Susan Mary Alsop (June 19, 1918 – August 18, 2004) was an American writer and socialite active in Washington, D.C. political circles. She was the wife of columnist Joseph Alsop and a descendant of founding father John Jay. Her Georgetown home hosted dignitaries and publishers during the 1960s and 1970s ranging from John F. Kennedy,

Phil Graham Philip Leslie Graham (July 18, 1915 – August 3, 1963) was an American newspaperman. He served as publisher and later co-owner of ''The Washington Post'' and its parent company, The Washington Post Company. During his years with the Post Comp ...

, Katharine Graham, and

Isaiah Berlin Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...

, earning her the nickname "the grand dame of Washington society."

Early life

Alsop was born Susan Mary Jay in Rome on June 19, 1918, to Susan Alexander McCook and U.S. diplomat Peter Augustus Jay, who served as U.S. General Consul to Egypt, U.S. Minister to El Salvador and Romania and

U.S. Ambassador to Argentina The United States ambassador to Argentina is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Argentina. Argentina had declared its independence from Spain in 1816 and there followed a series of revolution ...

. She had an older sister, Emily Kane Jay, who died young. Her paternal grandparents were

Augustus Jay Augustus Jay (October 17, 1850 – December 25, 1919) was an American diplomat and member of the prominent Jay family. Early life Jay was born on October 17, 1850 in Washington, D.C. He was the only child of Peter Augustus Jay and Josephine (n� ...

and Emily Astor (''née'' Kane) Jay and her maternal grandfather was Civil War officer and prominent attorney John James McCook. She attended

Foxcroft School Foxcroft School, founded in 1914 by Charlotte Haxall Noland, is a college-preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12, located near Middleburg, Virginia, United States. In its century of existence, Foxcroft has educated the daug ...

in Virginia and later took courses at Barnard College.

Career

In 1939, she began working at '' Vogue'' magazine as a receptionist, writer and model. Alsop authored several books and dozens of magazine articles. In 1975, she published a collection of letters, ''To Marietta from Paris'', followed by ''Lady Sackville: A Biography'' (1978), about the Lady Victoria Sackville-West. She chronicled notable American diplomats in ''Yankees at the Court: The First Americans in Paris'' (1982), and ''The Congress Dances: Vienna 1814–1815'' (1984). She was a contributing editor to ''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast, which also publishes internati ...

'', in which she published some 70 articles.

Personal life

In 1939, she married the diplomat William Samuel "Bill" Patten, and in 1945 helped him get a job with the American embassy in Paris. While in Paris, she began an affair with the British Ambassador Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich, that lasted until Cooper's death in 1954. She had a child with Cooper while still married to Patten. Her husband died in 1960, and the following year she married Joseph Alsop. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1978. Alsop was on good terms with John F. Kennedy and his wife

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

: he visited her house on the day of his inauguration. She joined the White House Paintings Committee, and was influential enough to be termed the "Second Lady of Camelot". Alsop died in Washington, D.C. on August 18, 2004. She was posthumously biographed by her son in his 2008 memoir ''My Three Fathers: And the Elegant Deceptions of My Mother, Susan Mary Alsop'', and later by French former diplomat Caroline de Margerie in ''American Lady: The Life of Susan Mary Alsop'' (2012). Also in 2012 she was fictionalized in

David Auburn David Auburn (born 30 November 1969) is an American playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. He is best known for his 2000 play '' Proof'', which won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play and Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He also wrote the screen ...

's Broadway play ''

The Columnist ''The Columnist'' is a play by American playwright David Auburn. It opened on Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, under the direction of Daniel J. Sullivan. The play opened on April 25, 2012 and closed July 8, 2012 with John Lithgow starring ...

'', based on Joseph Alsop's life, and portrayed by actress

Margaret Colin Margaret Colin (born May 26, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Margo Hughes on ''As the World Turns'' and as Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Margaret Colin was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and w ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alsop, Susan Mary 1918 births 2004 deaths American socialites People from Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) 20th-century American women writers Writers from Washington, D.C. Barnard College alumni Jay family Alsop family