The woman who knew everyone The power of Perle Mesta, Washington's most famous hostess

To acknowledge an accomplished party-giver as the "hostess with the mostest" is to honor the legacy of Perle Mesta, known as an extraordinary social networker long before that term enjoyed today's ubiquity. In a lifetime that spanned the Gilded Age to the Swinging Sixties, Mesta's talents for bringing together the right people at the right time earned her entrée to the halls of power and the affection of presidents and kings. An ardent feminist, Mesta drew on her zeal for passing the Equal Rights Amendment as the motivating source behind much of her lavish entertaining. Today she would be called wishy-washy or worse, but Mesta's political instinct for who could best deliver the solutions to vexing cultural problems was unerring. When Harry Truman appointed her ambassador to Luxembourg, Mesta's lack of diplomatic experience and political gravitas was more than compensated by her personal grace and generosity. Indeed, despite her flamboyant social persona, Mesta became a pioneer for women entering the diplomatic service. Mesta's larger-than-life persona shines in journalist Gordon's (Bunny Mellon, 2017) deeply sourced narrative.

In this winsome biography, Gordon (Bunny Mellon), a journalism professor at NYU, shines a light on the indefatigable Washington, D.C., socialite and activist Perle Mesta (1889--1975). Raised in Texas and Oklahoma, Mesta moved to D.C. with her husband, steel magnate George Mesta, in 1917, after he was asked to consult with the government's steel committee as the U.S. entered WWI. Mesta inherited her husband's fortune after his death in 1925 and became a fixture in society pages in the 1930s, her bon vivant lifestyle serving for many readers to "offset life's daily sorrows." Drawn into political activism late that decade by a friend who belonged to the National Women's Party, Perle used her connections to unsuccessfully push for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. She became a close friend of Sen. Harry Truman, whose ascent to the presidency elevated her to the status of elite Washington party host. Leveraging influence through her Rolodex, Mesta hosted lavish Democratic Party fundraisers, talked up Truman's initiatives to journalists, and served as diplomatic minister to Luxembourg in the early 1950s. Gordon's thoroughly researched account showcases how Mesta wielded social power as political power, resulting in a finely observed character study of a woman with an "uncanny ability to... artfully sway into compromising and working together." It's a reverent ode to an overlooked fixture of midcentury American politics. (Jan.)

Portrait of a celebrated hostess. Journalist and biographer Gordon recounts the eventful life of feminist, ardent Equal Rights Amendment supporter, and legendary party giver Perle Mesta (1882-1975), who served as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg from 1949 to 1953. The Michigan-born Pearl Skirvin gave her first party when she was 11, serving her friends sandwiches of nasturtium flowers and mayonnaise. In her early 20s, she chaperoned her sister, who was beginning her stage career, until, in 1915, Pearl moved to Manhattan on her own. There, she met George Mesta, a wealthy industrialist, 20 years older. They married in 1917 and soon moved to Washington, where Mesta served as a wartime advisor. "With an anthropologist's intensity," Gordon writes, "Pearl studied the rhythms of Washington social life." After George Mesta's sudden death in 1924, the fabulously wealthy widow became "a style setter." Although as a Christian Scientist she did not drink, her sumptuous extravaganzas overflowed with champagne, even during the Depression. Dressed in Paris couture, surrounded by A-list guests in Washington, New York, Newport, and London, Perle (she opted for a more sophisticated spelling) became the darling of society columnists. "Every time someone asked Perle to lend her name to a charity or host an event," Gordon observes, "it was a validation of her place in the universe." Party giving, though, was not her only interest: calling herself "a politician first," she was a tireless fundraiser and became close friends with the Trumans, the Eisenhowers, and LBJ. Spoofed in the musicalCall Me Madam, with Ethel Merman playing the lead, Perle was more than a flighty socialite: As Gordon portrays her, she proved to be an able goodwill ambassador and savvy political operator. A lively, well-researched account of a powerful woman. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.