It took a heavy toll physically and emotionally. . His team included Louis Howe, Frances Perkins, Sam Rosenman, and of course Missy. [citation needed], Following Roosevelt's death, his administration concealed from the press the fact that Rutherfurd had been present during his death, fearing the scandal that would ensue. After her husband's death in 1944, when the two began seeing each other more occasionally, Rutherfurd also arranged for her friend Elizabeth Shoumatoff (18881980), a well-known artist, to paint Roosevelt's portrait.[32]. She showed no hesitation in using the sliding door to come and go as she pleased. From Nazi saboteurs washing up near Marthas vacation home, to secretary Missy LeHands collapse and the press implying the President and Princess were an item, theres a ton of drama in Episode 6 of Atlantic Crossing. Most historians date Lucy Mercers first visit to the White House, under her Secret Service code name of Mrs. Johnson, to August 1941. Week after week I saw Martha get off the train wearing high heels and black silk stockings. Per Hazel Rowley's "Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage," the four-time first lady went so far as to tell her grown daughter, Anna Roosevelt Halsted, that sex was "an ordeal to be borne.". Her descendants speak of the insouciance with which she met early hardship. Fact or Fiction: FDR's private secretary Missy LeHand suffered a sudden collapse at a White House dinner. In the 1950s and 1960s she was the fearless, indefatigable, right-minded woman every girl who knew there was more to life than cheerleading wanted to emulate. Throughout his life, Franklin Roosevelt was surrounded by remarkable women. The Quaker was Malcolm R. Lovell, a double agent who worked closely with German diplomat Hans Thomsen. She told a friend she had burned FDRs letters, though I do not believe that for a moment. Then it would revert back to Eleanor. A Vermont Farmer Preserved the Worlds Most Ephemeral Art for Posterity. Roosevelts: Relationship of a Political Power For 21 years, Marguerite LeHand was Franklin Delano Roosevelts secretary, nurse, cheerleader, adviser and possibly lover. FDR flattered and flirted with them all, but it was Lucy for whom he had almost left his wife before he had polio, and Lucy whom the White House operators were instructed to put through no matter when she called, and Lucy whom he was with when he succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage on that clement April afternoon in Warm Springs. WebWidely considered the first female presidential chief of staff, Marguerite Missy LeHand was the right-hand woman to Franklin Delano Rooseveltboth personally and Eleanor Roosevelt, born in 1884, had the more difficult time of it. The Roosevelts' son James later described the state of the marriage after the incident as "an armed truce that endured until the day he died. FDR's affinity for the company of women was always well known and some historians dispute stories of his alleged affairs, saying his friendships never grew to become romances. One of many women: Franklin D. Roosevelt was said to have carried on a 20-year affair with his secretary, Marguerite 'Missy' LeHand. Their relationship was a complicated one, marked by numerous episodes of hardship and heartbreak until Franklin's death in 1945. Anna Roosevelt, Franklin and Eleanor's only daughter, played hostess at these dinners, and other members of the Roosevelt and Delano families were aware of the clandestine rendezvous. This was in part a matter of logistics; some of these trips were to do with Franklin's rehabilitation from polio, while Eleanor had the family to look after. He replied that it had. The letters of Lorena Hickok, the AP reporter who became a government worker when her closeness to the White House compromised her professional objectivity, reveal a burning, and for a while reciprocated, passion for ER. He left the table to answer the letter. After two decades of cruising the Florida waters and sharing a Warm Springs cottage with FDR, sitting by his side as he sorted his stamps when she knew he needed silence, and arranging impromptu dinners and late-night poker games when she sensed hed like company, Missy, who was only 43, had suffered a stroke the night beforebrought on, some said, by her effort to keep up with FDR. She had emerged from a tragic, if gilded, childhood to embrace the underdog, speak up for the disenfranchised, and battle tirelessly for human dignity. 