The last face FDR saw before he died was that of Lucy Mercer Rutherford, his mistress of thirty-one years. Although Eleanor, his children, and the press knew about Lucy, the American public would not hear of her until 1966. FDR and Lucy is the first book to delve into this hidden side of FDR's life. Drawing on documents from the Roosevelt Presidential Library as well as visits to Lucy's homes, biographer Resa Willis explores how this life-long love affair changed the course of his marriage and the presidency. Roosevelt fell in love with Lucy in 1914 and for the next three decades she provided him comfort from the pressures of his job and the critical eyes of his mother and wife. Illuminating a critical era in American history, Willis explores why the press dared not report the affair. Willis also suggests that Eleanor's discovery of Lucy in 1918 marked the end of the Roosevelt's personal marriage and the beginning of their political marriage and Eleanor's groundbreaking activism. A true love story with historical impact, FDR and Lucy paints a compelling portrait of one of the most famous other women in American history, giving us a window into FDR's impassioned life and presidency.
1. While I am Alive 2. Rich in Heritage if not Funds 3. Inexorably Drawn to Each Other 4. Part of the Family 5. Not Willing to Step Aside 6. Like an English Peer 7. Please tell Franklin 8. I Hear that You are a Grandfather 9. Mr. President 10. Bless You as Ever. L 11. Your Dear Blessed and Capable Hands 12. I am Alone 13. His Beloved Presence 14. He Seems very Anxious to have his Portrait done Now 15. One of the Greatest Men that Ever Lived
Biography
Resa Willis is the author of the PEN-nominated Mark and Livy: The Love Story of Mark Twain and the Woman Who Almost Tamed Him. She is a professor of English and writing at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri and author of many works of poetry, fiction and nonfiction.
