Susan Mary Alsop (June 19, 1918 – August 18, 2004) was an American writer and socialite active in Washington, D.C. political circles. She was the wife of columnist

Joseph Alsop Joseph Wright Alsop V (October 10, 1910 – August 28, 1989) was an American journalist and syndicated newspaper columnist from the 1930s through the 1970s. He was an influential journalist and top insider in Washington from 1945 to the late 196 ...

and a descendant of founding father

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the fir ...

. Her Georgetown home hosted dignitaries and publishers during the 1960s and 1970s ranging from

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

Phil Graham Philip Leslie Graham (July 18, 1915 – August 3, 1963) was an American newspaperman. He served as publisher and later co-owner of ''The Washington Post'' and its parent company, The Washington Post Company. During his years with the Post Comp ...

Katharine Graham Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, wh ...

, and

Isaiah Berlin Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talk ...

, earning her the nickname "the grand dame of Washington society."

Early life

Alsop was born Susan Mary Jay in Rome on June 19, 1918, to Susan Alexander McCook and U.S. diplomat Peter Augustus Jay, who served as U.S. General Consul to Egypt, U.S. Minister to El Salvador and

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

and

U.S. Ambassador to Argentina The United States ambassador to Argentina is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Argentina. Argentina had declared its independence from Spain in 1816 and there followed a series of revolution ...

. She had an older sister, Emily Kane Jay, who died young. Her paternal grandparents were Augustus Jay and Emily Astor (''née'' Kane) Jay and her maternal grandfather was Civil War officer and prominent attorney John James McCook. She attended

Foxcroft School Foxcroft School, founded in 1914 by Charlotte Haxall Noland, is a college-preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12, located near Middleburg, Virginia, United States. In its century of existence, Foxcroft has educated the daug ...

in Virginia and later took courses at

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Col ...

Career

In 1939, she began working at ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine as a receptionist, writer and model. Alsop authored several books and dozens of magazine articles. In 1975, she published a collection of letters, ''To Marietta from Paris'', followed by ''Lady Sackville: A Biography'' (1978), about the Lady Victoria Sackville-West. She chronicled notable American diplomats in ''Yankees at the Court: The First Americans in Paris'' (1982), and ''The Congress Dances: Vienna 1814–1815'' (1984). She was a contributing editor to ''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast, which also publishes internat ...

'', in which she published some 70 articles.

Personal life

In 1939, she married the diplomat William Samuel "Bill" Patten, and in 1945 helped him get a job with the American embassy in Paris. While in Paris, she began an affair with the British Ambassador

Duff Cooper Alfred Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich, (22 February 1890 – 1 January 1954), known as Duff Cooper, was a British Conservative Party politician and diplomat who was also a military and political historian. First elected to Parliament in 192 ...

, 1st Viscount Norwich, that lasted until Cooper's death in 1954. She had a child with Cooper while still married to Patten. Her husband died in 1960, and the following year she married Joseph Alsop. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1978. Alsop was on good terms with John F. Kennedy and his wife

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

: he visited her house on the day of his inauguration. She joined the White House Paintings Committee, and was influential enough to be termed the "Second Lady of

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...

". Alsop died in Washington, D.C. on August 18, 2004. She was posthumously biographed by her son in his 2008 memoir ''My Three Fathers: And the Elegant Deceptions of My Mother, Susan Mary Alsop'', and later by French former diplomat Caroline de Margerie in ''American Lady: The Life of Susan Mary Alsop'' (2012). Also in 2012 she was fictionalized in

David Auburn David Auburn (born 30 November 1969) is an American playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. He is best known for his 2000 play ''Proof'', which won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play and Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He also wrote the screenp ...

's Broadway play ''

The Columnist ''The Columnist'' is a play by American playwright David Auburn. It opened on Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, under the direction of Daniel J. Sullivan. The play opened on April 25, 2012 and closed July 8, 2012 with John Lithgow starrin ...

'', based on Joseph Alsop's life, and portrayed by actress

Margaret Colin Margaret Colin (born May 26, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Margo Hughes on ''As the World Turns'' and as Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Margaret Colin was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and wa ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alsop, Susan Mary 1918 births 2004 deaths American socialites People from Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) 20th-century American women writers Writers from Washington, D.C. Barnard College alumni Jay family Alsop family