The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington's Most Famous Hostess

From a New York Times bestselling author, an revealing biography of feminist Perle Mesta-a beloved socialite, political hostess, and United States envoy.

Perle Mesta was a force to be reckoned with. In her heyday, this wealthy globe-trotting Washington widow was one of the most famous women in America, garnering as much media attention as Eleanor Roosevelt. Renowned for her world-class parties featuring politicians and celebrities, she was very close to three presidents-Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson. Truman named her as the first female envoy to Luxembourg, which inspired the hit musical based on Perle's life - "Call Me Madam" - which starred Ethel Merman, ran on Broadway for two years and later became a movie. A pioneering supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, she was a prodigious Democratic fundraiser and rescued Harry Truman's financially flailing 1948 campaign.

In this intensely researched biography, author Meryl Gordon chronicles Perle's lavish life and society adventures in Newport, Manhattan and Washington, while highlighting her important, but nearly forgotten contribution to American politics and the feminist movement.

Author: Meryl Gordon
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 01/07/2025
Pages: 496
Binding Type: Hardcover
Size: 9.25h x 6.25w x 1.53d
ISBN13: 9781538751244
ISBN10: 1538751240
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Rich & Famous
- Biography & Autobiography | Women
- Biography & Autobiography | Political

About the Author
Meryl Gordon is the New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Astor Regrets: The Hidden Betrayals of A Family Beyond Reproach, Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend and The Phantom of Fifth Avenue. An award-winning journalist, she is a tenured journalism professor at New York University. Her work has appeared in Vanity Fair, New York Magazine and The New York Times.