Gloria Swanson's son

[Pogdaddle]

On July 9, 1975, Gloria Swanson's adopted son, Joseph Patrick Swanson,
died in a motel not far from where I live. I recently found the news
item in the microfilm archives at a local library. the text is pasted
following my final query. Can I post an attached JPEG of the article to
this group?

Can anyone tell me the results of the autopsy?

Swanson had a long affair with Kennedy patriarch, Joseph Patrick Kennedy
and isn't "adopted" a Hollywood euphonism for born-out-of-wedlock?

For your trivia file, Danvers Massachusetts was originally named Salem
Village and was the location of the first of the Salem Witch Trials, in
1692. The citizens opted to change the name after the hysteria was over.
Also, famed Rte. 1 strip joint, the Golden Banana, is about 3/4 mile
south of the motel mentioned in the news article.
Anyone know where (half) brother, Ted was on the hot summer night in
question??

Thanks for any info

Pogdaddle

Beverly Times (No longer published)
July 10,1975

In Danvers motel
Actress' son found dead

DANVERS - The 51-year-old son of famed actress Gloria Swanson was found
dead In his room at the Village Green Motor Ion on Route I in Danvers
yesterday afternoon.

The body of Joseph Patrick Swanson, 51, of 230 Corte Madera Rd.,
Portola Valley, California was found by housekeeper Edith McIntire at
1:06p.m. yesterday.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Hunt Memorial Hospital. The
cause of death has not been determined yet. An autopsy is to be
performed at 11:45 a.m. this morning Police said they do not suspect
foul play.

It was reported that the housekeeper was going to take care of his room
on Tuesday and called to make sure he would be out. Swanson answered the
telephone reportedly, mumbling words which she did not understand. So
the housekeeper decided to do his room Wednesday.

McIntire entered Swanson's room yesterday and called to see if he was
in. She then saw his body lying on the bathroom floor of the motel room
and notified the manager, Ernest Tremblay, Jr.

Tremblay then reported the incident to Danvers and state police.

Lt. Edmund Noonan, Sgt. Roger Cyr, and Officer Walter Roberts
investigated for Danvers Police. The body was then taken to the Hunt
Memorial Hospital.

Swanson was in Danvers as a consultant and electrical engineer for the
Bates Linear Project, an atomic energy research center operated by MIT
at the old Essex County Sanitarium In Middleton.

He is survived by his wife, Susan (Evans), of California. No other
information was available this morning.

Swanson's body is to be sent to California, where funeral services will
take place.

[Heinz W. Wiggeshoff]

Pogdaddle (pad...@puddle.net) writes:
> On July 9, 1975, Gloria Swanson's adopted son, Joseph Patrick Swanson,
> died in a motel not far from where I live. I recently found the news
> item in the microfilm archives at a local library. the text is pasted
> following my final query.

...

....

>
> Swanson was in Danvers as a consultant and electrical engineer for the
> Bates Linear Project, an atomic energy research center operated by MIT
> at the old Essex County Sanitarium In Middleton.

...

Now there's a good starting point for an X-files plot! In fact,
it could be a Halloween movie if production starts soon.

[Brad Ferguson]

In article <paddlin-3570D2...@lrnws01.ne.mediaone.net>,
Pogdaddle <pad...@puddle.net> wrote:

> Can I post an attached JPEG of the article to
> this group?

JPGs are supposed to be posted to binaries groups (which this one
isn't). What you might do is post the JPG to alt.binaries.joker, which
is a catch-all for binaries, and then tell us it's been posted over
there. Those who are interested can go get it.

Thanks very much for asking, Pog.

[Mary]

"Pogdaddle" <pad...@puddle.net> wrote in message
news:paddlin-3570D2...@lrnws01.ne.mediaone.net...

Gloria Swanson became pregnant by Joe Kennedy but he forced her to have an
abortion. She had many husbands and I don't know when she ended her
"association" with Kennedy. It's an interesting idea that she might have
had Kennedy's child. Hope someone comes up with some other facts.

[Pogdaddle]

Who knows what livliness lurks in the mind of Brad Ferguson - and where
- if there a where be.

See you around, Brad.

POG

[Philip]

Joseph was adopted by Gloria Swanson after the breakup of her second
marriage and before her third. She did not meet Joe Kennedy until after her
marriage to her third husband, so no, he was not the illegitimate son of JK.

According to her autobiography, she adopted Joseph after going through a
number of agencies, most of whom were reluctant to allow her to adopt as she
was separated from her husband. She may have been covering up the truth,
but as she wrote the book after Joseph's death, and goes into some detail
about her abortions, affairs etc, it seems likely he really was adopted.

"Pogdaddle" <pad...@puddle.net> wrote in message
news:paddlin-3570D2...@lrnws01.ne.mediaone.net...

[frank...@gmail.com]

I just finished reading her autobiography and it was as if Joseph no longer existed. She talks about her daughter's, grand and great grandchildren. But nothing about Joseph. I was digging around wondering what happened to him and found this site. Odd that she just "forgot" about him.

[joe.g...@noaa.gov]

Joseph was actually a talented engineer. He designed the 430 MHz ionospheric transmitter at the Arecibo Observatory (www.naic.edu). It is still in use today, pumping out 2.5MW of power into the ionosphere. At Arecibo among the engineers there was talk about him being JKF's half brother. His bearing the same first and second name as JKF's dad probably lend credibility to that thought. I had heard he killed himself. Sometimes working on that behemoth of a transmitter I could see why!

[plang...@gmail.com]

You evidently didn't read swanson on swanson the book she wrote because he was mentioned many times within and 518 about his death too soon.

[joe.g...@noaa.gov]

On Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 4:09:55 AM UTC-4, plang...@gmail.com wrote:
> You evidently didn't read swanson on swanson the book she wrote because he was mentioned many times within and 518 about his death too soon.

No I did not read it. Did not know it even existed. Fill us in on what she said about him and his death!

[cathyc...@aol.com]

Try reading the book.

[MJ Emigh]

On Friday, November 6, 2015 at 9:42:57 AM UTC-6, joe.g...@noaa.gov wrote:
> No I did not read it. Did not know it even existed. Fill us in on what she said

It's worth tracking down a copy. You can find them for next to nothing on the secondary market (you know about Amazon, right?), but has been out of print for decades. I really enjoyed it, but I'm a big fan of early cinema. Your mileage may vary.

[shagg...@gmail.com]

Then why name her son after a man she hadn't even met yet, she changed her son's name at the time of the adoption 1923. It's possible the two had a one night fling before 1923 and then in 1927 the fling became an affair. Joe K. was a one night stand man, having an affair meant he was in love with Gloria.

[janeth...@gmail.com]

According to Swanson on Swanson, she named her adopted son, Joseph, for her FATHER Joseph. It is a good book. Worth reading instead of guessing about her son's paternity.

[Gregory H.]

On Sunday, February 4, 2018 at 9:52:08 PM UTC-5, janeth...@gmail.com wrote:
> According to Swanson on Swanson, she named her adopted son, Joseph, for her FATHER Joseph. It is a good book. Worth reading instead of guessing about her son's paternity.

Swanson adopted Joseph as a single mother after her second divorce, and named him after her recently deceased father. Several years later, during her affair with him, Joseph Kennedy was horrified to learn that the child had never been baptized. Gloria relented, and when the boy was finally baptized Gloria at that time gave him the middle name Patrick in honor of Kennedy. She explains all this in her book.