Perle Mesta

Perle Mesta was an American society figure, political hostess, and U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg (1949-1953). She supported Harry S. Truman's run for the White House, and was rewarded with the ambassadorship to Luxembourg.

Mesta was the inspiration for Irving Berlin's musical, Call Me Madam, "a satire on politics and foreign affairs that spoofs America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries, it centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed socialite widow who is appointed US Ambassador to the fictional European country of Lichtenburg. While there, she charms the local gentry, especially Cosmo Constantine, while her press attache Kenneth Gibson falls in love with Princess Maria" (Wikipedia).