Martha Elizabeth Beall Mitchell (September 2, 1918 – May 31, 1976) was the wife of
John N. Mitchell,
United States Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
under President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
. Her public comments and interviews during the
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...
were frank and revealing.
Early education and family life
Martha Elizabeth Beall Jennings Mitchell was born in
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combin ...
, on September 2, 1918,
the only child of cotton broker George V. Beall and drama teacher Arie Beall Ferguson.
She recalled later in life that as a child she mostly played with the children of her African-American "
mammy", who lived with the Beall family, because other families lived at a distance.
As a little girl she sang in a church choir, and her mother hoped she would become an opera singer.
When she graduated from
Pine Bluff High School
Pine Bluff High School (PBHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. It, a part of the Pine Bluff School District, is the largest of three public high schools in the Pine Bluff city limits and four public hi ...
in 1937, her yearbook picture carried the quotation, "I love its gentle warble, I love its gentle flow, I love to wind my tongue up, And I love to let it go."
She was
dyslexic, and struggled to read aloud.
She was fascinated by the arts, and dreamt of becoming an actress, attended
Stephens College in
Columbia, Missouri, and studied acting under
Maude Adams
Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden (November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953), known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American actress who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production ...
, but her family would not allow it.
She eventually transferred to the
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
, joined
Chi Omega
Chi Omega (, also known as ChiO) is a women's fraternity and a member of the National Panhellenic Conference, the umbrella organization of 26 women's fraternities.
Chi Omega has 181 active collegiate chapters and approximately 240 alumnae chap ...
and transferred the following year
to the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...
.
At Miami, she dated "Sonny" Capone and met
Al Capone, and was president of Sigma
Iota Chi.
She ultimately received a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
in history. After graduation, she was a seventh-grade teacher for a year in
Mobile, Alabama,
but left teaching after she decided she "despised" it.
She returned to Pine Bluff in 1945 and, after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, she began work as a secretary at the
Pine Bluff Arsenal
The Pine Bluff Arsenal is a United States Army installation in Jefferson County, Arkansas, about eight miles northwest of Pine Bluff and thirty miles southeast of Little Rock.
Pine Bluff Arsenal is one of nine Army installations in the United ...
.
She was soon transferred (along with her boss,
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
Augustin Mitchell Prentiss) to
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
In Washington, she met Clyde Jennings, Jr.,
a US Army officer from
Lynchburg, Virginia. They married on October 5, 1946, in Pine Bluff and moved to
Rye, New York
Rye is a coastal suburb of New York City in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the Town of Rye, which has more land area than the city. The City of Rye, formerly the Village of Rye, was part of the Town until it r ...
. Soon after they wed, her husband was honorably discharged and became a traveling handbag salesman.
With Jennings, she had a son, Clyde Jay Jennings in 1947, later a
GAO
Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley.
For much of its history Gao was an impor ...
investigator.
Jennings spent a lot of time away from home, which (according to Mitchell)
led to the couple's separation on May 18, 1956, and eventual divorce on August 1, 1957.
She once said as soon as she met
John N. Mitchell that she was "impressed with his suaveness and intellect,"
. They married on December 30, 1957, settling in Rye, New York.
Her new husband worked as a lawyer in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, earning a year
and the couple purchased a home on the grounds of the
Apawamis Club.
In 1961 the Mitchells had a daughter, Marty. Though not Catholics, the Mitchells enrolled their daughter in Catholic school, which Mitchell believed had superior discipline.
Move to Washington and the Watergate scandal
John Mitchell and Richard Nixon's professional careers converged when, on New Year's Eve 1966, their law offices combined to become Nixon Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander and Mitchell. Although their status as friends is debated, when Nixon was elected president in 1968 he appointed John Mitchell as his Attorney General.
The position necessitated that the family move to Washington, D.C., and their home in the "fashionable"
Watergate complex
The Watergate complex is a group of six buildings in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. Covering a total of 10 acres (4 ha) just north of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the buildings incl ...
was estimated at the time to be worth .
Mitchell first came to national attention after she remarked to a television reporter that the
Washington, D.C., peace demonstrations held in November 1969 reminded her husband of the
Russian Revolution.
The statement increased her notoriety and coverage in the media.
Mitchell had the custom of having an evening drink and then calling reporters with political gossip or information she had gleaned while rifling through her husband's papers or eavesdropping on his conversations.
