“I’ve done some job on this place. I clear my throat, allowing just the subtlest of nods. I was right to request that the meeting take place here, rather than at the White House.”

Marjorie comes to see her properties as political arenas in and of themselves. She uses her spaces to carve out a place in American society and sees hosting as a way of serving the American government.

“These commanders in chief keep changing every four to eight years, but I remain at my post to greet and host them all.”

Marjorie Merriweather Post is a stalwart figure in American history, who has a connection to almost every president from Abraham Lincoln to Gerald Ford. Even as they and their agendas change, Marjorie impresses each with her lavish galas and gatherings.

“‘It’s the healing power of the spirit that cures our feeble frames,’ she’d said on more than one occasion. She spoke long and boldly, warning us that ‘our ailments come not from the body but from the soul.’”

Religion has a lasting effect on Marjorie’s life. Her parents believe that the Christian Science faith of Mrs. Gregory in Battle Creek saves both Charles William and Marjorie from serious illness, and so they also become Christian Scientists—a religion that informs some of Charles William’s approach to business.