Pamela
Churchill Harriman (born Pamela Beryl Digby on March 20, 1920) was the daughter
of an English Lord who became a leading American socialite, Democratic party
fund-raiser and, in her last years, the US Ambassador to France. She was
married three times and linked romantically with some of the world's richest
and most influential men. At age 19 she met Randolph Churchill, son of British World War II prime minister Winston Churchill, and married him three weeks later. Pamela impressed her father-in-law and was given a significant role in promoting good relations between Britain and the US during the war. Her marriage was unhappy and Pamela's work led her into a series of affairs with influential men, notably with Averell Harriman, the US ambassador in London. After Harriman was posted to Moscow, Pamela's name was also linked to CBS broadcaster Ed Murrow and millionaire Bill Paley.
After divorcing Randolph in 1946, Pamela moved to Paris, France where she was linked with Ally Kahn and the married heir to the Fiat empire, Gianni Agnelli. By the late 1950s, she was regarded as a scandalous figure by the British establishment, as liaisons with Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos and Elie de Rothschild added to her list of influential lovers. When Queen Elizabeth visited Paris in 1957, the ambassador's wife refused to invite Pamela to the embassy for lunch.
Pamela Churchill (she kept her famous married surname after the divorce) then moved to the US where she married the theatrical producer Leland Haywood in 1962. The marriage was a success and Pamela devotedly nursed Haywood as his health failed him.
In 1971, Haywood died and Pamela quickly became reacquainted with her old flame, Averell Harriman, who had recently become a widower. They married later that year and Pamela took American citizenship. Harriman was a leading figure in the Democratic Party and Pamela was welcomed into the US political Establishment.
Her position as uncrowned queen of the Democratic Party continued after Harriman's death in 1986 when she inherited $64 million. Pamela became an ardent fund-raiser for the Democrats and gave 'power-meals' at which bright new politicians were introduced to those who could further their careers. Pamela met Bill Clinton and Al Gore and gave them her personal and financial backing during the 1992 Presidential campaign. When they won the election, Clinton rewarded her with the US ambassador's post in France. Returning to the scene of her earlier life as a socialite, Pamela Harriman proved to be a successful diplomat who was much liked by the French government, maintaining a good working relationship even through a time of strained US-French relations.
On February 5 1997, at age 76, Pamela Harriman died of a brain hemorrhage after a routine swim at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. At her funeral on February 13, President Clinton paid tribute to Mrs Harriman, describing her as "a woman of elegance, wisdom and indomitable will."