During this time, Mitchell's renown as an outspoken socialite grew, and she made regular appearances on television talk shows and variety shows, such as ''
Laugh-In
''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians Dan ...
''.
[
By November 1970, a ]Gallup poll
Gallup, Inc. is an American analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. Starting in the 1980s, Gallup transitioned its ...
indicated that 76 percent of Americans recognized who she was, and she was featured on the cover of ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' in an issue about the most influential women of Washington. Her reputation for frank and uncensored talk that was generally in support of Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
issues led to her being nicknamed "Martha the Mouth" or "The Mouth of the South".
Nixon selected John to head the Committee to Re-Elect the President
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
(commonly abbreviated to CRP, or deridingly, CREEP) for the 1972 campaign. During the campaign Mitchell had begun to complain to her media contacts that the campaign had engaged in "dirty tricks" to win the election. A week before the June 1972 burglary of the DNC headquarters in the Watergate office building, the Mitchells had traveled to Newport Beach, California, to attend a series of fundraising events. While there, Mitchell's husband received a phone call about the incident and immediately held a press conference denying any CRP involvement.[
Encouraging her to remain in ]California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, Mitchell's husband returned to Washington. Meanwhile, John Mitchell enlisted their security agent, former FBI agent Steve King, to prevent her from learning about the break-in or contacting reporters. Despite these efforts, the following week, Mitchell acquired a copy of the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'',[ learning that James W. McCord Jr., the security director of CRP and her daughter's bodyguard and driver, was among those arrested.] This detail conflicted with the White House's official story that the break-in was unrelated to the CRP, and raised her suspicions. Mitchell unsuccessfully made attempts to contact her husband by phone, eventually telling one of his aides that her next call would be to the press.[
]
June 1972 kidnapping, aftermath and vindication
The following Thursday, June 22,[ Mitchell made a late-night phone call to ]Helen Thomas
Helen Amelia Thomas (August 4, 1920 – July 20, 2013) was an American reporter and author, and a long serving member of the White House press corps. She covered the White House during the administrations of ten U.S. presidents—from th ...
of United Press International
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...
, reportedly Mitchell's favorite reporter. Mitchell informed Thomas of her intention to leave her husband until he resigned from CRP. The phone call, however, abruptly ended. When Thomas called back, the hotel operator told her that Mitchell was "indisposed" and would not be able to talk. Thomas then called Mitchell's husband. Seemingly unconcerned, John Mitchell told Thomas, "artha
''Artha'' (; sa, अर्थ; Tamil: ''poruḷ'' / ''பொருள்'') is one of the four aims of human life in Indian philosophy.James Lochtefeld (2002), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Rosen Publishing, New York, , pp 55–56 ...
gets a little upset about politics, but she loves me and I love her and that’s what counts."
In her subsequent report of the incident, Thomas said that it was apparent someone had taken the phone from Mitchell's hand and the woman could be heard saying "You just get away." Thomas's account was widely covered in the news, and many media outlets made efforts to find Mitchell for an interview. A few days later, Marcia Kramer, a veteran crime reporter of the '' New York Daily News'', tracked Mitchell to the Westchester Country Club
Westchester Country Club is a private country club located in Town of Harrison, New York. Founded in 1922 as destination for sportsmen, it was known to professional golf players and spectators for more than four decades as the home of the "Westche ...
in Rye, New York. Kramer found "a beaten woman" who had "incredible" black and blue marks on her arms.
In the first of many interviews, Mitchell related how in the week following the Watergate burglary, she had been held captive in that California hotel and it was King who had pulled the phone cord from the wall. After several attempts to escape from the balcony, she was physically accosted by five men and was left needing stitches. Herbert W. Kalmbach
Herbert Warren Kalmbach (October 19, 1921 – September 15, 2017) was an American attorney and banker. He served as the personal attorney to United States President Richard Nixon (1968–1973). He became embroiled in the Watergate scand ...
, Nixon's personal lawyer, was summoned to the hotel and he decided to call for a doctor to inject her with a tranquilizer
A tranquilizer is a drug that is designed for the treatment of anxiety, fear, tension, agitation, and disturbances of the mind, specifically to reduce states of anxiety and tension.
