Personal Files,, 1935(1960)-1994

Summary: Primarily personal correspondence received by Mary Roebling. Also includes correspondence with organizations and files on subjects in which Roebling had an interest, such as mechanical banks and astrology. Some material is answered by Roebling's personal secretaries Irene Frost, Mary Devlin ("Devey") Simco, or Kay MacPherson. Document types include letters received, copies of letters sent, magazine and newspaper clippings, invitations, newsletters and bulletins, minutes, financial documents, genealogical material, catalogs, programs, lists and notes.

Series consists of three sub-series: Personal Files 1945-1957; Personal Files 1937-1991; and Personal Files 1952-1994. Personal Files 1945-1957 (.8 cubic feet) contains personal letters from Mary Roebling's friends, and has been restricted until January 1, 2020.

The bulk of sub-series Personal Files 1937-1991 (7.3 cubic feet) dates from 1949 to 1971. It includes correspondence with Roebling's family, friends and acquaintances, many of whom were national public figures, such as U.S. Senator Harrison Williams, U.S. Treasurer Ivy Baker Priest, Congressman James Roosevelt (Franklin D. Roosevelt's son), Washington hostess and Minister to Luxembourg Perle Mesta, and Richard Nixon, for whom Roebling served as a delegate in the 1960 presidential election. It also includes correspondence with New Jersey state government figures such as Governor Thomas Kean, Governor Robert Meyner and his wife Helen, who served in the U.S. Congress, and New Jersey Republican Finance Committee Chairman Webster B. Todd. Roebling also kept files on foreign government officials with whom she corresponded, such as Eva Peron, whom she met while visiting Argentina in 1950, and Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateos, whose inauguration she attended in 1959. In addition, Roebling developed a personal relationship with Sukanya Sathityudhakan, the daughter of a Thai minister of defense, who worked for the Trenton Trust Company while a student at Rider College in the 1960s. Finally, Mary Roebling was close friends with Shinzo and Masako Ohya. Shinzo Ohya, president of Teyin, Ltd., one of Japan's biggest fiber and textile companies, served in the Japanese Diet and the Cabinet. His wife Masako, who had her own real estate empire, became one of the world's richest women.

Mary Roebling also corresponded with business leaders in her native Trenton and nationally, such as Sam Le Frak, the billionaire builder; David McDonald, president of the U.S. Steelworkers; Ian MacGregor, chairman of British Coal; Charles B. Tichenor, chairman of the board of Champale, Inc.; and her cousins Robert and Peggy MacNeil, president of the Trenton Times. The Personal Files often document the area where Roebling's business interests and friendships intersected, as she cultivated new accounts for the Trenton Trust Company. For example, she was friendly with Henry W. Jeffers, president of Walker-Gordon Laboratories of Plainsboro, where she sat on the Board of Directors. Roebling also corresponded with many people in the fields of public relations and the media, such as Arthur "Red" Motley, the publisher of Parade; M. Albert Neroni, head of public relations at the John A. Roebling Company; and of course Larry Casey, the Philadelphia Inquirer reporter who became her speech writer and public relations advisor.

Finally, the Personal Files document Roebling's many interests, such as travel, religion, genealogy, orchids, opera, art and design. For instance, Roebling was a friend and patron of opera singer Eleanor Steber. The Personal Files also contain some correspondence and reference materials received from organizations which she supported, such as the Whitney Museum, Wilberforce University, the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Trenton, Russell Sage College, and the Radcliffe Institute.

Personal Files 1952-1994 (8.3 cubic feet) contains correspondence with past presidents George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon and their families; people in business; personalities such as astrologer Carroll Righter; and personal friends and acquaintances.

Also includes genealogical material concerning the Gindhart and Roebling families and several articles and correspondence concerning the involvement of the Roebling family in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and attempts at creating a Roebling postal stamp. The series also contains some financial documents, documentation of contributions to organizations, and versions of Mrs. Roebling's will.

1937-1991