Marjorie Merriweather Post^[1]

1887 - 1973  (86 years)

• Name	Marjorie Merriweather Post
  Birth	15 Mar 1887	Springfield, Illinois
  Gender	Female
  Death	12 Sep 1973
  Person ID	I7245	Scudder
  Last Modified	14 Nov 2011

  
  

  Father	Charles William Post,   b. 26 Oct 1854, Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois d. 9 May 1914, Santa Barbara, Ventura, California (Age 59 years)
  Mother	Ella Letitia Merriweather,   b. 18 Sep 1853, Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois d. 22 Oct 1912, Washington, District of Columbia (Age 59 years)
  Marriage	4 Nov 1874	Pawnee, Illinois
  Divorce	Oct 1904
  Notes	They were married by Rev. Albert.
  Family ID	F2621	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Edward Bennett Close,   b. 23 Jan 1882, New York, New York d. 5 Feb 1955, Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut (Age 73 years)
  Marriage	3 Dec 1905	New York, New York
  Divorce	Nov 1919
  Children	1. Adelaide Brevoort Close,   b. 26 Jul 1908, Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut d. 31 Dec 1998, Howard county, Maryland (Age 90 years)   2. Eleanor Post Close,   b. 12 Dec 1909, Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut d. 27 Nov 2006, Paris, France (Age 96 years)
  Family ID	F2623	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2024

  
  

  Family 2	Edward Francis Hutton,   b. 7 Sep 1875, New York, New York d. 11 Jul 1962, Westbury, New York (Age 86 years)
  Marriage	7 Jul 1920	New York, New York
  Divorce	1935
  Children	1. N.M. Hutton
  Family ID	F2624	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2024

  
  

  Family 3	Joseph Edward Davies,   b. 29 Nov 1876, Watertown, Wisconsin d. 9 May 1958, Washington, District of Columbia (Age 81 years)
  Marriage	15 Dec 1935	New York, New York
  Notes	They were divorced in 1955.
  Family ID	F2625	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2024

  
  

  Family 4	Herbert Arthur May,   b. 27 Jun 1892, Watertown, Jefferson, Wisconsin d. 12 Mar 1966, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands (Age 73 years)
  Marriage	18 Jun 1958	Woodbine, Maryland
  Divorce	1964
  Family ID	F2626	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2024

  
  

• Notes

  Marjorie's father trained her in every aspect of the Postum Company’s workings, from overseeing factory production to attending board meetings. He also exposed his daughter to art through trips abroad and his own collecting of Victoriana. His death in 1914 left Marjorie the owner of a rapidly growing cereal company. Her increasing responsibilities placed new demands on her and soon drew her into a fast-paced life in Manhattan. The genesis of Mrs. Post's career as a collector harks back to the early part of the 20th-century and coincides with her move to New York. This move brought her into the same social sphere as the Fricks, Vanderbilts, and Whitneys - for whom collecting was considered a worthwhile, if not necessary, pursuit of the wealthy. Marjorie bought decorative art objects for her New York home and, through experience and education, gradually developed a discerning eye, especially for French furnishings. While balancing the needs of her company and her family, Marjorie embarked on a course of self-education in the decorative arts. She enrolled in classes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and sought the tutelage of the renowned art dealer Sir Joseph Duveen. Her second marriage was to Wall Street financier Edward F. Hutton in 1920. A perfect match, they were both handsome, wealthy, and adventurous. Her exceptional vision for the Postum Cereal Company, coupled with Hutton’s business acumen, led to the formation of the General Foods Corporation, a leader in prepared and frozen foods. Marjorie’s personal tastes also broadened as she turned greater attention to decorating her vast properties. Throughout the 1920s she acquired fine furnishings for her grand apartment in New York; her estate Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida; Camp Hutridge (later Topridge) in the Adirondacks; and her yacht Sea Cloud. She also turned her attention to aquiring fine Sèvres porcelain and 18th-century French gold boxes. In response to the economic hardship that devastated the nation in the 1930s, Marjorie increased her charitable involvement. She supported numerous philanthropic causes throughout her life, including the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, and in later years, the National Symphony Orchestra. Marjorie accompanied her third husband, Joseph E. Davies, to the Soviet Union, where he served as the American ambassador (1937-1938). On the eve of World War II, Marjorie witnessed Stalin’s reign of terror firsthand. It was also in the Soviet Union where Marjorie's eye turned to Russian decorative and liturgical arts, Like many American collectors, Mrs. Post continued collecting throughout her life and wanted to share her collection with the public. In 1955 she bought the Hillwood estate to serve both as her residence and as a future Museum. By 1958 she had hired Marvin Ross, a Harvard trained art historian, to catalogue her collections, advise her on acquisitions, and implement standard Museum practices at Hillwood. On her death in 1973, Mrs. Post’s final and most important philanthropic gesture became reality when Hillwood, her last estate in Washington, D.C., was bequeathed to the public as a Museum. Her magnificent French and Russian collections remain on view at Hillwood Museum and Gardens, where her legacy of opulent beauty and gracious elegance continues to thrive.

  
  

• Sources

  [S109] Partial Genealogy of Descendants of Elizabeth Scudder-E, Section II, Bulletin XXX, p. 32.