Evening star., 1953-03-22
By IsobeIIe Shelton

..
of the Mutual Security admin
istrator, is a shy. retiring wom-
an who regards her role in life
as that of behind-the-Scenes
helpmate for her politically
ambitious husband.
Esther Stassen expresses her
helpfulness in housewifely ways.
She has not participated in her
husbands political career in the
sense of making speeches or
ringing doorbells, or even stuff
ing envelopes.
More often than not she did
not accompany him on cam
paign tours. either during his
successful quest for the gover-
norship of Minnesota or his per-
ennial but unsuccessful quests
for the Republican presidential
nomination. She was busy at
home with her two small chill
dren.
Husband Comes First
But she has worked diligent-
ly to make home a reStful haven
for her energetic husband. II
feel can do most for him by
being a good wife and mother
and looking after his health
and theirs-although he really
takes very good care Of him
self"
Even her spare time activities
have been largely those which
she thought would be useful to
her husband. She took a legal
secretarial course before their
marriage, while he was studying
law. When she was a young
homemaker and mother of two
she took evening courses in in
terror decorating and child psy-
chology.
When he was a United States
delegate to the San Francisco
Conference in 1945 she began
an intensive study of U. N. OBJ
jectives. (This was one trip on
which she did accompany him.
They were in San Francisco for
nine weekS.)
When they moved to suburban
Philadelphia after Mr.. Stassen
became president of the Uni
versity Of Pennsylvania, she
delved into the background of
the Colonial city.
Last winter, when he came to
Washington for pre-inaugural
conferences with the outgoing
heads of Mutual Security, she
asked him to bring back
literature so she would know
what his new job was all about.
She had digested it all before
she moved to Washington early
in January.
IT like to be able to talk to
him intelligently about his work
in the evening"" she explained.
Though there isn't as much to
discuss about Mutual Security as
there is about politics. MSA is
all so technical"
Most of her time since she
arrived here has been taken up
with official duties and getting
settled in the attractive white
brick house they have rented
on S street, just of Wisconsin
avenue.
Will Study Georgetown
But she has another reading
project lined up. Since she now
is a resident of Georgetown. she
plans to read up on that historic
old section, and also poke around
it's shops. She likes to visit an
tique shops, but is more of a
locker than a buyer" she says,
especially now when her attic is
stuffed full of extra furniture
she doesn't need.
Their present house was rented
furnished. but they wanted a
good many of their own things
around them, so much of the
owners furniture-in c luz in g
everything but the red Oriental
rug and new gold draperies from
the living room-have been ban
ished to the attic.
Inasmuch as the Stassen's St.
Paul home had 10 rooms and the
university presidents house in
Philadelphia had more rooms
than Mrs. Stassen actually could
keep track of ("I know we had
seven bedrooms~, it is easy to
see that they are way over
stocked on furniture at the mo-
ment. They stored some, sold
some and still have the attic
piled to the rafters."
Ceiling-high bookcases which
flank the fireplace all across one
wall Of the living room are
crammed full, and there are
"about four times that many