Early frames of a life
I begin with a picture of a young girl departing Dublin in 1926, a suitcase, and a name that will be remembered for years to come. In May 1912, Rita Hetty Rosenberg was born in Dublin. In 1926, she immigrated to the US as a teenager. Rita Hetty Rosenberg, Rita Benson, and Rita H. Lipton were among the names that changed around her like shifting light. I follow those names because they signify a person’s transition from one nation and identity to another.
The facts are brief but informative. Rita first appears in U.S. immigration and naturalization records in the 1930s using variations of her birth name, then the Benson surname. She wed Harold Lipton in 1941. Her family would become well-known through their offspring and grandkids as a result of that marriage.
Family and relationships – an introduction to each member
I introduce the family in generational order, briefly and with the clarity of a ledger.
- Hyman Rosenberg – recorded as Rita’s father. He is part of the Irish-Jewish roots from which Rita came. His presence in documents frames Rita’s origins.
- Ginny / Jenny (Jeanie) Benson – recorded as Rita’s mother in family notes. She features in the family story of name, culture, and migration.
- Rita Hetty Benson Lipton (1912 – 1986) – the subject. Born in Dublin, emigrant to the United States in 1926, an artist, a local arts columnist, and a community instructor. Married Harold Lipton in 1941. Mother of three.
- Harold Lipton (born Harold Arlen Lipschitz, 1911 – 1999) – Rita’s husband. A lawyer and businessman who built a professional life in mid 20th century America. The family name Lipton is associated with legal training and later business pursuits.
- Robert Lipton – one of Rita and Harold’s children. He appears in family listings and is identified as a sibling of Peggy.
- Peggy Lipton (Margaret Ann Lipton, 1946 – 2019) – Rita’s daughter and the family member who became a national figure as an actress and model. Peggy’s public life put the family into the cultural spotlight and later prompted interest in her parental roots.
- Kenneth Lipton – another of Rita’s sons. He appears in family and obituary records as part of the sibling group.
- Kidada Jones – granddaughter through Peggy; a creative professional whose career and public presence continue the family’s visibility across industries.
- Rashida Jones – granddaughter through Peggy; an actress, writer, and producer who has publicly explored her maternal grandmother’s past and has helped bring attention to Rita’s origins.
- Isaiah Jones Koenig (born 2018) – great-grandchild via Rashida Jones. His presence completes the multi-generational arc that began in Dublin in 1912.
Career, craft, and public life
I saw Rita more as an artist who works with paint and in the community than as a wife or mother. Under the signature Rita Lipton, her name can be found on paintings that galleries and auction websites provide. These market traces are brief biographical statements about a person who created beautiful products and worked locally as an instructor in Long Island community workshops and as an arts columnist for the Nassau Herald.
The career reads like a little portfolio. She was a painter. She instructed. For a local audience, she wrote on art. Later on, her artwork appeared in exhibition listings and private collections. A clear fingerprint of an artist whose practice migrated from the studio to the newspaper and then to the classroom may be found in that tiny public record.
Financial context and public standing
I must be careful with money. There is no direct public ledger for Rita’s personal net worth. Financial context appears indirectly through family: her husband Harold had a legal education and later business interests that placed the family in a comfortable social bracket. Beyond that, Rita’s value shows in exhibitions, local respect, and the continuing market for works bearing her name.
A compact timeline
| Year or Date | Event |
|---|---|
| May 1912 | Rita Hetty Rosenberg born in Dublin, Ireland. |
| 1926 | Emigrated to the United States as a teenager. |
| 1936 | Appears in U.S. Declaration of Intention records. |
| 1939 (circa) | Records show the Benson surname in naturalization documents. |
| 1941 | Married Harold Lipton. |
| 1943 | Son Robert Lipton born (approximate family date). |
| 1946 | Daughter Peggy Lipton born. |
| 1948 | Son Kenneth Lipton born (approximate family date). |
| c.1960 | Active as an art columnist and community instructor on Long Island. |
| 1964 | Family relocation to Los Angeles noted in family histories. |
| 1986 | Rita Hetty Benson Lipton recorded as deceased. |
| 2010s – 2020s | Granddaughter Rashida Jones researches and publicizes aspects of Rita’s Irish-Jewish past. |
| 2018 | Great-grandson Isaiah Jones Koenig born. |
This table reads like a set of signposts. Each date is a hinge.
Recent mentions and the ripple of memory
I watch memory work its way forward. In recent years Rita’s life has been revisited by family members and in genealogical interest. Her granddaughter Rashida Jones pursued threads of a family story that started in Dublin and moved through New York. This renewed attention highlighted the immigrant arc, the name changes, and the hidden pieces of a family puzzle. Gallery postings, auction catalogs, and local history writers have also preserved the trace of Rita’s work in the world.
The family as weave and echo
If a family is a tapestry, Rita is one of the warp threads. Her choices, her art, and her migration shaped the cloth that later generations saw and wore. Peggy’s public life and the careers of Kidada and Rashida are visible weft crossing that warp. I think of migration as an old map sketched over a face – you can still see the coastline, but the lines have new names.
FAQ
Who was Rita Hetty Benson Lipton?
I would describe her as an Irish-born artist and community figure who emigrated to the United States in 1926, was known under several names, married Harold Lipton in 1941, and raised three children including actress Peggy Lipton. Her work as a painter, teacher, and local arts columnist anchors her public identity.
What were the major dates in Rita’s life?
She was born in May 1912, emigrated in 1926, appears in U.S. naturalization paperwork in the 1930s, married in 1941, had children in the 1940s, was active in local art circles around 1960, and is recorded as dying in 1986.
What is known about her parents?
Documents record her father as Hyman Rosenberg and her mother as Ginny or Jenny Benson. These names place Rita in an Irish-Jewish family context before emigration.
Who are Rita’s children and grandchildren?
Her children include Robert Lipton, Peggy Lipton (1946 – 2019), and Kenneth Lipton. Grandchildren through Peggy include Kidada Jones and Rashida Jones. A great-grandchild is Isaiah Jones Koenig, born in 2018.
What did Rita do for a living?
Rita painted, taught art workshops, and wrote an arts column for a local newspaper. Her paintings appear in gallery and auction listings under the name Rita Lipton.
Are there works by Rita on the market today?
I see paintings attributed to her appear in gallery listings and auction records. Her works circulate in private sales and occasionally surface in online market platforms.
Did the family move during Peggy’s life?
Yes. The family lived on Long Island and later moved to Los Angeles in the mid 1960s, a move that coincided with the rising entertainment career of Peggy.
Why has Rita become of interest recently?
Interest renewed when her granddaughter Rashida Jones explored the family history and publicized aspects of Rita’s Irish-Jewish origin story. That exploration prompted articles, interviews, and genealogical curiosity that brought Rita’s life back into view.
