Glynn Wolfe
Glynn Wolfe | |
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| Born | Glynn DeMoss Wolfe July 25, 1908 Freelandville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | June 10, 1997 (aged 88) Redlands, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Children | ≥19[a] |
Glynn DeMoss Wolfe (July 25, 1908 – June 10, 1997) was an American Baptist minister and hotel owner who resided in Blythe, California. Wolfe is best known for allegedly having the largest number of monogamous marriages, having married 31 different times, although one of his marriages was annulled and several remain unconfirmed.
Biography
[edit]Glynn DeMoss Wolfe's[9] father, John Wolfe, was a coal mine operator in Freelandville and the sheriff of Knox County.[10]
In 1960, Wolfe was a candidate for justice of the peace, campaigning on better retirement homes and extra assistance to elderly people.[11] He placed last during the primaries.[12][13] That same year, Wolfe was ordained a Baptist minister of the Traveler's Rest Baptist Church in Los Angeles, but "sort of lost interest" in his ministry when his license to perform marriages was revoked, and abandoned it to pursue a career as a barber.[14]
During his 7th marriage to a woman named Mary, Wolfe bought an all-women hotel in Hollywood, a neighborhood of Los Angeles.[1] He later stopped operating the hotel, and began operating a new hotel in Las Vegas.[15]
Wolfe died on June 10, 1997, in a Redlands, California, nursing home of heart disease at the age of 88.[16][17] His body went unclaimed, and he was eventually buried in Blythe. None of the 28 women he legally married, and only one of his approximately 19 children,[a] attended the funeral service.[1][18]
Marriages
[edit]Between 1926 and until his death in 1997, Wolfe married 29 different women.[19] Most of his marriages were to teenagers. In an interview with the New York Daily News, he described them as "fun", saying he could "just speak their language".[2]
His shortest marriage lasted 19 days, and his longest lasted eleven years. Three of his marriages were to women he had previously divorced: remarried Charlotte Devane in 1936, after divorcing earlier that year; remarried Katherine Archer in 1949 after divorcing the previous year; and Sharon Goodwin in 1960 after divorcing the previous year. Five of his marriages ended with the death of a spouse, surviving his 1st, 8th, 9th and 23rd wife, before being survived by his 31st wife. His longest marriage was for 11 years, to his 28th wife, Christine Camacho, who was 37 years his junior. His 29th wife was Bonny Lee Bakley, who was herself married ten times; she was murdered, and her last husband, Hollywood actor Robert Blake, was charged in connection with her death. He was found not guilty, but was found liable in a wrongful death lawsuit, and Bakley's murder remains unsolved.[citation needed]
Wolfe's final marriage was to Linda Taylor in 1996 at Quartzsite, Arizona, who—at the time—was the record holder for the most-married woman, having been married 28 times. The marriage was performed as a publicity stunt, and Taylor returned to Indiana a week after the wedding.[20][21]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b It is unknown exactly how many children Wolfe had.[1] In 1966, Watson Crews Jr. of the New York Daily News reported a figure of four.[2] That same year, the United Press International claimed that he had 31 children.[3] According to an Ottawa Journal article published in 1979, Wolfe alleged that he had 40 children.[4] In 1989, Wolfe believed he had 41 children.[5] By the time of Wolfe's death, media outlets reported his number of children as 19.[1][6][7][8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Moehringer, J.R. (July 11, 1997). "Most Married, but Little Missed". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ a b Crews Jr., Watson (July 24, 1966). "Too Broke for Divorce After 17 Teen Wives". New York Daily News. New York, New York. p. 977. Retrieved May 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Sky's the Limit". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. United Press International. August 25, 1966. p. 26. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ "Wolfe marries for 23rd time". Ottawa Journal. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. August 21, 1979. p. 37. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Guiness sets the record for records". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. United Press International. October 15, 1989. p. E15. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Glynn 'Scotty' Wolfe, wed a record 29 times". Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, New Jersey. Associated Press. June 20, 1997. p. A15. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Most married man also least mourned—Only one of his 19 children shows up". Galion Inquirer. Galion, Ohio. Associated Press. July 25, 1997. p. 7. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Glynn Wolfe, world's most-married man". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. June 20, 1997. p. 10. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ "Hotelman Weds Ex-Wife Again". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. December 17, 1964. p. 35. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ "State Near End of Case Against Ex-Sheriff's Son". Evansville Courier & Press. Evansville, Indiana. February 13, 1941. p. 5. Retrieved May 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Experienced Man". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 7, 1960. p. 11. Retrieved May 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jury to Probe Validity Of Minister Weddings". Nevada State Journal. Reno, Nevada. United Press International. November 16, 1960. p. 7. Retrieved May 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "His 16th Marriage—Preacher To Rewed 19-Year-Old Ex-Wife". The Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, Indiana. United Press International. December 16, 1964. p. 25. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Crews Jr., Watson (July 24, 1966). "Too Broke for Divorce After 17 Teen Wives". New York Daily News. p. 977.
- ^ "Hotelman Divorced for 13th Time". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 20, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved May 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Glynn Wolfe Dies; Married 29 Times". Buffalo News. June 19, 1997. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ "Glynn 'Scotty' Wolfe, Guiness's Most-Married Man, Dies at 88". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ Moehringer, J.R. (August 16, 1997). "Marrying marathoner dies alone: After taking and discarding 29 brides, Glynn "Scotty" Wolfe spent his last years as a bachelor". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- ^ "Glynn "Scotty" Wolfe; World's Most Married Man". Los Angeles Times. June 20, 1997. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
- ^ Miller, Tracy (February 27, 2009). "Linda Lou Taylor Wolfe, world's most married woman, says she'd get hitched a 24th time". The New York Daily News. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ Marshall, Konrad (February 22, 2009). "After 23 'I do's,' Ind. woman still seeks love". Star-Gazette. Elmira, New York. p. 3E. Retrieved May 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.