Lucy Mercer

Lucy Mercer. She was a social secretary to Eleanor Roosevelt who became romantically involved with her employer's husband, future President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Their affair, discovered in 1918, profoundly impacted the Roosevelt family and became a significant, though long-concealed, chapter in American political history. Mercer later married wealthy socialite Winthrop Rutherfurd and maintained a discreet connection with Roosevelt during his presidency until her death in 1948.

Early life and family

Lucy Page Mercer was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Carroll Mercer, a descendant of a prominent Maryland family, and Minnie Tunis. Her father's fortunes declined, leading to financial strain, and her parents eventually separated. She was raised primarily by her mother in somewhat reduced circumstances within the social circles of the Capital city. Educated at prestigious institutions, including the Monte Maria School in Austria, she was fluent in several languages and was considered a great beauty. Her family connections, however tenuous, provided her an entry into the world of Washington society, where she secured the position that would define her historical legacy.

Relationship with Franklin D. Roosevelt

In 1914, Mercer was hired as a social secretary by Eleanor Roosevelt, then the wife of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt. During Eleanor's frequent absences and Franklin's convalescence from illness, a close bond formed between Mercer and Franklin. Their relationship evolved into a romantic affair, which was discovered by Eleanor in 1918 when she found a packet of love letters. This precipitated a major marital crisis, with Eleanor offering Franklin D. Roosevelt a divorce. Influenced by political advisor Louis Howe and concerns from his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, about the scandal and his future in the Democratic Party (United States), Franklin agreed to end the visible affair. However, the emotional damage to his marriage was permanent, and the couple thereafter maintained largely separate lives.

Marriage and later life

In 1920, Mercer married the much older, wealthy widower Winthrop Rutherfurd, dividing her time between his estates in New York City, Allamuchy, New Jersey, and Aiken, South Carolina. She bore one daughter, Barbara Rutherfurd. Following Rutherfurd's death in 1944 and after Franklin D. Roosevelt's own wife, Anna Roosevelt Halsted, facilitated secret arrangements, Mercer resumed discreet contact with the President. She was present at his Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia, in April 1945 when he suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrhage. Mercer left quickly to avoid publicity. She died of leukemia in 1948 at the Rutherfurd estate in New Jersey and was interred in the Rutherfurd family plot.

In popular culture

The story of Mercer's relationship with Franklin D. Roosevelt has been explored in numerous biographical and historical works, including those by authors like Joseph P. Lash and Doris Kearns Goodwin. She has been portrayed in several television and film dramatizations, such as the miniseries Eleanor and Franklin, where she was played by actress Jane Alexander. Her character also appears in the 2012 film *Hyde Park on Hudson*, depicted by Olivia Williams, and in the Netflix series The Crown, which featured an episode referencing the affair. These portrayals have cemented her role as a pivotal, enigmatic figure in the backdrop of the Roosevelt administration.

Category:1891 births Category:1948 deaths Category:American socialites