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When a 15-year-old bride and a 51-year-old groom shocked Midwest sensibilities

On April 10, 1926, 15-year-old Frances 'Peaches' Heenan married 51-year-old real estate developer Edward 'Daddy' Browning after a 37-day courtship that captivated the American public.
Seeking a companion for his daughter, Dorothy 'Sunshine' Browning, Browning placed tabloid advertisements requesting a 'pretty and refined girl' no older than 14 to become her companion.
Reporters documented the courtship as Browning showered Heenan with 200 bunches of flowers, 60 dresses, and 179 coats, an early media circus with more than 40 reporters filing updates.
Authorities, including the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, investigated the marriage, concerned the 36-year age gap and rapid courtship aimed to avoid intervention.
Contemporary readers of The Fargo Forum were often more uneasy than enchanted by the fairy tale, even as historian Michael M. Greenburg later noted the scandal captured the American public's imagination.

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When a 15-year-old bride and a 51-year-old groom shocked Midwest sensibilities

FARGO — On the morning of April 15, 1926, readers of The Fargo Forum awoke to read stories on the front page that made sense: A new farm bill was expected to pass soon in Washington, Fargo was set to host a Sons of Norway gathering, while Grand Forks was welcoming Rotarians. Then there was that headline toward the top of the page: “Fairy Palace of New Cinderella Story.” Below it was a photo of a grand New York home with a well-dressed couple sta…

8 days ago·Fargo, United States

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