HOLLYWOOD COULD NOT WRITE A BETTER SCRIPT than the real-life story of Bertha Duppler Baur. This small-town Cinderella used intelligence and determination to make her way in the world before marrying her Prince Charming. The fairy tale might have ended there, but Bertha continued to live as a wealthy, independent woman after her husband's untimely death. She was presented to the Queen of England and entertained European royalty in her home. Her daughter married a Canadian nobleman, securing a place in society. Truly a fairy tale story. But, in this Cinderella story, the Republican Party served as her fairy godmother, and the US post office in Chicago became her ballroom.
Bertha Duppler Baur's story is more than a fairy tale, however. A truly modern woman, she moved in some of the highest political circles of her day. She was comfortable in the male world of politics and business, where she...
