Marriage to George Mesta

Panorama of the Flatiron Building and Madison Square in New York City, c. 1910-1915. Courtesy Library of Congress.

While visiting family in New York City, New York in 1915, Perle met George Mesta, a successful businessman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The two married in 1917 and Perle relocated to Pittsburgh, where she observed George run Mesta Machine, a globally--renowned foundry known as the foremost maker of steel mill machinery, producing the machines that crafted weapon, ship, and airplane parts for the militaries of the U.S. and its allies. 

During World War I, the importance of his plant to the war effort, as well as his significant contributions to the Republican Party, earned George a position as an advisor on war machinery to the president. The responsibilities brought the Mestas to Washington, D.C., often. Through George's political connections, Perle gained access to some of the most powerful people in the country and would eventually establish herself as the preeminent hostess in Washington, D.C. society. 

Unfortunately, after just eight years of marriage, George Mesta died suddenly of a heart attack and left his entire fortune to Perle, The fortune was reported to be $15 million in 1925. Combined with the inheritance from her father, Perle would become one of the wealthiest women in the United States.

Street view in Washington, D.C. c. 1913 - 1917. Courtesy Library of Congress.

A view of the Pittsburgh skyline from the Castle Shannon Incline on April 3, 1917. Courtesy University of Pittsburgh.