William Levitt was the man who basically invented the American dream, or at least the version of it with a white picket fence and a manicured lawn. He built Levittown, changed the face of Long Island, and became one of the richest men in the world. But if you look into his later years, the story turns into a bit of a soap opera. People often search for the william levitt trophy wife because his third marriage to Simone Korchin (often referred to as Simone Moore) became a symbol of his transition from a hard-working industrialist to a man who perhaps lost his way in a sea of yachts and emeralds.
The narrative of the "trophy wife" isn't just gossip; it was actually a key part of a very famous (and weird) speech given by Donald Trump at West Point. But before we get to the politics, let's look at who Simone actually was and how this marriage fits into the rise and fall of the Levitt empire.
The Woman Behind "La Belle Simone"
In 1969, William Levitt divorced his second wife, Alice Kenny. He didn't stay single for long. That same year, he married Simone Korchin. She was elegant, French, and significantly younger than him. For a man who was already living a high-profile life, Simone represented a new level of opulence.
Levitt was so enamored that he named his massive, 250-foot superyacht La Belle Simone after her. This wasn't just a boat; it was a floating palace that cost millions to maintain. This era of Levitt's life was defined by extreme luxury: a 30-room mansion in Mill Neck called "La Colline," private jets, and a jewelry collection for Simone that would make a museum jealous.
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One specific incident in 1975 really highlights the kind of life they were leading. The couple was staying at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas for a tennis tournament. Simone had brought along a 24-carat diamond engagement ring, sapphire necklaces, and earrings—totaling over $1.3 million in 1970s money. While they were sleeping, someone broke into their room and cleaned them out. They eventually sued the hotel, but the case dragged on for years, showing just how much their lives revolved around high-stakes glitz.
Why People Call Her a Trophy Wife
The term "trophy wife" gets thrown around a lot, but in Levitt's case, it became a cautionary tale for other businessmen. The idea was that Levitt, after selling his company to ITT for $92 million in stock, had nothing left to do but spend money and show off his new, beautiful wife.
- The Age Gap: Simone was much younger, which fit the classic stereotype.
- The Lifestyle Shift: Levitt went from building houses for the working class to living like European royalty.
- The Financial Drain: Critics often point to the lavish spending during this marriage as a contributor to his eventual bankruptcy.
Honestly, it’s a bit unfair to put all the blame on Simone. Levitt was a grown man who made his own choices. However, the optics were tough. While he was struggling with failed business ventures in Iran and Venezuela, he was still trying to maintain the "La Belle Simone" lifestyle. It was a recipe for disaster.
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The Donald Trump Connection
You might wonder why a real estate developer from the 1950s is still being talked about in the context of trophy wives today. In 2020, during a commencement speech at West Point, Donald Trump went on a long tangent about William Levitt.
He told the graduates a story about how Levitt sold his company, got "bored," and then "married a woman who was very beautiful, but she was a trophy wife." Trump’s point was that once Levitt stopped working and started focusing on the socialite life, he lost his edge and eventually lost his fortune. It was a bizarre moment for a graduation ceremony, but it cemented the william levitt trophy wife trope in the modern digital consciousness.
Trump’s version of the story was a bit of a "business moral" tale: don't quit, don't get distracted by the glitz, and stay in the game.
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The Sad End of the Levitt Legacy
The end of the story isn't pretty. By the late 1980s, the money was gone. Levitt was accused of misappropriating millions of dollars from his family's charitable foundation to cover his own business losses and personal expenses. He was ordered to pay back $11 million, but he was broke.
When he died in 1994, the "King of Suburbia" was living in a relatively modest house, a far cry from the mansion and the yacht. Simone stayed with him through the downfall, which suggests their relationship was more than just the "trophy" label people applied to it.
What We Can Learn From the Levitt Story
If you're looking at the life of William Levitt and his third marriage, there are a few real-world takeaways that go beyond tabloid gossip.
- Identity and Work: Levitt's biggest mistake wasn't necessarily his marriage, but his inability to handle life after he sold his primary business. For many high-achievers, losing their "mission" leads to erratic personal decisions.
- The Danger of Over-Leveraging: He spent money like the ITT stock would stay high forever. It didn't.
- Optics Matter: In business, how you spend your money tells a story to your investors and the public. Levitt’s transition from "man of the people" to "yacht owner with a French socialite wife" made it much harder for people to sympathize with him when things went south.
The saga of William Levitt and Simone is a classic American tragedy of excess. It’s a reminder that building an empire is hard, but keeping it—and yourself—intact is often the harder battle.
To understand the full scope of Levitt's impact, you should look into the history of restrictive covenants in his early developments. While his personal life was a whirlwind of yachts and diamonds, his professional legacy is deeply tied to the racial segregation of the American suburbs, a topic that carries even more weight than his choice of a third spouse.