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| Gravestone of Clara Bedell & family |
Clara Bedell was a well-known madame in San Francisco in the latter part of the 19th century. She went by the name Carrie McLay, but was best known as “Diamond Carrie.” Her nickname apparently came from her penchant for owning beautiful jewels, especially diamonds.
Bedell was a native of Silvercreek Mills, Iowa, and was born into a family of farmers. It’s unclear exactly when her family arrived in California, but records show that she ran her business for at least ten years, and the family appears in the 1880 city directory.
Diamond Carrie’s “house of ill-repute” was located at what is now the site of the Prada store near Union Square on Post Street in downtown San Francisco. She would have been one of the highest-paid women in San Francisco, as well as one who enjoyed freedoms that most other women did not—ownership of property, control over her personal life, and the ability to move across social and racial boundaries in ways uncommon for the time. Twenty years after her death, the average prostitute in the West made around $50 per week—more than double what the average male skilled laborer earned and triple the wages of most working women. Newspaper accounts described her as a woman of “considerable executive ability.”
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| San Francisco around the time "Diamond Carrie" ran her business |
Shortly before her death, she discovered the body of a 29-year-old man, Beauregard McMullin of Fresno, the son of a well-known Northern California family. A month later, in the same building, “Diamond Carrie” herself was found dead in her room by her housekeeper. Apparently unable to sleep, she had mixed opium with wine and overdosed. Witnesses said she had been drinking champagne throughout the day.
Her estate was valued at between $19,000 and $25,000—though some contemporary accounts suggested it could have approached $50,000—a substantial sum for the time, particularly for a woman operating outside conventional society. In modern terms, that range would be roughly $650,000 to over $1.7 million today, depending on the measure used. By any standard, this level of wealth would have placed her not only among the highest-earning women in San Francisco, but ahead of most men as well. It included real property, personal effects, and a significant collection of jewelry. In her will, she made provisions for family members and left gifts to her “China boys,” reflecting both personal loyalties and the diverse world in which she lived.
In death, however, her estate became the subject of controversy. Her will was contested, and a bitter dispute arose between her parents over its control and interpretation. Contemporary accounts describe a conflict not simply over money, but over authority and recognition—each parent asserting competing claims to her estate and legacy. The legal wrangling underscored how precarious such fortunes could be, particularly for women whose wealth had been accumulated outside traditional social structures.
Three years after her death, Bedell was again in the news when her name appeared as the beneficiary of a $10,000 life insurance policy held by Judge R. S. Mesick. That policy, like her will, was contested—ensuring that “Diamond Carrie” remained a figure of intrigue even after her passing.
Sources: The San Francisco Call Bulletin, San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle
