Home
Search transcripts:    Advanced Search
Notable New     Yorkers
Select     Notable New Yorker

Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
Photo Gallery
Transcript

Part:         Session:         Page of 731

episode that I knew of that came under the heading of the “mothball wife.”

At any rate, Jimmy was nominated and not a word was said in the papers about his private life. I remember watching for the Monday morning papers with great interest. There was Jimmy coming out of St. Joseph's Church. That's the old church on Sixth Avenue and the corner of Washington Place. It's a good old church built like a Greek temple with pillars in the front. It may be on Waverly Street - it's the most southerly street. They lived in that parish so that was the proper place for them to be seen coming out of. Everything was all right and not a word was said about Jimmy's way of living. I suppose there were a few mutterings under the breath here and there. Nobody was offended. Janet's picture was taken frequently. She poured at all the teas that all the ladies gave. She was seen with the candidate at meetings. She was a very nice woman and a very pleasant person. I liked her very much. She was a very witty woman. She had lots of common sense. She wouldn't have gone through this performance if she hadn't had it.

Their friendship didn't last throughout the mayoralty term. I don't know how long it lasted. For quite a while it showed well on the surface - enough so that she poured at the teas, received distinguished visitors and so forth and so on.





© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help