Chicago Tribune
DR. DORSEY QUITS WIFE OF
30 YEARS AT BECK OF MUSE
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Divorce Leaves Savant Free to Write
Preferring to woo his muse in the temperamental atmosphere of New York’s Greenwich Village, unhampered by domesticities, Dr. George A. Dorsey, famous scientist and world traveler, forsook his position as curator of anthropology at the Field museum and abandoned his home at 5703 Blackstone avenue.
The story of his defection, told by Mrs. Ida C. Dorsey yesterday, caused Judge Dennis E. Sullivan to grant her a divorce and included judicial approval of an agreement between the couple by which Mrs Dorsey will receive increasing alimony as her former husband’s income increases.
Married 30 Years Ago.
The couple were married Dec. 8, 1892, and separated in April 1914, when Dr. Dorsey left Chicago as a member of a Field museum research expedition. He later settled in New York.
"When he came back," testified Mrs. Dorsey, "he stayed in New York and refused to come back to his home and Chicago. He became interested in his writing, and he wanted his freedom in order to write and have a career.
"We are not asking alimony," said Attorney Willard McEwen, counsel for Mrs. Dorsey. "The doctor has no means; he is living in New York a life of — I don’t know — I suppose you would call it that of a bohemian. He writes incessantly and has a notion that some day he will strike a ‘popular chord.’
No Difference, Lawyer Says.
"There is no difference between Dr. And Mrs. Dorsey, but he is possessed with the idea that in order to do this work he must be independent of domestic entanglements."
Under terms of the alimony agreement, Mrs. Dorsey will receive $50 monthly alimony, provided the doctor’s income approximates $3,000 annually. Should his income be increased to $6,000 yearly, Dr. Dorsey will pay his wife $100 monthly, and $150 should he receive $10,000.
Formerly with Universities
Dr. Dorsey, formerly a member of the faculty of both Northwestern university and the University of Chicago, is a member of the Chicago University club and the Cliff Dwellers, as well as numerous European and American scientific associations.
