Betsy Bloomingdale

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Betsy Bloomingdale was born Betty Lee Newling on August 2, 1926, in Southern California; some sources indicate she was born in 1922. An internationally known socialite and the author of a book of entertaining, she is perhaps best known as the wife of Alfred S. Bloomingdale and a friend of Nancy and Ronald Reagan.

A Roman Catholic, she was involved in fundraising projects for the Los Angeles Cathedral.

Bloomingdale's life and marriage and her husband's well-publicized affair were the basis of Dominick Dunne's novel An Inconvenient Woman. However, Bloomingdale remains friendly with Dunne, appearing with him at the annual Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2006. Other friends of Bloomingdale include actress and writer Joan Collins and the late Manhattan based socialiate Nan Kempner.

Mrs. Bloomingdale is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, she currently resides in the Holmby Hills section of the city.