Book excerpt: Washington hostess Perla Mesta, "The Woman Who Knew Everyone"

We may receive an affiliate commission from anything you buy from this article. "The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington's Most Famous Hostess" by Meryl Gordon (Grand Central Publishing), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats

Bestselling author Meryl Gordon's biography "The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington's Most Famous Hostess" (Grand Central Publishing), tells the story of the socialite, political savant, and United States envoy to Luxembourg, who turned her gift for hosting parties in the nation's capital into a unique form of activism, becoming one of the most famous women in America.

Mesta's affinity for hosting politicians and celebrities would inspire a musical starring Ethel Merman, "Call Me Madam," and a sobriquet that she was "The Hostess with the Mostes' on the Ball."