She divorced her husband within a year of his election to the governorship, and was noted for thereafter occasionally commenting on his political activities, including his two unsuccessful campaigns for the presidency, with a characteristic acerbic wit.

[6] The young couple soon became popular and familiar figures on the Chicago social scene; they especially enjoyed attending and hosting costume parties.

They built a home on the property and it served as Adlai Stevenson's official residence for the rest of his life.

Hindsight, legal proceedings, and psychiatric testimony now make understandable the behavior that baffled and saddened her family".

[10] Her happiest times were in Chicago, where "she used to write sonnets, was considered a better than average poetess, and had a fairly good play in verse produced by a college theater".

[15] Columnist Robert Ruark wrote a piece opining that Ellen's dismissive comments actually aided Adlai's campaigns by making him a more sympathetic figure to those who generally opposed divorce at that time.