Hadley Richardson

• Born: November 9, 1891 in St. Louis, Missouri
• Died: January 23, 1979 in Lakeland, Florida
• Met EH at a party thrown by mutual friend Katy Smith in 1920
• Married EH on September 3, 1921

Elizabeth Hadley Richardson was the mother of Hemingway's eldest son, John Hemingway. Of his four wives, Hadley is considered Hemingway's one true love. He never forgave himself for how he had betrayed her after he fell in love with Pauline Pfeiffer. In a 1926 letter to Hadley in which he admitted his sorrow for hurting her, he called her "the best and truest and loveliest person that I have ever known."

Hadley is also remembered for the infamous lost manuscript incident. Hemingway was on assignment covering the Lausanne Peace Conference in 1922. Hadley came to visit him via train and had packed with her all of his manuscripts including the carbons in a small valise, which ended up being stolen. The material was never recovered.