Entrepreneurship
Perle Mesta excelled not only as a society hostess, but also as a savvy businesswoman. She made several shrewd investments in oil and real estate, including the expansion of the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City. Perle also formed partnerships with her brother and sister; following the death of their father, the three siblings combined their inherited assets to grow the Skirvin estate through a variety of business ventures, including managing their father's oil interests and running a 30,000-cattle ranch in Arizona.
Postcard depicting Mesta Machine Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, c. 1919. Courtesy Pennsylvania State Archives.
In addition, after inheriting the bulk of stock in Mesta Machine following her husband's passing, Perle assumed George's seat on the board of directors and dedicated herself to growing the company. Her dedication to her late husband's company shocked the predominantly male board and the high society of Pittsburgh who had expected her to abandon the life she had built with George on the East Coast.
Photograph by Meyers Photo Shop, July 1962, of the Skirvin Hotel with the addition of the third tower. Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.