Margaret Suckley
Encyclopedia
Margaret Suckley (December 20, 1891 - June 29, 1991) was a close friend and confidant of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as archivist at the first American presidential library
. Generally called 'Daisy' by those who knew her, she was born December 20, 1891 at Wilderstein
in the Hudson Valley
, and died June 29, 1991 in Rhinebeck, New York , after living to nearly 100 years old. She was a neighbor and sixth cousin of President Roosevelt. She was one of the four women with Roosevelt in his house, the Little White House
, in Warm Springs, Georgia
, when he died of cerebral hemorrhage in 1945. The exact nature of their relationship is unknown, although there is considerable evidence that their relationship was at least intellectually, if not physically, intimate, and it became widely known on the discovery after her death of thousands of pages of notes, diary entries, and letters in a black suitcase under her bed. She gave Roosevelt his dog Fala, and wrote a children's book on the dog . One of the rare photographs of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a wheelchair was taken by her.
During World War II
, Daisy often stayed for long visits at the White House
, keeping the President company on quiet evenings. The only two published photographs of him in his wheelchair were taken by Miss Suckley. Yet she seems to have been routinely dismissed, even by many historians, as the dowdy cousin who worked on the family papers.
Miss Suckley was not considered to be very beautiful, and she often referred to herself as "playing the part of the prim spinster," however, notably romantic overtones are found in many of the letters written to her by FDR. There is no credible evidence that Roosevelt had any affairs after Lucy Mercer during World War 1, but he had many close female friends, whose company and appreciation he relied on to lighten his load and buoy his spirits -- and Daisy, as she was known, was a key member of this small circle. Roosevelt’s apparent instructions to Miss Suckley to burn at least some of the letters he wrote to her have resulted in suspicions, but perhaps FDR's great flair for dramatics exaggerates what we read into them and there is no doubt that Daisy was one of the only handful of people who didn't want anything from him and he could be completely relaxed with.
"There is no reason why I should not tell you that I miss you very much — It was a week ago yesterday," Roosevelt wrote her after spending time with her on one occasion, during a retreat to his 'Top Cottage
' on his New York
estate near the Hudson River
. "I have longed to have you with me," he wrote another time from a cruise to Panama
.
Other letters clearly show Roosevelt ruminating about his personal and political experiences, including commentary that he wrote to her regarding the progress of World War II
and meetings that he had during the war, such as with Churchill
and Stalin at the Yalta Conference
.
"He told me once," she wrote in her diary soon after his death, "that there was no one else with whom he could be so completely himself."
After Roosevelt died, his daughter, Anna, and a friend came upon a cache of Daisy’s letters, hidden in the box from his stamp collection that Roosevelt took everywhere with him. There is no indication that Anna read the letters or understood their significance, but she offered to let Daisy have them back, and Daisy accepted carefully. She supposed, she wrote to Anna, it had been "just easier" for him "to toss them into the stamp box rather than bother to tear them up & drop them into the waste-paper basket!"
As well as numerous newspaper articles
, Suckley's relationship with Roosevelt has been the subject of a non-fiction book by Geoffrey Ward
and a play, "Hyde Park-on-Hudson", by Richard Nelson
. Nelson portrays their relationship as sexual, and a production was broadcast on BBC Radio 3
in 2009.
Presidential library
In the United States, the Presidential library system is a nationwide network of 13 libraries administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration...
. Generally called 'Daisy' by those who knew her, she was born December 20, 1891 at Wilderstein
Wilderstein
Wilderstein is a 19th-century Queen-Anne-style country house on the Hudson River in Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York, USA.-History:In 1852, Thomas Holy Suckley, a businessman and real-estate investor...
in the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
, and died June 29, 1991 in Rhinebeck, New York , after living to nearly 100 years old. She was a neighbor and sixth cousin of President Roosevelt. She was one of the four women with Roosevelt in his house, the Little White House
Little White House
The Little White House, in the Warm Springs Historic District in Warm Springs, Georgia, was Franklin Delano Roosevelt's personal retreat. He first came to Warm Springs for treatment of his paralytic illness, and liked the area so much that, as Governor of New York, he had a home built on nearby...
, in Warm Springs, Georgia
Warm Springs, Georgia
Warm Springs is a city in Meriwether County, Georgia, United States. The population was 478 at the 2010 census.-History:Warm Springs first came to prominence in the 19th century as a spa town, due to its mineral springs which flow constantly at nearly 32 °C...
, when he died of cerebral hemorrhage in 1945. The exact nature of their relationship is unknown, although there is considerable evidence that their relationship was at least intellectually, if not physically, intimate, and it became widely known on the discovery after her death of thousands of pages of notes, diary entries, and letters in a black suitcase under her bed. She gave Roosevelt his dog Fala, and wrote a children's book on the dog . One of the rare photographs of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a wheelchair was taken by her.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Daisy often stayed for long visits at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, keeping the President company on quiet evenings. The only two published photographs of him in his wheelchair were taken by Miss Suckley. Yet she seems to have been routinely dismissed, even by many historians, as the dowdy cousin who worked on the family papers.
Miss Suckley was not considered to be very beautiful, and she often referred to herself as "playing the part of the prim spinster," however, notably romantic overtones are found in many of the letters written to her by FDR. There is no credible evidence that Roosevelt had any affairs after Lucy Mercer during World War 1, but he had many close female friends, whose company and appreciation he relied on to lighten his load and buoy his spirits -- and Daisy, as she was known, was a key member of this small circle. Roosevelt’s apparent instructions to Miss Suckley to burn at least some of the letters he wrote to her have resulted in suspicions, but perhaps FDR's great flair for dramatics exaggerates what we read into them and there is no doubt that Daisy was one of the only handful of people who didn't want anything from him and he could be completely relaxed with.
"There is no reason why I should not tell you that I miss you very much — It was a week ago yesterday," Roosevelt wrote her after spending time with her on one occasion, during a retreat to his 'Top Cottage
Top Cottage
Top Cottage, also known as Hill-Top Cottage, in Hyde Park, New York was a private retreat designed by and for Franklin D. Roosevelt. Built in 1938 to 1939, during Roosevelt's second term as President of the United States, it was designed to accommodate his need for wheelchair accessibility...
' on his New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
estate near the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. "I have longed to have you with me," he wrote another time from a cruise to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
.
Other letters clearly show Roosevelt ruminating about his personal and political experiences, including commentary that he wrote to her regarding the progress of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and meetings that he had during the war, such as with Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and Stalin at the Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held February 4–11, 1945, was the wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D...
.
"He told me once," she wrote in her diary soon after his death, "that there was no one else with whom he could be so completely himself."
After Roosevelt died, his daughter, Anna, and a friend came upon a cache of Daisy’s letters, hidden in the box from his stamp collection that Roosevelt took everywhere with him. There is no indication that Anna read the letters or understood their significance, but she offered to let Daisy have them back, and Daisy accepted carefully. She supposed, she wrote to Anna, it had been "just easier" for him "to toss them into the stamp box rather than bother to tear them up & drop them into the waste-paper basket!"
As well as numerous newspaper articles
, Suckley's relationship with Roosevelt has been the subject of a non-fiction book by Geoffrey Ward
Geoffrey Ward
Geoffrey Champion Ward is an author and screenwriter of various documentary presentations of American history. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1962.He was an editor of American Heritage magazine early in his career...
and a play, "Hyde Park-on-Hudson", by Richard Nelson
Richard Nelson
Richard Nelson may refer to:* Richard Nelson , anthropologist and writer* Richard Nelson , Episcopal bishop in America...
. Nelson portrays their relationship as sexual, and a production was broadcast on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
in 2009.