Susan Mary Alsop ( Jay; 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 19 ...

and a descendant of founding father

John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...

. 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), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

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 Co ...

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 talks ...

, 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 is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and U.S. Ambassador to Argentina. She had an older sister, Emily Kane Jay, who died young. Her paternal grandparents were

Augustus Jay Augustus Jay (October 17, 1850 – December 25, 1919) was an American diplomat and member of the prominent Jay family. Early life Jay was born on October 17, 1850, in Washington, D.C. He was the only child of Peter Augustus Jay and Josephine (n ...

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 & PG, located near Middleburg, Virginia, United States. In its century of existence, Foxcroft has educat ...

in Virginia and later took courses at

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

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 Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' 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'' (stylized in all caps) 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 ...

'', 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, 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 writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

: 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 legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with 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 ...

". 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 November 30, 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 scree ...

'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 st ...

'', 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 Constance Spano in ''Independence Day'', Margo Hughes on ''As the World Turns'' and as Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Margaret Colin ...

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 McCook family