Perle Mesta

Perle Mesta ( born October 12, 1889 in Sturgis, St. Joseph County, Michigan, † March 16, 1975 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; actually Perle Skirvin Mesta your person Reid was an American socialite and U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg inspired. the composer Irving Berlin to the musical Call Me Madam.

Early years

Perle Mesta was when Pearl Reid Skirvin was born in Sturgis, Michigan, and moved in 1906 to Oklahoma City. Her father Bill Skirvin was a typical self -made man, who had joined in Texas on oil and therefore had made ​​a fortune ( which was built by him Skirvin Hilton is still to visit in Oklahoma City). 1917 Pearl married a native of Pittsburgh manufacturer George Mesta. As a companion to their 54 -year-old husband, who was active during the First World War as an advisor to President Woodrow Wilson, she came for the first time with the Washington politics in touch. After the war, the couple traveled extensively to Europe. When George Mesta died in 1925, was able to draw on contacts from business and politics until his 36 - year-old widow. The now by several inheritances themselves become wealthy Perle Mesta moved several times, settling finally in 1929 in Newport, Rhode Iceland down. There she soon rose to become one of the most influential hosts events for politicians and people around them.

The political hostess

By 1935, Perle Mesta began to become more committed to political issues. So she sat down for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, a ( draft Amendment, which is to guarantee the equality of man and woman constitutionally, is to this day but not ratified ) and joined the National Woman's Party at where they temporarily took over the public relations. Politically Mesta was initially a supporter of the Republican, but switched in 1940 to the camp of the Democrats. In the same year she moved to Washington, D.C. order and later supported the presidential candidacy of there Harry S. Truman.

Following the successful outcome of the election this showed gratitude by being the first ambassador of the USA in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg sent Mesta ( until then the diplomatic relations of the U.S. Embassy in Belgium were maintained). This caught at that time not only in so far stir when Mesta therefore one of the first women in U.S. history was at all, who held a diplomatic office, but rather because its pretty down to earth personality and their direct anything but diplomatic to be named Art Nonetheless, Mesta remained from 1949 to 1953 in this function. For their achievements, they honored the state became the first woman with the highest distinction, which he has to forgive, the Order of the Oak Crown.

More important than their diplomatic mission, however, was the role that Perle Mesta played as a political hostess in Washington. Parties, which were organized by her, were during the 1940s and 1950s in the circles of politics prominence as major social event in which met everything was anybody. An invitation was considered a sure sign that the aspirant had made ​​it to the closest circles of the political high society. In this context, the nickname of Perle Mesta was - "The Hostess with the musts ' " (a play on words that loosely translated means as much as " [ sic ] The hostess who has the mastery tests to offer " ): lush on the festivals celebrated omitted for the physical welfare of all those present was always well taken care of, the alcohol flowed freely (ironically drank Mesta, the follower of Christian Science, was himself never a drop ). The social influence of Perle Mesta was at times so great that Time Magazine devoted her on 14 May 1949, the title story and the title page. As a political hostess Mesta was still active until the 1970s into it, but took their influence with the inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the changing social climate significantly.

Perle Mesta died aged 85 on March 16, 1975 in Oklahoma City.

The musical Call Me Madam

The idiosyncratic style of Perle Mesta as Ambassador to Luxembourg inspired the composer Irving Berlin for the musical Call Me Madam, which was also later filmed by Walter Lang ( in the German language under the title Madame makes history ( n ) is known ). In both productions, the role of Mrs. Sally Adams, the Perle Mesta was the model, embodied by the time of his acclaimed musical star Ethel Merman.

A song of the musical ("The Hostess With the musts ' on the ball " ) alludes to the nickname Mestas. Even the title of the musical itself is to go back to a saying of the former diplomat. On the question of which form of address they prefer this to have replied: "Call me Madam Minister ". This was then shortened to "Call Me Madam".