordelia soon introduced the beautiful woman to her brother Brooks Baekeland. At the time, he was a trainee with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The two became an object and soon after Barbara lied to Brooks that she was pregnant with his baby. They rushed off and got married in California.

She would go on to suffer from depression and Eratic behavior. His psychiatrist was Foster Kennedy. More than just mental issues, she also drank too much, and just like Brooks, she was also involved in extramarital affairs.

His marriage to Brooks was later blessed with an Antony Baekeland, his son, was born in 1946. As Tony grew up, the family continued to travel to different places including London, Paris and Italy and led a lifestyle very luxurious.

They would later settle in Paris where Barbara Baekeland attempted suicide after her husband met a woman 15 years younger than him and filed for divorce. After the attempt, Brooks called off the deal, and the family later moved to Switzerland and then to Spain.

In Spain, her son who was gay met a bisexual man named Jake Cooper who was Australian. The two men would travel as far as Morocco to buy hallucinogenic drugs. Barbara inquired about the relationship between her son and Cooper. To cure her son of homosexuality, she tried to hook him up with a Spanish girl who instead started a relationship with Brooks.

Brooks Baekeland was divorced in 1986 after attempting to take his own life again after discovering he had had an affair with a classmate of Tony’s who had followed him home for a weekend.

Barbara continued to connect her son with other women and prostitutes believing they could change him. After failing, she believed that if she could get him to sleep with her, it might help. It has been claimed that she manipulated him into sleeping with her.

Antony also suffered from mental illness and sometimes had very dangerous and violent arguments with his mother, often involving knives.

In July 1972 he attempted to kill Barbara, but she escaped and did not press charges. However, he was forced to see a psychiatrist who would later warn Barbara Daly Baekeland that her son was capable of murdering her and that she was in grave danger. The model took it for granted and then on November 17, 1972, he stabbed her in the heart, resulting in her death.

Baekeland was arrested but in July 1980, influential friends and family were able to secure his release. He moved in with his 87-year-old grandmother, Nina Daly. Unfortunately, he tried to kill her again, but she managed to survive the assault which cost her eight stab wounds and several broken bones.

He was arrested again. This time he killed himself in prison with a plastic bag tied to his head.

The life of Barbara Daly Baekeland and Antony Baekeland inspired the 2007 film, Savage Grace.

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