Mary Anne MacLeod Trump
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mary Anne Trump ( MacLeod; ; May 10, 1912 – August 7, 2000) was a Scottish-American socialite and philanthropist, who was the wife of the real-estate developer
Fred Trump Frederick Christ Trump Sr. (October 11, 1905 – June 25, 1999) was an American real-estate developer and businessman. He was the father of the 45th and 47th U.S. president, Donald Trump. Born in the Bronx in New York City to Germans, German ...
and the mother of five children, including U.S. president
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
. Born a native
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
-speaker in the
Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...
, MacLeod immigrated to the U.S. in 1930 and became a
naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
citizen in March 1942. She raised five children with her husband and lived in New York City.


Early life

Mary Anne MacLeod was born in the village of
Tong Tong may refer to: Chinese *Tang dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when transliterated from Cantonese *Tong (organization), a type of social organization found in Chinese immigrant communities *''tong'', pronunciation of several Chinese char ...
on the
Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The t ...
. Raised in a Gaelic-speaking household, she was the youngest of ten children born to Gaelic Scottish parents, Mary Ann MacLeod (; 1867–1963) and Malcolm MacLeod (1866–1954). Her father was a
crofter A croft is a traditional Scottish term for a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable, and usually, but not always, with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a ten ...
,
fisherman A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million Commercial fishing, commercial and Artisan fishing, subsistence fishers and Fish farming, fi ...
and compulsory officer at Mary's school. English was her second language, which she learned at the school she attended until
secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
. Her paternal grandparents were Alexander
MacLeod MacLeod, McLeod and Macleod ( ) are surnames in the English language. The names are anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic ', meaning "son of Leòd", derived from the Old Norse ''Liótr'' ("ugly"). One of the earliest occurrences of the surnam ...
and Anne MacLeod; her maternal grandparents were Donald Smith and Mary MacAulay. They were from the locations of Vatisker and South Lochs, respectively. Donald died at sea aged 34 when his sailing ship sank, a common fate for men in the region which was dependent on fishing. Some of the family's earlier generations had been forced off their land as part of the
Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resulted from Scottish Agricultural R ...
. According to one genealogical account, displaced families in Mary's village lived in "human wretchedness" while nearby farmable land was used for sheep.
Local historians Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...
have said properties at the time were "indescribably filthy", and that families in the area lived austere lives as fishers, farmers and
peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...
diggers. The outbreak of weakened the area's economy and reduced the male population further. Many of her siblings would also immigrate, both to the United States and the traditional destination for Highland Scots in the period, Canada.


Immigration to the United States

With several siblings having already established themselves there, MacLeod may have first visited the United States for a short stay in December 1929. She was issued
immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...
visa number 2669191 at
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
on February 17, 1930. On May 2, MacLeod left Glasgow on board the RMS ''Transylvania'' arriving in New York City on May 11 (one day after her 18th birthday). She declared she intended to become a U.S. citizen and would be staying permanently in America. She was one of tens of thousands of young Scots who left for the U.S. or Canada during this period, Scotland having suffered badly the consequences of the Clearances and World War I. The alien passenger list of the ''Transylvania'' lists her occupation as a
domestic worker A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...
. Arriving in the U.S. with $50 (equivalent to $945 in 2024), MacLeod lived with her older sister Christina Matheson in
Astoria, Queens Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to four other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Queens, Long Island C ...
and worked as a domestic servant for at least four years. One of these jobs appears to have been as a
nanny A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...
for a well-to-do family in a New York suburb, but the position was eliminated due to economic difficulties caused by the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. As a 2016 account in Scottish newspaper '' The National'' put it, she "started life in America as a dirt-poor servant escaping the even worse poverty of her native land." Having obtained a U.S. Re-entry Permit—only granted to immigrants intending to stay and gain citizenship—she returned to Scotland on the SS ''Cameronia'' on September 12, 1934. She was recorded as living in New York by April 1935 in the
1940 U.S. census The 1940 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 132,164,569, an increase of 7.6 percent over the 1930 population of 122,775,046 people. The census date of record was A ...
. Though the 1940 census form filed by Mary Anne and her husband,
Fred Trump Frederick Christ Trump Sr. (October 11, 1905 – June 25, 1999) was an American real-estate developer and businessman. He was the father of the 45th and 47th U.S. president, Donald Trump. Born in the Bronx in New York City to Germans, German ...
, stated that she was a
naturalized citizen Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
, she did not actually become one until March 10, 1942. However, there is no evidence that she violated any immigration laws prior to her naturalization, as she frequently traveled internationally and was afterwards able to re-enter the U.S. MacLeod returned to her home area in Scotland often during the course of her life and spoke
Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
when she did.


