Mary Calvi

Subject of a documentary on Smithsonian Channel, the award-winning novel, "Dear George, Dear Mary" is a never-before-told story, hidden away for centuries, revealing that long before tea was tossed into Boston Harbor, unrequited love helped spark a flame that ignited a cause that became the American Revolution. Crafted from thousands of archived letters, witness accounts, journal entries, documents and published articles, the novel based on the true account, explores the relationship between George Washington & his first love, the richest belle of Colonial America, Mary Eliza Philipse.

“Calvi’s portrait of Washington as an earnest young man striving for success but beleaguered on every front is convincing and, in a way, endearing. It is also a fascinating and unique look at pre-Revolutionary War society, with its misunderstandings and simmering resentments, and notable for the author’s use of contemporaneous documents.” -BOOKLIST

"Calvi’s debut skillfully depicts the ill-fated love story of a promising 24-year-old colonel named George Washington and Mary Eliza Philipse, a...New York heiress, {in this} 'affecting' narrative." -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY


As a journalist, MARY CALVI searches for untold stories. Never would she have imagined she would find one hidden away for centuries in her hometown and in the grand manor that once belonged to the first love of George Washington. This novel is based on what she uncovered through her years of research involving thousands of documents related to George Washington, Mary Eliza Philipse, and other historical figures. Calvi is a nine-time New York Emmy® award-winning journalist. She is a television news anchor in New York City. Mary is also First Lady of the City of Yonkers. She serves as a board member of the Hudson River Museum. This is her first novel.