Ellin Mackay Berlin LCCN2014719046 (cropped)

Ellin Berlin (née Mackay, 22 March 1903 – 29 July 1988) was an American author. She was the wife of Irving Berlin and the daughter of Clarence Mackay and

Katherine Duer Mackay Katherine Alexander Duer Mackay (1878–1930) was an American suffragist, socialite and writer from New York city. She was the founder of the Equal Franchise Society. Her involvement with the woman's suffrage movement "encouraged other wealthy wo ...

. She met Irving Berlin in 1924, and her father opposed marriage from the start. However, Irving wooed her with letters and song over the airwaves such as "Remember" and " All Alone". They eloped and were married in a simple civil ceremony at the Municipal Building away from media attention. Because Irving was Jewish and Ellin was an Irish Catholic, their life was followed in every possible detail by the press, which found the romance of an immigrant from the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

and a young heiress a good story. For nearly three years Clarence Mackay refused to speak to the Berlins, but they reconciled after the death of the Berlins' son, Irving Berlin Jr., on Christmas Day in 1928, less than one month after he was born. The Berlins ended up being married for 63 years until her death in 1988. They had four children:

Mary Ellin Barrett Mary Ellin Barrett ( Berlin; November 25, 1926 – July 16, 2022) was an American critic and memoirist, the eldest of three daughters of Ellin (née Mackay) and composer Irving Berlin. Barrett was born and grew up in New York City, where she at ...

in 1926; Irving Berlin, Jr. in 1928; Linda Louise Emmet in 1932; and Elizabeth Irving Peters in 1936."Irving Berlin, Nation's Songwriter, Dies"
'' The New York Times'', September 23, 1989 Ellin Berlin wrote a number of articles for '' The New Yorker'' before her marriage. In 1933 she began writing short stories for the ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'' and ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

''. In 1944 she published her first novel, ''Land I Have Chosen''. This was followed by ''Lace Curtain'' (1958), ''Silver Platter'' (1957), and ''The Best of Families'' (1970). She was a member of the

United States Assay Commission The United States Assay Commission was an agency of the United States government from 1792 to 1980. Its function was to supervise the annual testing of the gold, silver, and (in its final years) base metal coins produced by the United States Mint ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin, Ellin 1903 births 1988 deaths American women novelists American people of Irish descent Catholics from New York (state) Members of the United States Assay Commission American women short story writers