'The bottom dropped out of my world,' she later said. The Presidents official schedule for June 5, 1941, reads in part: "1130: To Marguerite A. LeHands apartment, "1555-1740: Returned from Office to Study White House accompanied by Mrs. Johnson, "1740: To Marguerite A. LeHands apartment. That was a given. And while she clearly had her favorites, she was widely respected for her fairness and devotion to the presidents needs. He bought an old boat with his friend John Lawrence and christened it the Larooco (Lawrence, Roosevelt Co.) and in the winter of 1924, FDR, Missy, and Leroy set sail for the warm Caribbean waters near Florida. After his reelection in 1930 he became the most activist governor in the country. hbspt.enqueueForm({ The Grace Tully Collection Please support this 72-year tradition of trusted historical writing and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to American Heritage. During World War II, this couple of 40 years sometimes couldn't manage a conversation except through secretaries. The wife of his aide Edwin ("Pa") Watson called him the loneliest man in the world. In 1943 FDR told his distant cousin and close companion Margaret Suckley, Im either Exhibit A or left completely alone.. It rotted in the basement. The series creators/writers reveal whats real history and whats not. FDR and Marshall had to build a fighting force able to take on the Nazis, against the wishes of many in Congress. I knew her father had died of alcoholism, and her uncles had drunkenly fired hunting rifles at her from the windows of her grandmothers house. By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. Besides such material concerns, Rowley believes that Franklin still genuinely loved Eleanor. Their marriage may have been a failure, but their partnership was a triumph. She did such a good job that when FDR was hired to be a vice president for the Fidelity and Deposit Company he asked her to become his full time secretary. Yet he often dined on Mrs. Nesbitts inedible food off a solitary tray in his study. At the time, Theodore Roosevelt was still president of the United States and at the height of his popularity. Once againEleanor did not care for the informal lifestyle and poverty stricken countryside, so Missy became thehostess for FDRs Warm Springs home. Missy lived in the Governors Mansion with the Roosevelts, and was part of the family in every way. But in 1960, when ER refused to come to the telephone because she suspected the caller wanted something from her, her surprised secretary asked if she didnt believe people could like her for herself. Mercer stayed in FDR's life until his death in 1945, and she was with him when he took his last breaths, even though she eventually married another man. I can forgive, but never forget. Though he didnt mind others uneasiness, his need to charm was so great that he hated saying no to people. Two weeks after the June collapse, LeHand suffered a major stroke and was never again able to speak intelligently. The home is now a tourist attraction, Lifelong 'friend:' Lucy Mercer, pictured in the 1930s, stayed in FDR's life until his death in 1945, and she was with him when he took his last breaths, Box office: One of FDR's numerous rumored affairs will be revisited with the Dec. 7 release of 'Hyde Park on Hudson,' a film depicting his quasi-incestual affair with his distant cousin, Margaret 'Daisy' Suckley, Another affair? Sometimes, these bled into public view. Kathryn Smiths new book goes a long way to correcting the error of omission that history has made regarding Missy LeHand. The relationships were intense, the disappointments profound, the fallings-out fierce. Widely considered the firstand onlyfemale presidential chief of staff, Marguerite Missy LeHand was the right-hand woman to Franklin Delano Rooseveltboth personally and professionallyfor more than twenty years. She called the White House and her former assistant Grace Tully took a message for the President, but he did not call her back that day. [1], As a young woman, Lucy Mercer worked in a dress shop. Why the Fact that Weve Never Paid Serious Attention to Broken Circle: The Isolation of Franklin D. Roosevelt One of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's numerous rumored affairs will be revisited in the coming weeks with the release of 'Hyde Park on Hudson,' a film depicting the American president's quasi-incestual affair with his distant cousin, Margaret 'Daisy' Suckley. For her part, Eleanor Roosevelt also enjoyed the company of a woman. FDR was not the sexual rake certain historians have made him out to be, but he did subscribe to the philosophy of the E. Y. Harburg song that would appear the year after his death, When Im not near the girl I love, I love the girl Im near. Missy once said he was really incapable of a personal friendship with anyone. Some found him almost sadistic. The annual parade was a fixture of New York even then, and the festivities outside reportedly drowned out the exchange of marriage vows. His mother Sara Delano, his wife Eleanor, his Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins the first woman to be appointed to the cabinet, and his distant cousin Daisy Suckley. It was with the help of these accomplished attorneys, social workers, journalists, and activists that she found her voice and defined her causes. The context of Eleanor's attitude is worth bearing in mind. Grace performed dictation and typing, managed the President's mail, and served as primary files manager for the White House. Her personal conduct was no less inspiring; she was the embodiment of one of her husbands favorite wordsgrand. This week marks the 72nd anniversary of the death and subsequent funeral of President Franklin Roosevelt. 