Marriage, family and activities

In the mid-1930s, while Mary Anne was living with her sister in Queens, she met Fred Trump—already a property developer and builder—at a party; on a subsequent visit to Scotland, she told her family that she had met her future husband. They married at the
Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church (MAPC) is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA). It is located at East 73rd Street and Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. History The congregation was organized in ...
on the
Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...
on January 11, 1936, with
George Arthur Buttrick George Arthur Buttrick (March 23, 1892 – January 23, 1980) was an English-born, American-based Christian preacher, author and lecturer.T. A. Prickett, ''The Story of Preaching'', Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2011, pp. 80-8/ref> Early life ...
officiating. The wedding reception for 25 guests was held at the
Carlyle Hotel The Carlyle Hotel is a luxury apartment hotel on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1930, the Art Deco hotel was designed by Sylvan Bien and Harry M. Prince, with interiors by Dorothy Draper. It was named after the S ...
in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. They honeymooned in
Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. On April 5, 1937, she gave birth to their first child, Maryanne (1937–2023), followed by Fred C. Trump Jr. (1938–1981),
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...
(born 1942),
Donald Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...
(born 1946), and
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
(1948–2020). The final birth led to an emergency
hysterectomy Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus and cervix. Supracervical hysterectomy refers to removal of the uterus while the cervix is spared. These procedures may also involve removal of the ovaries (oophorectomy), fallopian tubes ( salpi ...
, which Mary Anne barely survived. The family lived in
Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It has a popular large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis, St Albans, and Cambria Heights to the ea ...
, and later specifically in Jamaica Estates. At first, the couple lived in the house of MacLeod's mother-in-law, but by 1940 had become
upwardly mobile Social mobility is the movement of individuals, families, households or other categories of people within or between social strata in a society. It is a change in social status relative to one's current social location within a given socie ...
, with their own household featuring a Scottish domestic servant. According to family biographer Harry Hurt III, MacLeod spent time collecting coins from laundry machines in apartment buildings owned by the family; this has also been claimed by MacLeod's children about Fred Trump's mother,
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...
, as well as by Donald about himself. MacLeod raised her children in the
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
faith of her upbringing; on January 20, 2017, incoming U.S. President Donald Trump took his inaugural
oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Suc ...
using a copy of the
Revised Standard Version The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1952 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. This translation is a revision of the American St ...
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
given to him by his mother in 1955 when he graduated from a Presbyterian
Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
. MacLeod drove a Rolls-Royce Motors, Rolls-Royce that bore the
vanity plates A vanity plate or personalized plate (United States and Canada); prestige plate, private number plate, cherished plate or personalised registration (United Kingdom); personalised plate (Australia, New Zealand, and United Kingdom) or custom pla ...
"MMT," the initials of her name, Mary MacLeod Trump. MacLeod also acted as a volunteer in a hospital and was involved in school activities and charities, including for the betterment of those with
cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...
and efforts to improve the lives of intellectually disabled adults. The Trumps were active in the
Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
, the
Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...
, and the Lighthouse for the Blind, among other charities. MacLeod had a significant role at the Women's Auxiliary of Jamaica Hospital and likewise at the Jamaica Day Nursery. She and her husband donated time, effort, services, and several medical buildings around New York; a 228-bed nursing home pavilion at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where she spent years volunteering, is named after her. MacLeod also belonged to several social clubs. As a parent, MacLeod was more reserved than her husband. Friends of the children observed fewer interactions with her than with him. In appearance, MacLeod was slight of build but was known for an elaborate hairstyle, labeled in one account a "dynamic orange swirl", similar to the hairstyle her son Donald would later become known for. In 1981, Mary Anne MacLeod's oldest son, Fred C. Trump Jr., died from complications due to
alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
.


Later life and death

As she grew older, Trump suffered from severe
osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to more porous bone, and consequent increase in Bone fracture, fracture risk. It is the most common reason f ...
. On October 31, 1991, at 79, she was
mugged Mugging (sometimes called personal robbery or street robbery) is a form of robbery and street crime that occurs in public places, often urban areas at night. It involves a confrontation with a threat of violence. Muggers steal money or persona ...
while shopping on Union Turnpike in
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
near her home. She resisted the mugger's attempt to steal her purse, which contained $14, and was then knocked to the ground and beaten. She sustained broken ribs, facial bruises, several fractures, a
brain hemorrhage The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...
, and permanent damage to her sight and hearing. A bread-truck driver named Lawrence Herbert apprehended her 16-year-old assailant, for which Herbert was later rewarded by Donald Trump with a check that kept him from losing his home to
foreclosure Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has Default (finance), stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the Collateral (finance), coll ...
. Her assailant later pleaded guilty to robbery and assault, and was sentenced to three to nine years in prison. Mary Anne's husband, Fred Trump, died at age 93 on June 25, 1999, after falling ill with
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
. Mary Anne died one year later on August 7, 2000, at
Long Island Jewish Medical Center Long Island Jewish Medical Center (also known as LIJ or LIJ Medical Center) is a clinical and academic hospital and medical campus within the Northwell Health system. It is a 1,004-bed, non-profit tertiary care teaching hospital and medical camp ...
in
New Hyde Park, New York New Hyde Park is a village in the Towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is the anchor community of the Greater New Hyde Park area. The population was 10,257 at the time of the 2 ...
, at age 88. Services were held at Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan, and she was buried alongside her husband and son (Fred Jr.) at Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery in
Middle Village, Queens Middle Village is a neighborhood in the central section of the Borough (New York City), borough of Queens, New York City, bounded to the north by the Long Island Expressway, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue and t ...
. The death notice in her Scottish hometown newspaper, the ''
Stornoway Gazette The ''Stornoway Gazette'' is a local newspaper reporting on local issues in the Western Isles of Scotland, specifically Stornoway and the Outer Hebrides. History In 2004, nine months of head-to-head competition with a rival title ended with ' ...
'', read: "Peacefully in New York on 7th August, Mary Ann Trump, aged 88 years. Daughter of the late Malcolm and Mary MacLeod, 5 Tong. Much missed."


References


External links


Scottish Roots page

Pavilion website named after her
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trump, Mary Anne MacLeod 1912 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American people 20th-century American women Mothers of presidents of the United States Naturalized citizens of the United States People from the Isle of Lewis People from Jamaica Estates, Queens Philanthropists from New York (state) Scottish emigrants to the United States
Mary Anne MacLeod Mary Anne Trump ( MacLeod; ; May 10, 1912 – August 7, 2000) was a Scottish-American socialite and philanthropist, who was the wife of the real-estate developer Fred Trump and the mother of five children, including U.S. president Donald Trum ...
Presbyterians from New York (state)