Etymology
Tranquilizer, as a term, was first used by F.F. Yonk ...
. The incident left her fearing for her life.
Although the Watergate burglary was the leading story across all news formats, her reports were relegated to human-interest stories in major newspapers, including ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'', ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' and ''The New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in t ...
''. Nixon aides, in an effort to discredit Mitchell, told the press that she had a "drinking problem", which was not entirely untrue. They suggested that she was convalescing in Silver Hill Hospital
Silver Hill Hospital is a non-profit psychiatric hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut established in 1931. The hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission and provides behavioral health care treatment. This includes psychiatric and addiction
...
, a psychiatric facility in Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
.
Initially, Mitchell began contacting reporters when her husband's role in the scandal became known in an effort to defend him. She believed him to be a "fall guy
Fall guy is a colloquial phrase that refers to a person to whom blame is deliberately and falsely attributed in order to deflect blame from another party.
Origin
The origin of the term "fall guy" is unknown and contentious. Many sources place ...
" and encouraged him to turn against the President.[ Soon after the burglary, John resigned, citing his desire to spend more time with his family as the reason.][ In the meantime, corruption in the GOP had moved sharply into focus for the outspoken Martha.]
In May 1973, she provided sworn testimony in a deposition at the offices of attorney Henry B. Rothblatt in connection with the Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
's million civil suit
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil act ...
against the CRP. The Mitchells separated in September 1973, with John suddenly moving out of the family home with their daughter. On January 1, 1975, he was convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice and conspiracy for his involvement in the Watergate break-in; he served 19 months in a federal prison. They never saw each other again.
Because of her involvement in the scandal, she was discredited and abandoned by most of her family, except for her son, intermittently. It was not until February 1975 that McCord, having been convicted for his role in the Watergate burglary, admitted that Mitchell was, in his words, "basically kidnapped" and corroborated her story. He further asserted that H. R. Haldeman
Harry Robbins Haldeman (October 27, 1926 – November 12, 1993) was an American political aide and businessman, best known for his service as White House Chief of Staff to President Richard Nixon and his consequent involvement in the Watergate s ...
, as well as other top Nixon aides, had been "jealous" of her popularity in the media and had sought out ways to embarrass her. Nixon later told interviewer David Frost in 1977 that Martha was a distraction to John Mitchell, such that no one was minding the store, and "If it hadn't been for Martha Mitchell, there'd have been no Watergate." King denies the kidnapping allegations, and has never been charged.
Garrett Graff, author of ''Watergate: A New History'', said that Mitchell's status as a whistleblower
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
was ignored largely due to the misogyny
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practice ...
of the era, resulting in her being written out of history. He has said that Mitchell "warned America about what was about to envelop the country, and she was ignored. She deserves a much bigger role in the way we tell the story of Watergate."
Personal life
Mitchell was Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
and, while in New York, attended Marble Collegiate Church. She began to write her memoirs in 1973, but fearing it would mean she would get no money from her husband, never signed a contract. In April 1974, she got a short-lived job as the guest host of the program ''Panorama'' on Washington's WTTG
WTTG (channel 5) is a television station in Washington, D.C., airing programming from the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside MyNetworkTV outlet WDCA (channel 20). WTTG and WDCA sh ...
; it only lasted a week.
In 1975, Mitchell fell ill.[ As her health declined, she was called on by a small circle of friends that included her reporter friend and biographer Winzola McLendon.] Her lawyer, in an ongoing alimony dispute, described her as "desperately ill, without funds and without friends".[ Her son cared for her and served as her occasional spokesman.] In her final days, Mitchell subsisted on donations sent by sympathetic supporters.
Suffering the advanced stages of multiple myeloma, on May 31, 1976, Mitchell slipped into a coma and died at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital. MSKCC is one of 52 National Cancer Institute– ...
in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. She was 57 years old. Her funeral service was held at First Presbyterian Church. An anonymous donor sent a large arrangement of flowers that spelled "Martha was right."
She was buried in the Bellwood Cemetery in Pine Bluff with her mother and grandparents. Her daughter Marty and husband John Mitchell attended the burial, albeit arriving late to the service. It was later reported that John Mitchell, because he was still legally her husband, closed the service off to the public and only a handful of mourners attended. Despite John Mitchell's actions to keep crowds away, Pine Bluff residents, fans, and the press nonetheless lined the streets and area surrounding the cemetery.
