Dorothy Hart

Dorothy Hart Hirshon, a glamorous figure in New York society from the 1920's through the 40's who later became active in social, human rights and political causes, died in January 1998 in an automobile accident while driving near her home in Glen Cove, on Long Island. She was 89. Frequently photographed and written about during her glittering earlier marriages to John Randolph Hearst and William S. Paley, she married Walter Hirshon, a stockbroker, in 1953. After their divorce in 1961, she became increasingly involved in education and philanthropic endeavors. Dorothy Hart was 19 when she met her first husband, Mr. Hearst, the third of William Randolph Hearst's five sons, while sailing on a yacht off Santa Barbara. Mr. Hearst had not yet entered his first year at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, but the couple were married in New York in December 1927. Mrs. Hearst took a job writing a column for Harper's Bazaar. After some months, she went to Nevada and filed for a divorce. Mr. Hearst followed her; the couple reconciled and returned to New York. Five months later, Mrs. Hearst again traveled to Las Vegas and was granted a divorce. In May 1932, she married William Paley in Kingman, Ariz. Back in In New York, she joined the Algonquin set -- the playwrights, journalists and other intellectuals whose luncheon ripostes during the 1920's became a literary legend. The Paleys separated in 1945, shortly after Mr. Paley returned from wartime service in London. They were divorced in 1947, and she received some paintings, furniture, silver and $1.5 million. She attended Marlboro, an exclusive girls' school. She later spent a year at Bennett Junior College in Millbrook, N.Y., and furthered her lifelong interest in art by taking several art history courses. She worked with the Neighborhood Children's Center for more than two decades, was a member of the New York City Human Rights Commission, served on the Hospitality Committee of the United Nations in the 1960's, and became a board member of the Vivian Beaumont Theater, a board member of Lincoln Center in the 1980's and a trustee of Carnegie Hall. She was also on the board of Phoenix House and was a trustee of the New School for Social Research until her death. She is survived by a son, Jeffrey Paley of Manhattan; a daughter, Hilary Paley Califano of Roxbury, Conn., and Manhattan; a stepdaughter, Joy H. Briggs of Manhattan, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.