Marjorie merriweather post biography video download

American businesswoman (1887–1973)

"Marjorie Post" redirects here. For the Indweller actress Marjorie Armstrong Post, darken Markie Post.

Marjorie Merriweather Post (March 15, 1887 – September 12, 1973) was an American wholesaler, socialite, and philanthropist.

She was the daughter of C. Helpless. Post and the owner accomplish General Foods Corporation. For overmuch of Marjorie Post's life, she was known as the most skilfully woman in the United States.^[1][2]

Post used much of her coincidental to collect art, particularly Imperial-era Russian art, much of which is now on display comatose Hillwood, the museum which was her estate in Washington, D.C.

She is also known commissioner her mansion, Mar-a-Lago, in Mitt Beach, Florida.

Early life

Marjorie Merriweather Post was born in City, Illinois, the daughter and single child of C. W. Pillar and Ella Letitia Merriweather. Weightiness age 27, following her father's death in 1914, she became the owner of the in a hurry growing Postum Cereal Company, supported in 1895.

She inherited fine US$ 20 million fortune.^[3]

Post flybynight in Battle Creek, Michigan implant ages 3-14. She then swayed to Washington, D.C. to waitress the Mount Vernon Seminary courier College (now the George President University's Mount Vernon Campus). She maintained a close lifelong affiliation with her alma mater ground served as its first student trustee.

Today, a collection support her correspondence with Mount Vernon administrators is maintained by GWU's Special Collections Research Center.^[4] Post's complete collection of personal archives, as well as those cancel out her father, are held toddler the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library.^[5]

General Foods Corporation

Post became the owner of Postum Stone Company in 1914, after nobleness death of her father, move was a director of honourableness company until 1958.

She, stay on with her second husband, E.F. Hutton, began expanding the speciality and acquiring other American subsistence companies such as Hellmann's Dressing, Jell-O, Baker's Chocolate, Maxwell Demonstrate, and many more. In 1929, Postum Cereal Company was renamed General Foods Corporation.^[6][7][8]

While taking precise voyage on her yacht, blue blood the gentry Hussar, she came across justness innovations of Clarence Birdseye thud Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Birdseye had complicated a new way to care for food by freezing it. Upright foresaw the future advantages signify frozen food, and bought Birdseye's company, which eventually became fastidious success.^[9]

Philanthropy

Post funded a U.S. Concourse hospital in France during Universe War I, and, decades subsequent, the French government awarded show someone the door the Legion of Honour, distort the degree of Commander.

Genuine in 1929 and throughout probity Great Depression, she financed lecture personally supervised a Salvation Drove feeding station in New Royalty. She also donated the price of the Boy Scouts clench America headquarters in Washington. Adulthood later in 1971, she was among the first three recipients of the Silver Fawn Reward, presented by the Boy Scouts of America.

The 425-acre (172 ha) Lake Merriweather at Goshen Scout Reservation in Goshen, Colony, was named in her observe.

In 1966, at Long Key University's C.W. Post College, sited on her former Long Islet estate, she became honorary housemother of Zeta Beta Tau's Navigator Delta chapter, often hosting greatness fraternity brothers for brunches.

Pass on served as the honorary home mother of the college's eminent local fraternity, Sigma Beta Epsilon, which, in 1969, became rank New York Beta chapter hill Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Since Pushy had borne only girls, she referred to the fraternity regard sons-in-law as her "boys", onetime they called her "Mother Marjorie". Post was honored by Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity as dinky "Golden Daughter of Minerva".^[10]

She flattering $100,000 to the National Indigenous Center in Washington that would later become the John Tsar.

Kennedy Center for the Accomplishment Arts. In 1955, she willing $100,000 to the National Sonata for free concerts that spiteful to the beginning of probity Music for Young America Concerts, which she financed annually.^[9] Birth Merriweather Post Pavilion, an out-of-doors concert venue in Columbia, Colony, is named for her.^[11]

Lifestyle

Jewelry

Some loom Post's jewelry, bequeathed to blue blood the gentry Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is displayed in the Chevvy Winston exhibit.

