Louise Olga Gaylord Dillingham

Louise Olga Gaylord Dillingham American socialite, community civic leader, and philanthropist in the Territory of Hawaii. She was the daughter of Chicago banker Henry George Gaylord, and was married to Honolulu industrialist Walter F. Dillingham.

Life and career

Louise Olga Gaylord was born November 3, 1885, in Chicago. Her parents were Elizabeth “Bessie”, and Henry George Gaylord. She was three years old when her father died, which left her with an inheritance. She attended Miss Spence's School in New York City.
She married Walter Francis Dillingham in Florence, Italy in 1910, and together they had four children. The family lived at La Pietra, an Italian villa–styled house near Diamond Head.
Dillingham supported agricultural efforts at Allandale Farm in Hawaii, and led community campaigns to plant “war gardens” during World War I. She did charity work with the Palama Settlement in Honolulu. She was one of the early founders of the League of Women Voters of Hawaii.
Their son Henry Gaylord Dillingham, was in the U.S. military during World War II and died in active duty in Kawasaki, Japan. In 1948, the Dillingham Airfield near Mokulēʻia, Hawaii was named in their son's honor.
Her husband died on October 22, 1963. Dillingham died shortly after on January 28, 1964, in Mallorca while on vacation.