Margaret “Daisy” Suckley at Wilderstein

Shortly after the death of Margaret Suckley at her home in Rhinebeck, NY, friends discovered a suitcase under her bed filled with correspondence to and from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Margaret, or “Daisy,” as she was called, was known within the President’s inner circle, but few would have known the intimacy of their relationship. She was to have a deep impact on his life in his later years, and she played a large role in helping establish his Presidential Library at Hyde Park.

There is a long history of wealthy families buying and building large estates along the Hudson River. The Livingstons and their descendants, the Rockefellers, the Astors and the Mills, the Vanderbilts and yes, the Roosevelts had their stately homes along the river. Daisy’s parents were both from wealthy families. Her grandparents Thomas Suckley and his wife Catherine Murray Bowne surveyed the site of the future house and built it in 1852. They named it Wilderstein because they found an old Indian petroglyph on the grounds and wanted to honor the Native cultural heritage of the land’s original inhabitants. In 1888, Thomas’s son Robert transformed the house into the Victorian mansion we know today by adding a full third floor, an elaborate gabled attic, and a five-story circular tower. It’s the best-preserved house in the Victorian style in the area.

Wilderstein (Photo by Matthew Deming).

As the family money ran out, Daisy was in desperate need of work to keep herself and some of her family secure, in addition to the large expense of maintaining such a grand home. She had worked for an aunt for a time and then in 1922, she was invited to tea by Sara Delano Roosevelt, FDR’s mother, at her home in Hyde Park. It was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship. She became instrumental in the President’s life after he contracted polio. They were close friends and confided much to one another, and it was apparent that there were some substantial feelings between them for a time.

Daisy was offered a job at the new FDR Library in Hyde Park and her skills as an archivist proved vital in organizing his personal and family papers. Because she was often with him in his political travels, she knew and could recognize the various people in the photographs that she was tasked to catalogue. She would go on to organize the entire contents of the President’s Study at the Library and at his own home, Top Cottage. She had a fondness for the cottage as well. It had been a favorite spot of hers and FDR’s when they used to drive around the countryside together. It was Daisy who gave FDR his famous dog, Fala.

Daisy lived in the great old estate with her sister, Betty, the last of her siblings. In 1980, the Wilderstein Preservation was created and the house was opened to the public, but she maintained the right to live in the house until her death. Betty passed away in 1987 and Daisy, just shy of her 100th birthday, passed away in 1991.

When I last visited the historic home, only the first floor was available for tours, but the exterior had been beautifully restored, with the original Victorian colors finally brought back. The parlor was in the process of getting some of the original wall coverings repaired, but one could wander through the first floor and marvel at the house and lives of the Suckley family. There is some fantastic video footage of the Suckley sisters shortly before their deaths and it really helps to bring you back in time. It’s a wonderful place to visit and support, and a fascinating history about the connection between FDR and Daisy.

 For more information: https://wilderstein.org/history/