KINGMAKER

Grit and glamour.

British journalist Purnell, award-winning biographer of Clementine Churchill, turns her attention to Churchill’s cherished daughter-in-law, Pamela Harriman (1920-97), somewhat condescendingly called, “the most powerful courtesan in history.” Drawing on newly released material, including an extensive interview conducted by a previous biographer, Purnell creates a vibrant portrait of an influential political player in her native England and her adopted America. At 19, two weeks after her first date with Randolph Churchill, the couple were engaged, much to the dismay of her friends and parents. “Wherever Randolph went, scandal ensued,” Purnell reports, and Pamela soon realized she had married "a drunken, offensive adulterer." At an emotional breaking point, overwhelmed by Randolph's mounting debts, she turned to Lord Beaverbrook, her son's godfather, for financial help. He agreed, provided she work for him in procuring information about America’s plans for intervention in the raging European war. Pamela proved a star player in Operation Seduction USA; her conquests included Roosevelt’s emissary Averell Harriman and broadcaster Edward R. Murrow. Purnell recounts Pamela’s "strategic" sex life, which included affairs with Prince Aly Khan and Fiat mogul Gianni Agnelli. Later, marriage to Hollywood agent Leland Hayward gave her access to a new circle of celebrities, but it was politics that compelled her. Within a year of Hayward’s death, she reconnected with Harriman, married him, and became an American citizen. In Washington, Purnell reveals, she cast her spell, as she always had, over influential and wealthy men, working tirelessly and strategically for Democratic candidates, successful in getting many of them elected. In 1980, she was named Democratic Woman of the Year—an accolade typically bestowed on first ladies. In 1993, appointed by her friend Bill Clinton, she became the first female envoy to France, the pinnacle of a storied career.

Meticulous research informs a captivating biography.