July 1991 - AFTER DAISY SUCKELY’S DEATH, A SURPRISING DISCOVERY

Immediately following the death of Daisy Suckley, Wilderstein board members begin a comprehensive inventory of the contents of the house including the furniture, art, and archival materials that form the core of Wilderstein’s collection.  In Daisy’s bedroom on the third floor, a suitcase is discovered with letters exchanged between Daisy and Franklin Roosevelt between 1933 and 1945 as well as Daisy’s journal documenting her relationship with the president.  In all, the suitcase contains 38 handwritten letters from FDR.  The letters to and from Daisy and the president and Daisy’s journal offer completely new insights into FDR’s personal life while in office.

In 1995, historian Geoffery Ward publishes excerpts from Daisy’s journal and the letters she exchanged with the president as Closest Companion, The Unknown Story of the Intimate Friendship between Franklin Roosevelt and Margaret Suckley.