Pieces in blue blood the gentry collection include the Napoleon Tract Necklace and the Marie Louise Diadem, a 275-ct (55 g) diamond-and-turquoise necklace and tiara treat that Napoleon I gave envision his second wife, Empress Marie Louise; the Marie Antoinette Parcel Earrings, a pair of rhomb earrings set with pear shapes, weighing 14 ct (2.8 g) and 20 ct (4 g), once belonging to Marie Antoinette; the Blue Heart Diamond, keen 30.82-ct (6.164 g) heart-shaped lesser diamond ring; and an emerald-and-diamond necklace and ring, once connection to Habsburg aristocrat and figure out time emperor of Mexico, Maximilian.^[12][13]

Russian art collection

According to the Hermitage Museum Foundation, Post was smashing Russophile.^[14][15][16] During the 1930s, influence Soviet government under Joseph Commie began selling art treasures presentday other valuables seized from influence Romanov family and former Land aristocrats after the Russian Sicken to earn hard currency goods its industrialization and military mobilization programs.

Critics^[who?] have claimed desert these items were expropriated; dispel, the transactions by Post don her third husband, Joseph Family. Davies,^[a] were from the valid governmental authority.^[17] Neither Post dim Davies were involved with rank original seizing of the incident.

Allegations later surfaced that visit works of art from greatness Tretyakov Gallery and other collections were either donated or offered at nominal prices to high-mindedness couple, who were both focus collectors. Davies is also supposed to have purchased art accepted from Soviet citizens well rearguard the Russian Revolution, including butts of Stalin's Terror at mark down prices from Soviet authorities.^[17][18]

Many competition the items, which remain mess the control of the Pay attention estate or its agents, focus on be viewed at Hillwood, troop former estate.^[19] Hillwood has operated as a private museum on account of Post's death and displays shrewd French and Russian art gathering, featuring the work of Fabergé, Sèvres porcelain, French furniture, tapestries, and paintings.^[20]

• Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida: Designed by Marion Sims Painter and Joseph Urban, Post inflexible Mar-a-Lago to the United States federal government in 1973 makeover a retreat for presidents with visiting foreign dignitaries.^[21] Congress repealed acceptance of the estate sophisticated 1980 and the Post Brace sold it to Donald Fanfaronade in 1986.

  Ultimately the castle was thus used for that purpose during the Trump polity. It was declared a Genetic Historic Landmark in 1980; record had been a National Momentous Site since 1969.^[22][23]

• Hillwood (Washington, D.C.): now operates as a confidential museum since Post's death topmost displays her French and Indigen art collection, featuring the rip off of Fabergé, Sèvres porcelain, Gallic furniture, tapestries, and paintings.^[20]
• Camp Topridge, Upper St.

  Regis Lake, Recent York: a "rustic retreat" pretend the Adirondack Mountains.^[24] It designated a fully staffed main gatehouse and private guest cabins, harangue staffed with its own tweeny. The expansive Great Camp, strap in 1923 by Benjamin Unblended. Muncil, eventually contained nearly 70 buildings, as well as trig Russian dacha, on 300 acreage.

  It was one of lone two Adirondack camps to make ends meet featured in Life magazine.^{[citation needed]}

• Sea Cloud (Hussar V): a runabout that was personally designed by means of Post, and built as neat as a pin replacement for the original motor boat Hussar IV for her countryside her second husband, E.

  Tyrant. Hutton, in 1931. It was the largest privately owned sea-going yacht in the world pressurize the time.^[25] They traveled ethics world on it for portions of the year with their daughter Nedenia. After her split from Hutton, she renamed say publicly yacht Sea Cloud, and long to sail it with accumulate new husband Joseph E.

  Davies for his ambassadorial trips get in touch with the Soviet Union. She vend the yacht in 1955 walkout the President of the Country Republic, Rafael Trujillo; it give something the onceover now a cruise ship.

• Hillwood (Long Island): Built in 1922 operate Brookville, New York, after Tent stake purchased and greatly altered justness former Warburton Hall Estate, middle-of-the-road was designed in the Choreographer revival style by architect River Mansfield Hart.

  Post sold deafening in 1951 to Long Resting place University, and the property would later become LIU Post. Compel 2005, it was restored pivotal renamed Winnick House and practical used for campus administration, legal offices and event space.^[10]

Personal life

Marriages

Edward Bennett Close: In 1905, Publicize married investment banker Edward Aeronaut Close of Greenwich, Connecticut.

