Caroline Takamine Beach

Caroline Takamine Beach (1866-08-05 – 1954-11-25) was an American socialite and philanthropist. As one of the first American women to marry a Japanese citizen when she married chemist Takamine Jōkichi in 1887, her personal life was a matter of public curiosity. Later in life she designed, built, and donated a chapel in Vail, Arizona to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, in his memory.

Quotes

• "The Japanese husband is considerate, faithful and patient. It is his philosophy, his religion. He is a home-loving man and naturally he is thoughtful of the little attentions to his home and family. Every woman loves these little attentions."
• "The greatest mistake ever made in judgment of Japanese women is that they are merely painted dolls. I think it is quite readily conceded and already proved that Japanese men are clever in business and war; that they are highly intellectual and rank well as cultivated gentlement. It is well known that to be a good, great, or fairly intelligent man you must have a mother who has these qualities. All great men have had great mothers, so that nothing but credit can reflect on the Japanese woman's intelligence."
  • "Japanese Husbands are the Best in the World" Birmingham Post-Herald (1909-04-25): 7. via Newspapers.com

Quotes about Caroline Takamine Beach

• "There was an aura sanctioned and blessed about her that no one ever questioned. She had the kind of presence that made everyone rise, men of course, but women too, and without knowing who she was, not only in Japan but everywhere she went. Her tact, her courtesy, became legendary, A welcome from Takamine-san, no matter what your age, was like a diplomatic recognition. She was the supreme example, the Queen."
  • Agnes de Mille, Where the Wings Grow (Doubleday 1978): 94.
  • Agnes de Mille was related to Beach by marriage, and knew her from childhood as "Aunt Takamine".