Talk:Marguerite LeHand

Breakdown/Stroke

Marguerite LeHand had a stroke, not a "major breakdown".

Relationship with Roosevelt

Elliot Roosevelt's series of crime novels set in the White House during his father's tenure as President make it pretty clear that her relationship with Roosevelt went a LONG way beyond professional, and that it had the tacit approval of Eleanor Roosevelt (and Elliot himself seems not to disapprove). Elliot draws back from stating that she was his father's mistress, but many scenes in the books make it clear that their relationship was intimate. There is no direct statement of the relationship, but the inference is clear.

Of course, these books are fiction, but written by FDR and Eleanor's son, so I think we can presume that the local colour is accurate! --APRCooper 08:01, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

• It goes beyond "mysteries" and it's definitely NOT fiction in any way, because he wrote a tell-all "biography" in 1973. Together with James Brough, Elliott Roosevelt wrote a highly personal book about his parents called The Roosevelts of Hyde Park: An Untold Story where he reveals details about the sexual lives of his parents, including his father's unique relationships with two mistresses Lucy Mercer and Marguerite ("Missy") LeHand as well as graphic details surrounding the illness that crippled his father. The biography also contains valuable insights into Roosevelts's run for vice-president, rise to the governorship of New York, and his capture of the presidency in 1932, particularly with the help of Louis Howe. IZAK 14:26, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

I undid a date correction in this section. The funeral discussed was for Missy's mother in 1932, not Missy's own funeral in 1944.Paratrooper450 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 17:54, 27 May 2011 (UTC).

Orphan tag

I removed the Orphan tag, after noting that there are now 5 articles linked to this one.Plazak 18:46, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

Health Issues

I labeled the section "Health Issues" because I intend to add information on Missy's mental health issues. She apparently attempted suicide at Warm Springs and had other "mental breaakdowns" during her time with Roosevelt. I will also add information about her death, described nicely by Doris Kearns Goodwin in No Ordinary Time. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Paratrooper450 (talk • contribs) 21:23, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Marguerite LeHand/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Mark Arsten (talk · contribs) 17:18, 6 January 2013 (UTC)

• Will review, comments to follow within the next few days. Mark Arsten (talk) 17:18, 6 January 2013 (UTC)

• Looking forward to it, thanks. -- Khazar2 (talk) 17:33, 6 January 2013 (UTC)
• Excellent updates, thank you. I have been meaning to add content for some time but haven't found the time. I appreciate the added information! Paratrooper450 (talk) 21:25, 7 January 2013 (UTC)

• Thanks--I hope you won't let my additions stop you from adding more, too! -- Khazar2 (talk) 21:32, 7 January 2013 (UTC)

• Thanks for your patience, I've read through the article and have a few comments thus far. Mainly small stuff, I don't see much to complain about here. I'll probably go and make some copyedits, let me know if I mess anything up. Mark Arsten (talk) 17:19, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

• No dabs or dead links.
• Images all seem fine. FD and ER could possibly use links to the LOC, I think.

LOC?

Library of Congress Paratrooper450 (talk) 00:29, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Got it. What kind of link are you envisioning, Mark? -- Khazar2 (talk) 01:23, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

I was thinking a link like in the source field of File:25100v.jpg. Not strictly necessary, but would be good to have

It looks like they do have those links in the tags if this is what you're looking for: [1] [2] -- Khazar2 (talk) 19:00, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Early life

• Do we know where she attended secretary school? Is there a good place to link that?

I don't know that this has been lost to history necessarily, but I couldn't turn it up in the various sources I read. This encyclopedia article on her, for example, just mentions it generically, which seems typical.[3]]

I will look through Goodwin's book tonight to see if she offers anything more concrete. Paratrooper450 (talk) 00:29, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Thanks! -- Khazar2 (talk) 01:23, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Not a big deal, but would be nice if we could find out. Mark Arsten (talk) 16:52, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Secretary to Roosevelt

• I'm curious, was she a government employee while Roosevelt was in office? I presume he personally paid her salary when she was first hired, but did the state/country take over after his election?

I don't remember any of my sources covering that--it's a good question, but one I don't have an answer to.

