Divorce question
Divorce question
Can anyone tell me what the legal restrictions on divorce were in Illinois circa 1908-1909, when Wright was seeking one? When were they relaxed?
generally speaking, divorce laws started being relaxed in the 1970s as "no-fault" divorce became more common.
The state of the law in the early 1900s is a complicated matter and would require an examination of the statutes in effect at that time as well as judicial interpretations at the state supreme court.
If I were researching that point, I would probably start with legal treatises from the time period and hope to find a book or a section in a legal encyclopedia from that time and covering Illinois in particular. That book would likely be found in the sub-basement of an Illinois law school library or the state law library.
If I couldn't find a state-specific publication, I would look at the early national legal encyclopedias like Corpus Juris. Those would in the basements of law schools nationwide.
The state of the law in the early 1900s is a complicated matter and would require an examination of the statutes in effect at that time as well as judicial interpretations at the state supreme court.
If I were researching that point, I would probably start with legal treatises from the time period and hope to find a book or a section in a legal encyclopedia from that time and covering Illinois in particular. That book would likely be found in the sub-basement of an Illinois law school library or the state law library.
If I couldn't find a state-specific publication, I would look at the early national legal encyclopedias like Corpus Juris. Those would in the basements of law schools nationwide.
Did he in fact seek a divorce ca. 1909? My understanding is that he didn't go through with it until he decided to marry Miriam Noel more than a decade later.
Twombly says in his biography that in Wisconsin, which was Wright's residence at the time, either party could unilaterally divorce after the couple lived apart for 7 years - i.e. from 1916 on - and Wright never took advantage of this law. He had a hard time putting Catherine behind him.
Twombly says in his biography that in Wisconsin, which was Wright's residence at the time, either party could unilaterally divorce after the couple lived apart for 7 years - i.e. from 1916 on - and Wright never took advantage of this law. He had a hard time putting Catherine behind him.
All accounts I've read indicate that Kitty initially rejected a divorce upon his return from Europe, so that would put it no earlier than 1911.
Docent, Hollyhock House - Hollywood, CA
Humble student of the Master
"Youth is a circumstance you can't do anything about. The trick is to grow up without getting old." - Frank Lloyd Wright
Humble student of the Master
"Youth is a circumstance you can't do anything about. The trick is to grow up without getting old." - Frank Lloyd Wright
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Roderick Grant
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