1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,320 Speaker 1: As you well know, we constantly hear about mar A Lago, 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: President Trump's home in Palm Beach, Florida. It's filled with 3 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:10,879 Speaker 1: big names and big money, but its history was even 4 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: more opulent than it is now. Mar A Lago was 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,280 Speaker 1: built in the boom Boom roaring nineteen twenties by Marjorie 6 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,639 Speaker 1: Merriweather Post, known for most of her life as the 7 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: richest woman in America. I'm Patty Steele. Where did she 8 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 1: get all that money and what did she do with it? 9 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: That's next on the backstory. We're back with the backstory. 10 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,720 Speaker 1: So imagine your father dies when you're just twenty seven 11 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: years old. You're his only child, and you inherit a 12 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: fortune that makes you the richest woman in America. Where 13 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: did Marjorie Merriweather Post's money come from? Her father was CW. Post. 14 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: He started a number of businesses as a young guy 15 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: in the eighteen seventies, but he also had anxiety issues 16 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: as well as stomach prompt After two mental breakdowns in 17 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: the late eighteen eighties and early nineties, he started to 18 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: search for a cure, especially looking at nutrition. CW checked 19 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: himself into the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, 20 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: which was run by one of the Kellogg brothers of 21 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: Kellogg's cereal fame. Suddenly CW had a new business idea, 22 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: but he seems to have pulled a few shady stunts 23 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: to get it underway. Word is CW. Post may have 24 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: stolen some of the Kellogg's cereal formulations to get his 25 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 1: business going, including cornflakes which he called Post toasties, and 26 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: malted nuts which he called grape nuts, better known now 27 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: than malted nuts. It was the beginning of general foods. 28 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: He was making a fortune, but his health still wasn't good, 29 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: and after having just one baby, Marjorie in eighteen eighty 30 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: seven with his much neglected wife, he left her. Eventually, 31 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: in nineteen oh four he met married his twenty seven 32 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: year old secretary. Ten years later, still mentally and physically ill, CW. 33 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: Post committed suicide. Marjorie, at twenty seven, inherited most of 34 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: his fortune. She also inherited his business acumen. Marjorie continued 35 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: to grow the business and the fortune exponentially for the 36 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: rest of her life, as did her daughter, the actress 37 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 1: Deina Merrill, who died in twenty seventeen with a net 38 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: worth of five billion dollars. But let's go back to 39 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty three. There was a tremendous land boom in 40 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: Florida and Marjorie Meriwether Post, thirty six years old at 41 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: the time and married to her second husband E. F. 42 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: Hutton of Wall Street Investment fame, decided she wanted to 43 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: build a house there. She traveled to the site with 44 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: her architect. It was in the early days of Palm 45 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: Beach development, and Marjorie literally crawled with him through thick 46 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: tropical underbrush to pick the perfect seventeen acre site for 47 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: her house. It took four years to build this massive 48 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: Spanish Revival style villa with red tile roofed stucco walls, 49 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: over one hundred rooms, and a seventy five foot tower. 50 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: She called it mar A Lago, which means sea to 51 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 1: lake in Spanish, since it fronted the ocean on one 52 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: side and Lake Worth on the other. Mar A Lago 53 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 1: cost Marjorie a crazy seven million dollars to build, which 54 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 1: today would equal a little over one hundred and thirty 55 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,519 Speaker 1: million dollars. She didn't mind. She had the money to spare. 56 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: The landscaping on the seventeen acre estate was filled with 57 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: incredibly lush, semi tropical gardens, a nine hole golf course, 58 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: and a massive patio for the lavish parties she hosted. 59 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: Guests included European royalty as well as American tycoons from 60 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: families like the Vanderbilts and Hearsts. Inside the house there 61 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 1: was five hundred year old imported Spanish tile, also intricate 62 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: wood carvings and elaborate ironwork. And much like President Trump, 63 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: Marjorie had a taste for gold, so doors, ceilings, and 64 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: woodwork were heavily gilded. But the thing is a house 65 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: in Palm Beach wasn't a year round residence. Marjorie had 66 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 1: mansions on Long Island and Washington d C. An Adirondeck 67 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: summer home was sixty eight separate buildings on over two 68 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: hundred acres. Who was huge. The great room alone in 69 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: the main lodge was four thousand square feet one room. 70 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: She also had a fifty four room apartment in New 71 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 1: York City that was actually the city's first penthouse. And 72 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: oh yeah, she built what was the largest private sailing 73 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 1: yacht in the world, the four masted Sea Cloud, three 74 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty feet long and filled with antiques, and artwork. 75 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: The Sea Cloud needed a crew of seventy two to 76 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: sail it, and now, almost ninety five years after she 77 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: was built, it's actually operating still as a luxury cruise ship. 78 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: But back to mar A Lago. Marjorie and husband Number 79 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,919 Speaker 1: two If Hutton spent winters there to enjoy the nice weather. 80 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 1: She threw huge parties that even included circus performances, but 81 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,159 Speaker 1: as frequently happens, the couple divorced just eight years after 82 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:23,040 Speaker 1: the estate was finished. She immediately remarried, but for ten 83 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: years hardly visited mar A Lago, loaning it to the 84 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: government during World War II. Finally, in nineteen forty eight, 85 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: she reclaimed it and entertained lavishly there in season until 86 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:37,720 Speaker 1: her death in nineteen seventy three at the age of 87 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 1: eighty six. What a life. Marjorie left mar A Lago 88 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 1: to the National Park Service, but even they couldn't afford 89 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: to maintain it. Finally, in nineteen eighty five, it was 90 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:53,039 Speaker 1: sold to Donald Trump. In nineteen ninety four, due to 91 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 1: financial problems, Trump turned much of the sixty three thousand 92 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:01,280 Speaker 1: square foot mansion and the grounds into a private club. 93 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:04,559 Speaker 1: He and his family still have a private residence there, 94 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: but the days of Marjorie Merriweather posts are long gone. 95 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:17,920 Speaker 1: Hope you like the Backstory with Patty Steele. I would 96 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 1: love it if you'd subscribe or follow for free to 97 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: get new episodes delivered automatically, and feel free to dm 98 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: me if you have a story you'd like me to cover. 99 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. 100 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:38,160 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, 101 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer 102 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new 103 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out 104 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 1: to me with comments and even story suggestions on Instagram 105 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 1: at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. 106 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele, the 107 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: pieces of his history you didn't know you needed to know.