'I have longed to have you with me,' he wrote in one letter from a cruise to Panama. I waded through the syrupy tributes in hope of a crumb of real insight. She was also determined that he would do good. On the other hand, her son James Roosevelt (quoted by Rowley) thought that his mother may have had an affair with her young bodyguard, the New York state trooper Earl Miller. Surely the monumental demands ER made on her husband were proof of her belief in his ability to rise to them. Few political or personal marriages have been as significant to the history of America as that between Eleanor and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She was, to begin with, a researchers nightmare. But when FDR returned to New York after several months at sea he displayed marked improvements both physically and mentally. Missy LeHand, FDR's closest companion for two decades, was crippled by a stroke followed by a nervous breakdown. Schiff's biographer, Jeffrey Potter, claimed in his 1976 book, 'Men, Money and Magic: The Story of Dorothy Schiff,' that she admitted to having an affair with FDR between 1936 and 1943. Could any husband, or any other human being, have healed ERs wounds? His mother Sara Delano, his wife Eleanor, his Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins the first woman to be appointed to the cabinet, and his distant cousin Daisy Suckley. WebThe Missy LeHand Archive, comprising some 1,400 pieces, is the most important grouping of original documents still in private hands from such a central figure in FDRs political and personal life. UVA's Miller Center speculated that Sara Delano Roosevelt would likely have disapproved of any possible match for her son. He paid all of her medical bills and changed his will so that half of the proceeds of his estate would go to help support her until she died. Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd (ne Lucy Page Mercer; April 26, 1891 July 31, 1948) was an American woman who was best known for her affair with US president Franklin D. Roosevelt. A complete collection of their correspondence can be found here:The Grace Tully Collection Finding Aid. Lucy Mercer could not have destroyed words written to her by one of the greatest men that ever livedto methe greatest, as she wrote his daughter after his death. But if his need for company was prodigious, it could also be promiscuous. In doing so, he hoped to receive clemency and resume his life in America. As a young Assistant Secretary of the Navy, FDR returned home each evening to a high-minded wife who was continually reminding him that he hadnt mailed the $50 hed blithely pledged to a hospital for immigrant children or that the story he told about his conversion to woman suffrage was more vivid than accurate. After all the experts and advisers have rung in, one man must make the decision to cut the meager pensions of World War I veterans, to give Americans numbers to ensure their social security, to send abroad precious ships and arms that may soon be needed at home. She jogged into a car where the President was waiting behind the wheel. My love affair with her husband, which came later, was more personal and had to do as much with my adolescent yearnings as the great mans achievements. In a short period of time she became the most famous secretary in America. Throughout their lives together, ER never stopped casting a pall over the short cocktail hour that gave FDR enormous pleasure. I mean a contagious genius for living joyously. In the first decade of their marriage, Eleanor was pregnant five times, four within the first four years. While there has been speculation that FDR and Missy had an affair during this time, there is no evidence to support it, and her long and warm relationship with Eleanor and the children casts serious doubts on it. [36] The two women, Mercer and Shoumatoff, immediately packed and left the cottage. She spent long periods of time at the White House with him during the war years and they often visited his cottage in Hyde Park. A military tribunal later found all eight men guilty. Her presence and control were so all-encompassing that Eleanor later recalled weeping before Franklin, telling him through her tears that "I did not like to live in a house which was not in any way mine, one that I had done nothing about and which did not represent the way I wanted to live" (via Rowley's book). FDR was physically fearless, but he could be emotionally craven. This eventually became the March of Dimes Foundation which funded the research that led to a polio vaccine in 1954. Moreover, when it comes to historical cover-ups, many FDR and ER partisans would like to bury Lucy Mercer along with the inconvenient prejudices of their youth. At nearly the same hour, forty-three-year-old Marguerite A. She was dubbed FDRs Right Hand Woman and when Eleanor traveled Missy would act as the hostess for dinners and other social events. * [Contains spoilers. