Evalyn Walsh Mclean

About the Author

Evalyn Walsh McLean was a captivating figure of early 20th-century American high society, born into immense wealth from her father's silver mining fortune in Colorado. Her life, marked by opulence, tragedy, and an unyielding spirit, is chronicled in her memoir Father Struck It Rich, where she vividly recounts her journey from a spirited young girl to a prominent socialite married to newspaper magnate Edward Beale McLean. Known for her acquisition of the infamous Hope Diamond, which she believed brought both fortune and misfortune to her family, Evalyn's narrative weaves personal anecdotes with the glamour and grit of Gilded Age America. Despite profound losses, including the deaths of her children, she remained a philanthropist and hostess extraordinaire, leaving an indelible mark on Washington, D.C.'s elite circles until her death in 1947.