Public image
A November 1970 Gallup poll placed the public's opinion of her at 33% unfavorable to 43% favorable. She was known for her glamorous but "girly" fashion.[ Despite her fame as an outsized personality, those who knew her said she was often anxious before attending parties or public events, clutching her friend's arm, trembling, or even weeping.][
She refused to ]curtsy
A curtsy (also spelled curtsey or incorrectly as courtsey) is a traditional gendered gesture of greeting, in which a girl or woman bends her knees while bowing her head. In Western culture it is the feminine equivalent of bowing by males. Miss Ma ...
to Queen Elizabeth II at a garden party in July 1971, saying, "I feel that an American citizen should not bow to foreign monarchs." Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
's Earl of Lindsay
Earl of Lindsay is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for John Lindsay, 10th Lord Lindsay, who later inherited the ancient Earldom of Crawford. The two earldoms remained united until the death of the 22nd Earl of Craw ...
, a member of the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland, wrote Mitchell a letter of reprimand, and in a statement to the press said, "There is always hope she may learn some manners. She is a stupid woman. If she is going to shout her mouth off like that, she is bound to get shouted at."
Myra MacPherson of ''The Washington Post'' wrote that "To many she was a brazen and bombastic woman, to others she was a heroine who attacked a liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
permissiveness they felt had brought chaos to the land."[
The ''National Review'' said:
]
Legacy
Three years after Mitchell's death, Washington newswoman and Mitchell-collaborator Winzola McLendon released a biography titled ''Martha: The Life of Martha Mitchell''.
Mitchell's birthplace and childhood home were added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1978. A segment of U.S. Route 79 in Pine Bluff is designated the Martha Mitchell Expressway, and a bust of her at the Pine Bluff Civic Center bears a plaque reading " Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
In 2022 Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is an American investigative journalist. He started working for '' The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the title of associate editor.
While a young reporter for ''The Washingt ...
and Carl Bernstein
Carl Milton Bernstein ( ; born February 14, 1944) is an American investigative journalist and author. While a young reporter for ''The Washington Post'' in 1972, Bernstein was teamed up with Bob Woodward, and the two did much of the original n ...
confirmed that in the spring of 1974 Mitchell had invited them to examine papers left behind by John Mitchell in their New York apartment. She is quoted as having said: "Please nail him. I hope you get the bastard."
In popular culture
A one-woman play about Mitchell, ''Dirty Tricks'' by John Jeter, appeared off-Broadway in 2004.
The first episode of the podcast '' Slow Burn'', entitled "Martha", chronicled her role in the Watergate scandal in 2017.
'' Gaslit'', a political thriller television series based on the ''Slow Burn'' podcast, began airing in 2022, with Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...
portraying Martha and Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008).
Penn began his acting career in televisi ...
playing John Mitchell.
The "Martha Mitchell effect
The Martha Mitchell effect occurs when a medical professional labels a patient's accurate perception of real events as delusional, resulting in misdiagnosis.Coleman, A. (2015)A Dictionary of Psychology p441.Alexander, G. J. (1996)International ...
", in which a psychiatrist mistakenly or willfully identifies a patient's true but extraordinary claims as delusions, was named after her.
Filmography
*''Panorama'' (1974) – Guest host
*''The Martha Mitchell Effect'' (2022) - documentary of archival footage explores Martha's story as it pertains to the Watergate Scandal.
See also
*Gaslighting
Gaslighting is a colloquialism, loosely defined as manipulating someone so as to make them question their own reality. The term derives from the title of the 1944 American film '' Gaslight'', which was based on the 1938 British theatre play '' G ...
*Martha Mitchell effect
The Martha Mitchell effect occurs when a medical professional labels a patient's accurate perception of real events as delusional, resulting in misdiagnosis.Coleman, A. (2015)A Dictionary of Psychology p441.Alexander, G. J. (1996)International ...
Notes
References
Works cited
*
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General references
*
*
*
External links
Martha Mitchell Home in Arkansas
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Martha
1918 births
1976 deaths
People from Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Arkansas Republicans
New York (state) Republicans
American whistleblowers
Secretaries
Stephens College alumni
University of Miami alumni
Deaths from multiple myeloma
Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
20th-century American women educators
20th-century American educators