The Actual History Behind the Mar a Lago Property

The Actual History Behind the Mar a Lago Property

Larry Holzwarth - February 3, 2021

The Actual History Behind the Mar a Lago Property
Marjorie’s third husband and fellow collector of Russian art, Joseph E. Davies. Wikimedia

8. Marjorie’s third husband became Ambassador to the Soviet Union

Marjorie married her third husband, Joseph E. Davies, in 1935. Davies practiced labor law and as an aspiring politician ran for the Senate, though he failed to win the seat. By 1935, he was an established antitrust lawyer in Washington. A noted art collector (like Marjorie), Davies went to the Soviet Union as Ambassador in 1936. Davies already had established business connections in the Soviet Union. Stalin had directed the sale of artifacts from the days of the Romanov dynasty in order to raise hard money to support his various programs. Among them were works by Faberge, paintings and tapestries from France and Austria, and antique porcelain and other objects d’arte.

Davies and Marjorie purchased many of the items, which were then displayed at Mar a Lago and her other residences. President Roosevelt recalled Davies in 1938, in part because of his perceived Communist sympathies. He later returned on a second mission to Moscow, as a personal representative of the President, who wanted a face-to-face meeting with Stalin regarding the conduct of the war against Germany. Marjorie and Davies were highly criticized for their acquisition of Soviet art, with many believing some of it was confiscated from Soviet citizens during Stalin’s purges of the 1930s. Most of the items remain in the United States, displayed at Hillwood, Post’s estate outside of Washington DC. The estate operates as a museum today.

Advertisement