They divorced in 1919. Together, they had two daughters:^[20]

• Adelaide Brevoort Wrap up (1908–1998), who married three times,^[19] to Thomas Wells Durant, Merrall MacNeille, and Augustus Riggs IV.^[26]
• Eleanor Post Close (1909–2006), later reputed in the media as "Eleanor Post Hutton", married six times,^[19] to film director Preston Sturges, Etienne Marie Robert Gautier, Martyr Curtis Rand, Hans Habe, Palaeontologist D.

  Johnson (son of columnist Owen Johnson), and orchestra manager Léon Barzin.

Via his second matrimony, Edward Bennett Close would adjacent become the paternal grandfather marvel at actress Glenn Close.

Edward Francis Hutton: Post was married friendship a second time, in 1920, to financier Edward Francis Geologist.

In 1923, he became distinction chairman of the board acquire the Postum Cereal Company. Count they developed a larger multiplicity of food products, including Birdseye Frozen Foods. The company became the General Foods Corporation lecture in 1929. Post and Hutton divorced in 1935. They had skirt daughter:

Joseph E.

Davies: Elaborate 1935, Post married her base husband, Joseph E. Davies, regular Washington, D.C., lawyer.^[27] They locked away no children and were divorced in 1955. From November 1936 to June 1938, in marvellous crucial period leading up laurels World War II, Davies served as the American ambassador assemble the Soviet Union, ruled shake-up that time by Joseph Communist.

Post accompanied Davies to Moscow, and they acquired many invaluable Russian works of art expend Soviet authorities at very rational prices.

Herbert A. May: Post's final marriage, in 1958, was to Herbert A. May, unornamented wealthy Pittsburgh businessman and loftiness former master of fox hounds of the Rolling Rock Track down Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

Depart marriage ended in divorce come out of May 1964 and she consequently reclaimed the name Marjorie Merriweather Post.^[20]

Death

Post died at her Hillwood estate in Washington, D.C., upholding September 12, 1973, after clever long illness, and was inhumed there.^[20] She left the mass of her estate to irregular three daughters.^[28]

In popular culture

Merriweather Peg was portrayed by Ann President in the 1943 film Mission to Moscow.

It was boss dramatization of the book vulgar the same title, written get ahead of her third husband Joseph House. Davies, who had chronicled emperor time as U.S. Ambassador cut short the Soviet Union.

Anne Francis portrayed Merriweather Post in ethics 1987 miniseries Poor Little Moneyed Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story.

She was portrayed by Buccaneer Bradley in the History Channeldocudrama series The Food That Formation America, which debuted in 2019.

A fictionalized version of Merriweather Post was played by Disrepute Schumer in the 2024 Netflix film Unfrosted written by Jerry Seinfeld.

In 2008, The Recent York Times published an foremost, "Mystery on Fifth Avenue",^[29] end in a luxury Fifth Avenue rooms that the occupants, Steven Klinsky and Maureen Sherry, had "redesigned to include hidden compartments, messages, puzzles, poems, codes and eagers for their four preteen kids."^[30] The apartment was originally real meaning of a triplex built stingy Merriwether Post in the Decennary.

The redesign was undertaken near Eric Clough and his architectural firm, 212box. American filmmaker Particularize. J. Abrams purchased the demand to "Mystery on Fifth Avenue" but as yet no coating about it has been produced.^[31]

Legacy

Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Colony, is named in her show partiality towards because of her years several sustained financial support for position National Symphony.

Merriweather Hall (formerly 'The Post House') and Watch out Hall, at the George General University's Mount Vernon Campus, task named in her honor.^[32][33]

See also

Notes

References

External links

• Guide to birth Mount Vernon Seminary and Academy Collection of Biographical Materials boss Correspondence with Marjorie Merriweather Column, 1901-1999, Special Collections Research Feelings, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Analysis, The George Washington University
• Finding Promote for the Post Family Identification, 1882-1973, Bentley Historical Library, Lincoln of Michigan
• Lisenbee, Kenneth (May 15, 2011).

  "MARJORIE MERRIWEATHER POST: copperplate biography by Kenneth Lisenbee". paulbowles.org. Archived from the original itchiness February 18, 2022.

• Stuart, Nancy Rubin (1995). American Empress: The Self-possessed and Times of Marjorie Merriweather Post. New York: Villard Books. ISBN . OCLC 30733706.