Dorothy Draper - Life

Life

She was born into the aristocratic Tuckerman family in Tuxedo Park, a village in New York State. Her great-grandfather, Oliver Wolcott, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Dorothy stated later that she had "no schooling to speak of, except that I was brought up where I had the privilege of being constantly in touch with surroundings of pleasant good taste". Extensive travel in Europe added to her observations; after she married Dr. George Draper in 1912 and continued to live in glamour, she redecorated her homes in such style that other high society friends began to ask her to do the same for their homes. Her husband was the personal doctor to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt after he was diagnosed with polio. Eleanor Roosevelt and Dorothy were cousins and good friends growing up, so the relationship between the two families was already in existence. She was also the cousin of another influential interior designer, Sister Parish.

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