Andrew may be Manchester’s most famous Cordier, but the diplomat’s daughter, Louise, now retired in Florida, has had a fascinating life of her own as a model, actress, banker and real estate broker.
Louise lived her first 12 years in North Manchester and describes it as a safe place where she was free to wander and talk with anyone she wished. “Manchester gave me a security that led me happily in all my travels,” she reflects. Her family roots run deep. In 1836, Louise’s great-grandmother, Phoebe Ann (Harter) Butterbaugh, was the first white child born in North Manchester. In 1924, Phoebe’s granddaughter, Dorothy Butterbaugh, married Andrew Cordier and the couple accepted teaching positions at Manchester College, their alma mater.
Louise never attended the College as a student, but if campus theatrical productions “needed a little shrimp,” she says, “they would borrow me.” She took the performances seriously. Once, still a small child, Louise made her own dental appointment so she could display clean teeth on stage.
In 1944, Louise’s father took a job at the State Department in Washington, D.C., and the family, which included Louise and her older brother, Lowell, left North Manchester. The Cordiers moved to Long Island, N.Y., a few years later when Andrew became executive assistant to the secretary general of the United Nations.
Louise longed to attend acting school in New York City, but encountered reluctant parents. “Dad used to make bargains with me,” says Louise. “He said he would let me go to acting school in New York on Saturdays, if I would help out in Sunday school class.” Another time, “Dad said I could go if I didn’t join the sorority.” He “didn’t want me to be tied down to a little clique of people.”
Finally, Andrew said that Louise needed to find an occupation through which she could make a living. Following a friend’s lead, Louise became a model in New York City. Technically, her father could not complain because Louise was making more money modeling than Andrew was making at the UN.
Louise’s acting career was an overnight success. Soon she was on Broadway alongside Tom Ewell in The Seven Year Itch, starring in the role Marilyn Monroe played in the movie version.
Besides acting, Louise loved fast cars. She fell in love with Peter Collins, an English Grand Prix driver, married him after a seven-day courtship, and moved to Italy. A year and a half later in 1958, Collins crashed his Ferrari in the German Grand Prix and died on the way to the hospital. Heartbroken but resilient, Louise returned to acting, touring with Peter Ustinov in Romanoff and Juliet. She launched a television career in England and appeared on the panel of the British version of What’s My Line?
Cast as “Girl of the Week” on the Today show, a spot for models, she ended up staying for six months. When Barbara Walters was still a writer for the program, Louise co-hosted Today in 1962 with Frank Blair and John Chancellor.
- Louise Cordier in The Seven Year Itch at Fulton Theatre
- Andrew and Louise Cordier on Manchester campus
- Andrew, Lowell and Louise Cordier
- Lowell and Louise Cordier
- Louise with Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe
- Louise and Peter Collins
- L to R: Ralph Bunche, Dorothy Cordier, Louise Cordier, Andrew Cordier, Dag Hammarskjöld