april july american woman best known affair president born wealthy parents lost fortune separated years following birth worked briefly dress store taking position social secretary franklin wife franklin believed begun affair years old relationship discovered eleanor september found letters return inspection trip war zone europe assistant secretary navy near end world war september eleanor offered franklin divorce franklin considered accepting political financial pressures caused remain marriage franklin terminated affair promised soon married wealthy fifties despite marriage franklin promise remained albeit contact decades followed especially war years franklin daughter arranged father meet mistress frequently death georgia little white house president long time cottage retreat time roosevelt death april having portrait painted request artist living room female cousins attending sitting card table fireplace reading upcoming speech roosevelt said terrific pain head forward chair unconscious madame maintained close friendships roosevelt rushed away avoid negative publicity implications infidelity presence house mentioned immediate press reports early published biographies died july despite rumors affair roosevelt widespread public knowledge publication memoir time wars background born washington daughter member rough riders cavalry military unit campaigns cuba south shore island near brief spanish american war independent woman bohemian exotic free spirited tastes sister wealthy connected families parents lost fortune subsequent great recession depression curtailed lavish spending pair separated shortly birth alcoholic raised girls affair young woman worked dress shop hired social secretary quickly established roosevelt household good friends eleanor according historians affair franklin likely began eleanor children island avoid summer heat franklin remained washington franklin included summer parties eleanor usually declined attend june quit fired job eleanor enlisted navy world war franklin time assistant secretary navy assigned office franklin continued privately causing widespread gossip washington daughter cousin eleanor encouraged affair inviting franklin dinner times later commented deserved good time married eleanor franklin went trip europe inspect naval facilities war returned september sick pneumonia lungs eleanor discovered love letters eleanor subsequently offered husband divorce franklin mother idea divorce mark end franklin political career stated cut family fortune chose historians debated roman catholic willing marry divorced man biographer expressed skepticism obstacle noting depth feelings doubts factor observing mother divorced remarried family come roman catholicism recently end franklin appears told eleanor willing grant divorce eleanor remained married pledged son james later described state marriage incident armed truce endured day died eleanor later wrote memory elephant forgive forget incident marked turning point life disillusioned marriage active public life focused increasingly social work role wife marriage continued contact roosevelt left washington affair children wealthy new_york famous winning heart social climbing mother instead force marriage 9th duke cousin later british prime minister winston_churchill fifties considered society eligible year half later february second wife learned marriage news party child despite franklin promise eleanor kept contact marriage corresponding letter 1920s historian author speculates letters cause nervous breakdown franklin long time unmarried secretary love roosevelt medical cause breakdown found roosevelt copy public lecture privately inscription memorable presidential inauguration march roosevelt arrangements attend witness swearing husband later suffered stroke contacted roosevelt arrange cared regarded washington author speculated entry white_house diary august included code suggesting attended private dinner president husband death began seeing occasionally arranged friend known artist paint roosevelt portrait died march long illness continued meet roosevelt months followed frequently june franklin requested daughter anna managing white_house social functions acting help arrange meet eleanor knowledge aware role parents early marriage anna angry father difficult position ultimately relented set meeting georgetown surprise anna found liked immediately pair friends supposedly white_house second floor private quarters roosevelt year attended group anna presence obvious acceptance eleanor discovered shortly death female cousins anna role arranging meetings relationship eleanor anna strained cool time early april anna arranged come south_carolina estate meet father little white house georgia small plain cottage built therapy center heated mineral water springs resort roosevelt helped develop beginning 1920s female cousins sitting artist worked painting sat card table living room stone fireplace fine tuning future speech reading papers early afternoon april quiet domestic scene smiling roosevelt suddenly placed hand forehead temple saying terrific losing consciousness later doctors called quickly said suffered fatal cerebral thorough medical exam year increasing intensive care concern young recently recruited private physician year women immediately packed left cottage eleanor nonetheless soon later learned truth cousins felt betrayed learn daughter role long time deception finding unfinished preliminary franklin possessions time later responded warm letter thanks sister committed suicide husband requested divorce died young age july years later having destroyed correspondence franklin buried husband new_jersey public revelation affair following roosevelt death administration concealed press fact present death fearing scandal presence known gave press conference address questions managed hide role mentioned early post war biographies administration histories decades roosevelt second private secretary death briefly mention presence boss memoir gave hint relationship reported times eleanor lifetime roosevelt affair unnamed catholic woman remained rumor decades roosevelt affair wider public knowledge revealed time wars memoir decades 1920s 1930s written roosevelt aide news memoir contents broke said knowledge affair father daughter barbara denied romance occurred known historian author stated affair way helped sustain leadership second world war nation good reason grateful popular culture friendship portrayed regarded mini series eleanor franklin starring second series subsequently broadcast entitled eleanor franklin white house years flash backs earlier episodes based earlier best selling biography eleanor personal friend joseph addition relationship covered documentary film presidents series multi video series american history biography pbs decades later documentary film televised pbs directed noted documentary film maker accompanying companion book
Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd