Marjorie Merriweather Post
Famous memorial
BIRTH
15 Mar 1887
Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, USA
DEATH
12 Sep 1973 (aged 86)
Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA
BURIAL
Hillwood Museum and Gardens
Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA Add to Map
PLOT
Rose Garden
MEMORIAL ID
30631729 · View Source
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MEMORIAL
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American socialite, heir to the Post cereal fortune, and wealthiest woman in America. Marjorie Merriweather Post was a businesswoman, collector, museum founder, and philanthropist. She was the only child of C.W. Post, founder of the Post Cereal empire. When Marjorie's father died in 1914, she became head of the $20 million cereal company that would later become the General Foods Corporation. This made her one of America's most successful businesswomen and the richest woman in the world. Marjorie's first husband, and father of her first 2 daughters, Edward Close, would remarry. One of his twin sons, from that second marriage, would be the father of actress Glenn Close. With her second husband, E.F. Hutton, she transformed the Post Cereal Company into General Foods. They had 1 child together, the actress Dina Merrill, nee Nedenia Marjorie Hutton. In the 1920s, Marjorie built her legendary Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago. In the 1930s, she accompanied her third husband, Joseph E. Davies, to the Soviet Union, where he served as ambassador. After divorcing Davies, she purchased the Hillwood estate in DC and became one of Washington's top hostesses.
Bio by: vendredi
Family Members
Parents
C.W. Post
1854–1914
Ella Letitia Merriweather Post
1852–1912
Spouses
Edward Bennett Close
1882–1955 (m. 1905)
Edward Francis Hutton
1875–1962 (m. 1920)
Joseph Edward Davies
1876–1958 (m. 1935)
Herbert Arthur May
1892–1966 (m. 1958)
Siblings
Infant Post
1883–1883
Children
Adelaide Brevoort Close Riggs
1908–1998
Eleanor Post Close Barzin
1909–2006
Dina Merrill
1923–2017
~~~
Marjorie Merriweather Post

Post in 1942
Born
March 15, 1887
Springfield, Illinois
Died
September 12, 1973 (aged 86)
Washington, D.C.
Alma mater
Mount Vernon Seminary and College
Occupations
• Businesswomansocialitephilanthropist
Spouse(s)
Edward Bennett Close

(m. 1905; div. 1919)
Edward Francis Hutton

(m. 1920; div. 1935)
Joseph E. Davies

(m. 1935; div. 1955)
Herbert A. May

(m. 1958; div. 1964)
Children
3; including Eleanor Post Hutton and Dina Merrill
Parent
C. W. Post (father)
Marjorie Merriweather Post (March 15, 1887 – September 12, 1973) was an American businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist. She was also the owner of General Foods Corporation.
Post used much of her fortune to collect art, particularly Imperial-era Russian art, much of which is now on display at Hillwood, the museum which was her estate in Washington, D.C. She is also known for her mansion, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida.