Mrs. Ambassador

Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mother. Diplomat. Eugenie Anderson of Red Wing, Minnesota, played many roles in a life that virtually spanned the twentieth century. She cherished her family but purposely sought a larger stage, one on which she could affect world events and contribute to a brighter future.

Motivated by concern over the rise of communism, Anderson brought energy and eloquence to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, becoming a friend and lifelong advisor to Hubert Humphrey. Anderson achieved historic diplomatic status when President Harry Truman appointed her the first woman ambassador for the United States with a post to Denmark in 1949. She went on to serve in Communist Bulgaria and at the United Nations. Tirelessly advocating for human rights, Anderson pushed against expectations set by society and the media and in the process demonstrated that diplomacy’s requisite skills—intelligence, poise, determination—are held by women and men alike.

In Mrs. Ambassador, Eugenie Anderson's granddaughter Mary Dupont explores a political life led with certainty about what Anderson stood for as a representative of the United States and a personal life led with just as much assurance. The result: an enticing narrative about a mid-twentieth-century politician who championed democratic ideals at home and around the world.