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelts evolving relationship with African Americans challenged her beliefs about herselfand the world she had been raised in. After discovering the relationship, she offered her husband a divorce. James realized even then what a cruel thing that was to say, but even Eleanor felt that the children were more Sara's than hers. The story of Chicago in the nineteenth century is the story of the making of America, Donald L. Miller says. As he dragged his legs back and forth between two parallel bars, or swung beneath them, or went through other agonizingly repetitious exercises, he kept up a marathon of dazzling conversation designed to distract and entertain. Throughout her life, ER blamed her early inadequacy as a mother for her childrens unhappiness and took on radio engagements, writing assignments, and other endeavors to further their careers and shore up their finances. The home was a gift from Sara (per Biography), and both residences were run by her. Their union lasted for 40 years, and Franklin and Eleanor supported each other's ambitions and ventures throughout it. The Gatekeeper: Missy LeHand, FDR, and the Untold Story In her autobiographies she admitted to a tendency, when hurt or angry, to withdraw into a punishing silenceher Griselda mood, she called it. But the woman who is perhaps least remembered but most Continue reading They brought explosives and cash and had plans that included disrupting New Yorks water supply. Born in 1882, he was the only child of James Roosevelt and Sara Delano. In June 1942, two squads of saboteursall U.S. residents who returned to Germany to serve the Reichwere dropped by U-boat on beaches in New York and Florida, respectively. In their united efforts against Sara Roosevelt's resistance to her son's marriage, they demonstrated early on their skill as a goal-oriented partnership. "[17] The incident marked a turning point in her life; disillusioned with her marriage, she became active in public life, and focused increasingly on her social work rather than her role as a wife.[18][19]. WebWidely considered the first female presidential chief of staff, Marguerite "Missy" LeHand was the right-hand woman to Franklin Delano Roosevelt - both personally and professionally - for more than 20 years. That is undoubtedly true. When I thought about their personal flaws, I marveled at the public good to which they put them. [12] Eleanor Roosevelt biographer Blanche Wiesen Cook expressed skepticism that this had been a serious obstacle, noting the depth of Mercer's feelings. Both branches of the Roosevelt family enjoyed wealth and privilege, yet the future first family were raised in markedly different circumstances. Attention and admiration were not things a young Franklin Roosevelt needed to worry about. FDR She was, according to Jean Edward Smith's "FDR," the president's constant companion for 21 years, his attendant on excursions where Eleanor was not present, and the only one to refer to him with the pet name "F.D." WebMissy LeHand was private secretary to Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd US President of the United States) for over two decades. The Sad Truth About Franklin And Eleanor Roosevelt's [8] Mercer and Franklin continued to see one another privately, causing widespread gossip in Washington. This small group included Grace Tully, Louis Howe, Harry Hopkins, Marvin McIntyre, and Steve Early. [30] When her husband later suffered a stroke, she contacted Roosevelt to arrange for him to be cared for at well-regarded Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.[31] Historian/author Doris Kearns Goodwin speculated that an entry in the White House ushers diary for August 1, 1941 included a code name for Lucy Rutherfurd, suggesting that she attended a private dinner with the president then. . [40][41] Rutherfurd is buried, along with her husband, in Green Township, New Jersey. According to UVA's Miller Center, Franklin wasn't terribly involved in their upbringing. Marguerite (Missy) LeHand was FDRs longtime personal secretary and confidante. In 2017, Barbara Collins Jacques donated to the FDR My study of the presidential chronology disclosed a meeting on June 5 of the same year. During the early days of their marriage, ER wrote her mother-in-law that the Jew party at Bernard Baruchs was appalling. Just what the nature of that affair was is unknown and never will be. Her