Golden Clan is a term with two primary established meanings: (1) the English translation of the Mongolian "Altan Urugh" (Алтан ураг), referring to the imperial lineage of Genghis Khan and his descendants; and (2) a 1977 non-fiction book by John Corry about a wealthy Irish-American family, and by extension, a descriptor for elite Irish Catholic families in the United States.
1. Mongol Imperial Lineage (Altan Urugh)
In Mongolian, "Altan" means "gold" and "Urugh" means "descendants" or "seed." The Golden Clan (also called the Golden Family) denotes the Khiyan tribe's Borjigin clan to which Genghis Khan belonged, along with his direct descendants. This included branches such as the Jurkin and Tayichiud clans. The Golden Clan was regarded as the ruling core of the Mongol Empire. All Khans of the Mongol tribes were expected to originate from this lineage, which held the status of being divinely sanctioned to rule. Genghis Khan apportioned domains to his sons and brothers, establishing uluses such as the Golden Horde, the Ögedei Khanate, the Chagatai Khanate, and the Ilkhanate. During the Mongol-Yuan period, members of the family were granted princely titles and enjoyed annual stipends. After the fall of the Yuan dynasty, the Golden Clan retreated north of the Gobi Desert (Mobei). Though they gradually lost de facto power, they continued to be invoked as a symbol of legitimacy, and descendants were often installed as figurehead khans by powerful feudal lords of other clans.
2. American Irish-Catholic Aristocracy (Book and Social Group)
Golden Clan is also the title of a 1977 non-fiction book by journalist John Corry, published by Houghton Mifflin. The book is an account of the Murray and McDonnell families of New York, who were the children and grandchildren of inventor Thomas E. Murray, an associate of Thomas Edison. Due to their wealth, social prominence, and large size (one branch had 14 children, another had 11), they were frequently covered in New York society news, particularly by Hearst gossip columnist "Cholly Knickerbocker." Public interest increased when one McDonnell married Henry Ford II and a Murray cousin married Alfred G. Vanderbilt II. The family's prominence faded after the collapse of the family brokerage firm McDonnell & Co. in 1970.
The term "Golden Clans" (plural) has also been used in print to refer more broadly to several other wealthy Irish Catholic families in America, including the descendants of Thomas Fortune Ryan, the Grace family (grandchildren of William R. Grace), and the Murphy family (of Mark Cross Leather Goods). These families were concentrated in neighborhoods on Park Avenue north of 79th Street in New York City, an area sometimes called the "Irish Gold Coast." Many sent their sons to Portsmouth Abbey School or Canterbury School and then to Georgetown University, and their daughters to Convent of the Sacred Heart schools and Manhattanville College.
