President Donald Trump‘s “winter White House, Mar-A-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, was originally owned by American business executive and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973.)
Post was the founder of General Foods, Inc. In addition to Hillwood, located in Washington, DC, Post’s other lavish estate was Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. Designed by Marion Sims Wyeth and Joseph Urban, Mar-a-Lago was willed in 1973 to the U.S. Government as a retreat for Presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries. The mansion was not, however, used for this purpose, prior to being declared a National Historic Landmark in 1980. It was purchased by then businessman, President Trump in 1985. wikipedia
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In addition to Mar-a-Lago and Hillwood, Post also owned Camp Topridge on Upper St. Regis Lake in the Adirondacks, which she considered a “rustic retreat.” It included a fully staffed main lodge and private guest cabins, each staffed with its own butler. The expansive Great Camp, built in 1923 by Ben Muncil, eventually contained nearly 70 buildings, as well as a Russian dacha, on 300 acres. It was one of only two Adirondack camps to be featured in LIFE magazine. Another home, which she shared with Joseph Davies in Washington, DC, was called Tregaron.
It’s worth noting, Post’s second husband was, E. F. Hutton, yes, that E.F. Hutton. Post and Hutton divorced in 1935. They had one child,
Nedenia Marjorie Hutton, better known as actress “Dina Merrill.”