relationship with her father was much warmer, but Elliott Roosevelt gradually succumbed to alcoholism. As I came to know Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, I began to shed my predilections and prejudices and admire the strength of her convictions, the delicacy of her principles, and the size of her heart. He started the first unemployment program and fought a corruption scandal with the mayor of New York. Franklin Roosevelt marries Eleanor Roosevelt I was more intrigued than ever. I wrote all this in the newspaper. On June 4th, at a party in the White House, Missy collapsed, probably from a combination of a stroke and a heart attack. Months of medical treatments and intense therapy followed and Missy was one of the few who were allowed to see him at his Manhattan apartment during this time. The noble woman was human. Missy later told an interviewer that Albany was the hardest work I ever did (The Gatekeeper). She left only a handful of letters and no diaries, or at least none that have come to light. It was not only that Eleanor, with her public achievements, personal tragedies, and flair for emotional undressing in public that would have warmed the heart of a latter-day talk-show host, could not help upstaging her; it was also that Lucy had a passion for privacy. The princess called Roosevelt by the nickname 'Dear Godfather,' and friends said they were very flirtatious towards one another. Franklin's response was to tell his wife gently, she would say that she was upset now but would feel differently later and so excused himself from the conversation. When his daughter Anna was grown and newly divorced, she took up residence in the White House and became her father's confidante. For example, FDR's principal strategist and trusted adviser, Louis Howe, lived in the White House from 1933 until his death in 1936 as did FDR's secretary Missy LeHand who stayed until she suffered a stroke in 1941. A new PBS documentary based on a book he wrote shows why. With Elliott Roosevelt deceased, Eleanor was given away at the wedding by her uncle. Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously did his very best to control his public image. [25][26], Despite Roosevelt's promise to Eleanor, he kept in contact with Lucy Rutherfurd after her marriage, corresponding with her by letter throughout the 1920s. It takes place during the June 1939 weekend that the British king and queen visited Roosevelt at his upstate New York cottage in Hyde Park, where FDR was said to take a number of mistresses. related_content_links_0_open_in_new_window: related_content_links_1_open_in_new_window: related_content_links_2_open_in_new_window: related_content_links_3_open_in_new_window: related_content_links_4_open_in_new_window. Dont you think, Franklin, that you should answer it promptly? she urged. A few years later, when FDR contracted polio and was paralyzed from the waist down, their lives changed. Alice Roosevelt Longworthdaughter of Theodore Roosevelt, and a cousin of Eleanor'sencouraged the affair, inviting Mercer and Franklin to dinner together several times. Her office also had a door leading to the garden, allowing unannounced visitors direct access to FDR when he didnt want their names showing up on the official White House registry. ' He also had a simple and unshakable faith in God. My discovery of Lucy Mercer, FDRs great love, complicated the story and humanized the characters. During Franklin's presidency, Eleanor made numerous solo trips herself, often as an advocate for her husband's administration according to the National Park Service. The better I got to know the woman whom I had been raised to revere, the more I marveled at her achievements and squirmed in her presence. Grace Tully described Missy as the Queen of the White House staff, and her authority was rarely challenged. According to the real communique, Martha had told a Quaker she trusts that she wanted to return home. "The Gatekeeper," Marguerite Missy LeHand and FDR at the White House, 1940. And there were scores of others. It is generally accepted that their relationship contained a romantic element, though scholars remain divided on whether the pair had a sexual relationship. If Lucy Mercer had been a weaker, less generous-spirited woman, FDR might not have become one of Americas greatest Presidents.) Most historians ascribe FDRs metamorphosis from callow politician to visionary statesman to his contracting polio in the summer of 1921, but some contemporaries, such as Joseph Alsop and his mother, Corinne, who was ERs first cousin, thought that loving, and losing, Lucy Mercer was the fire that began to forge his strength and patience even before his illness. [4] In 1914, Mercer was hired by Eleanor Roosevelt to become her social secretary. Furthermore, Eleanor's discovery of the relationship and subsequent discussion of divorce with Franklin's mother are portrayed in