Pauline Pfeiffer
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Pauline Marie Pfeiffer (July 22, 1895 – October 21, 1951) was the second wife of the writer Ernest Hemingway. She was born in Parkersburg, Iowa on July 22, 1895, moving to St. Louis in 1901 where she attended school at Academy of the Visitation from first grade until graduation. Although her family moved to Piggott, Arkansas, Pfeiffer stayed in Missouri to study at University of Missouri School of Journalism, graduating in 1918.
After working at newspapers in Cleveland and New York, Pfeiffer switched to magazines including Vanity Fair and Vogue. A move to Paris for Vogue led to her meeting Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson. Although the threesome were friends initially, Pfeiffer began to replace Richardson as Hemingway's romantic partner, eventually leading to a deal where Richardson agreed to a divorce if the two were still in love after a separation of 100 days.
Pfeiffer married Hemingway on May 10, 1927 but it was not a match made in heaven. She was wealthy and he was a best-selling author (The Sun Also Rises) with three books in print. Although they had two sons (Patrick and Gregory), Pfeiffer was often forced to choose between following Hemingway on his travels or minding her sons. As a result she failed at both sets of relationships. Hemingway went to Spain in 1937 and there began an affair with Martha Gellhorn. He and Pfeiffer were divorced on November 4, 1940 and he married Gellhorn three weeks later.
Pfeiffer spent the rest of her life in Key West with frequent visits to California until her death on October 21, 1951.
Pfeiffer's difficult labor with one son was the fictional basis for Catherine's death in A Farewell to Arms. Her devout Roman Catholic beliefs led to her supporting the Fascists during the Spanish Civil War, while Hemingway backed the Loyalists.[1] Pfeiffer was alleged to have been in lesbian relationships after her divorce.
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At the time of their wedding, Hemingway was an established author, with three books in print, one best seller (The Sun Also Rises), and a large advance from his publisher for his second short story collection.
Source: Hemingway, The Homecoming by Michael Reynolds, Norton 1992