Her White House title was "Private Secretary to the President" but she was a government employee. In the 1938 edition of the "Official Register of the United States" she is listed on page 10, which notes she received an annual salary of $5,000 Paratrooper450 (talk) 00:29, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, Paratrooper. Mark, what would be your suggestion for how to work in the above? All it proves conclusively is that she was on the govt. payroll in 1938, but it seems safe to assume that she was throughout her tenure as a presidential secretary. -- Khazar2 (talk) 01:23, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Good question, I'd suggest something a little vague like "During Roosevelt's tenure as president, LeHand became a government employee." Do you think that would work? Mark Arsten (talk) 16:59, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Sounds good to me. Will add it now. -- Khazar2 (talk) 19:00, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

• I presume she interacted with dignitaries while serving as White House hostess, are there any specifics on well-known individuals she interacted with/appraisals of her skill as hostess?

I don't recall encountering any of these specifics in my sources. It must surely have happened, and happened often, but the problem is LeHand is usually treated only in summary in materials focused on FDR and ER; I didn't turn up any books specific to her. There is a book out there by LeHand's successor/assistant Grace Tully, which might have more detailed anecdotes about LeHand, but I don't have a copy.

Interesting, this would probably need to be used if it went for featured status, but isn't needed to be passed as a good article. Mark Arsten (talk) 16:52, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

• " LeHand accompanied him and acted as his hostess.[15] She also accompanied him to the spa town of Warm Springs, Georgia" Some repetition of "accompanied" here, might be best to avoid it if you can.

Done.

• "moved into the second floor Governor's Mansion in Albany" second floor of the mansion?

Done.

• "With Eleanor often away working in New York during this time" New York city?

Done.

• "During her long tenure time as FDR's secretary" Looks like something got mixed up here.

Done.

• Do we know what her view of his decision to run for president was? Was she able to help out in the campaign (since she had a breakdown during the '28 campaign)

I think I encountered a speculative reference that LeHand probably wasn't thrilled about it, but it was weak enough that I didn't think it was worth including. I couldn't find anything more detailed than that. She was loyal, so she wouldn't have said much on the record, and because she went down with a stroke before the end of his presidency, left no memoirs.

She burned her letters. Paratrooper450 (talk) 00:29, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Ok, understandable. Mark Arsten (talk) 16:52, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

• It might be interesting to have a quote or something from the Newsweek article, if you can access it.

I couldn't find this, unfortunately.

Relationship with Roosevelt

• Check to make sure that "U.S." and "US" are standardized.

Done.

• " In one of her later books, Eleanor wrote that she occasionally failed to "meet the need of someone whom I dearly love", stating, "You must learn to allow someone else to meet the need, without bitterness or envy, and accept it."" You should add an inline citation after this sentence.

Done.

Later illness and death

• Check for comma consistency, I see "In June 1941" in this section then "In March 1945," in the next.

Done.

SS Marguerite LeHand

• Is there a good way to combine this with the next section? Having two short sections like this is somewhat awkward.

Done.

• Also, I think there might be a bit too much detail about the ship.

Slightly reduced.

References/Bibliography

• Is this a reliable source? If not, would it be possible to find a better one?

Done.

• Number ranges (i.e. 24–28) should use "pp." instead of just "p."

Done. Thanks for pointing that out, I didn't realize the template could do that.

• Also, be consistent in the numbers you elide, "111-112" vs "116–17"

Looks like you got that one. That was in from a previous editor, I think.

• A minor issue, but you should try to standardize the ISBNs (dashes vs no dashes)

Done.

A couple more minor comments that don't affect GA status:

• You might want to say when his estate was probated and convert to c. 2012 dollars.
• Also, might want to add a convert template to the size of the ship.
• Also, forgot to note that I spotchecked 3, 6, 19, and 37 and found no issues.

Thanks for the close copyediting--much appreciated.-- Khazar2 (talk) 19:56, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

Ok, at this point, I've concluded that this meets the GA criteria--good work! Interesting to read about a less-known figure like this, I wonder how famous she would have been had she gotten that close to a president nowadays? Mark Arsten (talk) 18:32, 11 January 2013 (UTC)

$100 million book deal for sure. Thanks for the review and the copyedits! -- Khazar2 (talk) 19:02, 11 January 2013 (UTC)

No problem, my pleasure. Mark Arsten (talk) 19:17, 11 January 2013 (UTC)

Glad to have been a part of this. I keep finding more material, which I will continue to add as I'm able.Paratrooper450 (talk) 13:56, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

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