the fourth episode of the Showtime series "The First Lady." He replied that no one did, but that ER, who was breathtakingly generous to those in need, often turned away from those who no longer needed her. Even Earl Miller, the slippery, selfaggrandizing New York State trooper who started as her bodyguard, was unstinting in his devotion. By Hayley Peterson FDR was on a military tour of the Pacific, and issued this statement: The great esteem in which Missy was held is reflected in the list of people who attended her funeral on August 2, 1944. Over the years FDR would invest a good portion of his fortune into Warm Springs, and created the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation which raised millions of dollars for polio research. [39], In 1947, Rutherfurd's sister Violetta committed suicide after her husband requested a divorce, and only a month later, on Christmas Day 1947, her mother Minnie died at age 84. When the stock market crashed in October 1929, Governor Roosevelt immediately took action. [2] Though they were both from wealthy, well-connected families, Mercer's parents lost their fortune through the Financial Panic of 1893 and subsequent great recession/depression which curtailed their lavish spending. In the years before widespread birth control for women, sex was coupled with potential pregnancy, and the one surefire prevention abstinence was rarely appreciated by young husbands with healthy sexual appetites, as Franklin was. She remained in the White House, and it was there she received the sad word of her husband's passing. [12], Franklin's mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, was adamantly against the idea of divorce, however, as it would mark the end of Franklin's political career; she stated that she would cut him off from the family fortune if he chose separation. Missys role as Gatekeeper gave her enormous influence in who the president spent time with. But in 1941 Missys health problems finally caught up with her, as they would with FDR four years later. Missy grew to love this special place, and between the cruisesaboard the Larooco and the rehabilitation work at Warm Springs, Missy had become a critical part ofFDRs recovery efforts. Rumors of their affair spread like wildfire, as she always conveniently visited the White House and Hyde Park when Eleanor was out of town. Franklin spearheaded the New Deal and set an optimistic tone for the country through his speeches and "fireside chat" radio messages, while Eleanor advocated for her husband's policies and reached out to Americans through her newspaper columns and travels. She expected her husband to do well. Despite all of her work in helping bring FDRs dream of a presidential library to fruition, on June 30th, 1941, when it was dedicated, Missy was not there. STill, if FDR could not save his wife, he did not have to betray her. Several of them actually lived in the White House at one time or another. Relationship Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt had six children together, five of whom lived to adulthood. The more I admired the three of them, the less I wanted to gloss over their faults. She once bought out an entire farm stand so the woman running it could close for the day. In her book The Gatekeeper,Kathryn Smith describes Missys role this way: Missy was the Swiss Army Knife of the White House. Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage. FDR's love nest in the park: How president took FIVE Everywhere I looked for Lucy, there stood ER, larger than life, better than good, generous, high-minded, selfless. He maintained a relationship with his secretary Marguerite "Missy" LeHand. To her surprise, Anna found that she liked Rutherfurd immediately, and the pair became friends. Soon after his death, Suckley wrote in her diary: 'He told me once that there was no one else with whom he could be so completely honest.'. FACT: The American press wrote openly about the amount of time FDR spent with Martha, says series creator, director, co-writer and executive producer, Alexander Eik. After Ambassador William Bullitt attempted to sabotage the career of Assistant Secretary of State Sumner Welles by spreading rumors of a homosexual scandal, FDR predicted that on the Day of Judgment, Welles would receive a rap on the knuckles for giving in to his human predilections but that Bullitt would burn in hell for ruining another mans life. But many women worshiped FDRthe spunky Missy LeHand, the willfully spinsterish Daisy Suckley, the flirtatious Princess Martha of Norway, whose sexy high heels and stillunrationed black silk stockings the press gleefully reported. WebMissy LeHand expresses her feelings to Martha. Historians have also debated whether, as a Roman Catholic, Mercer would have been willing to marry a divorced man. Missy LeHand, Roosevelts longtime aide.
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