Peirce, Mrs. C.S.

• Froissy, Juliette Annette
• Pourtalai, Juliette

(from Wikipedia entry)

Juliette Peirce (/ˈpɜrs/; d. October 4, 1934) was the second wife of the mathematician and philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce.

Almost nothing is known about Juliette Peirce's life before she met Charles—not even her name, which is variously given as Juliette Annette Froissy or Juliette Pourtalai. Some historians believe she was French, but others have speculated that she had a Gypsy heritage (Ketner 1998, p. 279ff). On occasion, she claimed to be a Habsburg princess. Scanty facts about her provide only a few possible clues to her past. She spoke French, had her own income, had gynecological illnesses that prevented her from having children, and owned a deck of tarot cards said to have predicted the downfall of Napoleon. She probably first met Charles in New York City at the Hotel Brevoort's New Year's Eve ball in December 1876.

In her later years, Juliette was described as increasingly frail. She contracted, and eventually died of, tuberculosis. When Charles died in 1914, Juliette was left destitute and alone. She lived another twenty years, dedicated to bringing Charles and his ideas the recognition she believed they deserved. An obituary in Science described her[18] as a "gracious lady" who "lived and passed away...in the distinction of her devotion."

For more information, see Wikipedia entry at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliette_Peirce .

Created 2015-10-29 by Anna St.Onge.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliette_Peirce https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sanders_Peirce