Claire Merrit Hodgson Ruth was a famous actress who came into the limelight as Babe Ruth’s wife. Claire was born on September 11, 1900, and she died on October 25, 1976. She was a native of Athens, Georgia, and came into the limelight as the second wife to Babe Ruth, a famous baseball star.
Biography
Claire Ruth was the wife of Frank Hodgson, who died on February 16, 1921, leaving Ruth with a daughter, Julia. Two years later, she met Ruth who was still married to Helen Woodford, his first wife.
Claire and Babe did not begin a formal relationship until when his wife died in a housefire in January 1929. Claire went on to remain married to Ruth until he died in 1948. Claire came into the limelight for family affairs which made her famous.
In later years, she talked of the strained relationship between her husband and Lou Gehring. Ruth claimed that Gehring’s mother indicated that Ruth’s adopted daughter Dorothy was not as well dressed as her daughter Julia. After Ruth heard the news, she was so angry that she demanded her husband never speak to Lou again.
Later Ruth apologized, citing that she had overreacted, although it strained the relationship for many years.
Personal Life
Ruth was a quiet lady who enjoyed the limelight because of her husband’s career. Ruth became particularly famous after it was revealed that she had a hand in the strained relationship between her husband and Lou Gehring.
Ruth’s overreaction regarding Lou’s mother’s gossip made Ruth angry that he demanded her husband never speak to Lou unless in the ballfield.
Claire lived long enough to see two of her husband’s records get broken. Ruth’s record of single-season record of 60 home runs was broken by Rogers Maris in 1961. He also recorded a record of 714 home runs, which was broken by Hank Aaron in 1974.
Ruth’s life was portrayed in a 1991 TV movie The Babe Ruth Story where she was portrayed by Lisa Zane. Ruth was buried next to her husband at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.
Who was Ruth Babe?
Ruth Babe was an American professional baseball player who made a name for himself by setting numerous records. At the time of Ruth’s death, he had a net worth of $800,000 which equated to $9 million due to inflation changes.
Babe played for 22 seasons from 1914 to 1935 upon which he set numerous MLB records. He is considered one of the greatest baseball players in history. Moreover, he came into the limelight for his off-field incidents, drinking, and womanizing.
Ruth’s Babe Personal Life and Death
Ruth married his first wife Helen Woodford when they were both teenagers. The couple married in 1914, and they adopted a daughter named Dorothy before they separated in 1925. After his ex-wife died in a house fire, Ruth married actress Claire Merrit Ruth. Besides remaining married to Ruth until his death, he came into the limelight for womanizing and heavy drinking.
Ruth died at the age of 53 due to illnesses. He had been diagnosed with nasopharyngeal which worsened after a year.
