Thursday, December 6, 2007

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington; 1789-1797

Born: 1731
Died: 1802

Martha Dandridge was the oldest of seven children of a prominent Virginia planter. Like other young women of her background, she had limited formal education, but she was able and pleasant and took a positive view of life. At 18, she married 38-year-old tobacco heir Daniel Parke Custis, inheriting his fortune when he died eight years later. She and Custis had four children; two died in childhood, a daughter died at 17, and a son died at 26. Two years after Custis's death. Martha married 26-year-old Colonel George Washington, bringing her wealth and two young children to his Mount Vernon plantation. Though Martha had no children with George, they raised her son and daughter and later two of her grandchildren.

For 43 years, Mount Vernon was Martha's home. She ran the plantation while George was away, but traveled to his northern encampments every winter of the Revolutionary War. Welcomed by the soldiers as "Lady Washington," Martha never forgot the nation's veterans, giving many financial aid later on. When her husband became President, Martha joined him at the nation's first capital, New York, and then Philadelphia, where she acted as dignified hostess to the numerous visitors and official guests who came to call. When George retired, the couple returned to private life at Mount Vernon, where they enjoyed their final days.

First President
George Washington

Abigail Smith Adams; 1797-1801

Born: 1744
Died: 1818

Abigail Smith and John Adams had much in common. Both were New Englanders steeped in the Puritan ethic, with strong political views. Abigail came from a respected Massachusetts family, her father a Congregational minister, her grandfather a judge. Since formal education was reserved for men, Abigail went to her family's library to study government and philosophy -- interests she shared with young lawyer John Adams. The two wed in 1764 when John was 29 and Abigail 20. Devoted partners for 54 years, they had five children, including future President John Quincy Adams.

The revolutionary cause often separated John from his family. While he served in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and later in diplomatic posts abroad, Abigail raised the children and ran their Quincy, Massachusetts farm, at one point not seeing John for over four years. But the two kept up a vivid correspondence, with Abigail advocating the abolition of slavery and equal rights for women. In 1784 Abigail joined her husband in Europe, returning to America when he became Vice President. Though she liked and admired Martha Washington, Abigail steered a different course when she became First Lady. She freely expressed her political views, prompting critics to call her "Mrs. President." But she was also an able hostess, and enjoyed entertaining in the new, albeit unfinished, White House.

Second President
John Adams

Martha Jefferson Randolph; 1801-1809

Born: 1772
Died: 1836

Martha Wayles Skelton was a 22-year-old widow and mother from a wealthy Virginia family when she married the 29-year-old Thomas Jefferson in 1772. Though no likeness of Martha now exists, she was described as auburn-haired and graceful, a harpsichordist who shared Jefferson's love of music. The couple had six children, but only two daughters lived to adulthood and Martha's own health steadily worsened. In 1780, Jefferson refused an appointment to Paris because of Martha's fragile condition. Two years later, at 33, she died -- 20 years before her husband became President. By all accounts, Jefferson was devastated by the loss. He never remarried.

During Jefferson's Presidency, his eldest child, Martha -- nicknamed Patsy -- served as hostess during her winter visits to the White House. Born in 1772, Patsy attended convent schools in Paris while her father served as Minister to France (1784-1789). In 1790, she married fellow Virginian Thomas Mann Randolph, who joined Patsy at her father's Monticello home. Over the years they had 12 children, including the first baby born in the White House. Besides Patsy, Jefferson sometimes asked his Virginia neighbor Dolley Madison (whose husband, James, he'd appointed Secretary of the State) to act as White House hostess.

Third President
Thomas Jefferson

Dolley Payne Todd Madison; 1809-1817

Born: 1768
Died: 1849

Dolley Madison was warm, joyful and generous, and both her husband and her country adored her. Her parents were Virginia Quakers whose opposition to slavery prompted their move north to Philadelphia in 1783. One of eight children, Dolley attended Quaker schools open to both sexes. At 21, she married lawyer John Todd and had two sons. At 25, she lost both John and her baby to yellow fever. The next year, she wed the acclaimed Virginia Congressman James Madison. Seventeen years her senior, he was in many ways her opposite -- slight and formal while she was robust and outgoing -- but their 42-year marriage, though childless, was famously happy.

Dolley's love of people and activity served her well at the White House during the Jefferson and Madison Administrations. Though she favored French fashions and fancy turbans, she genuinely welcomed one and all, regardless of their background or station. Her rapport with diplomats and politicians won allies for her husband, and she helped found a home for orphan girls. But Dolley is best known for fleeing with George Washington's portrait before the British burned the White House in 1814. When James retired, the couple returned to Montpelier, their Virginia plantation, and lived there for 20 years. But Dolley moved back to Washington, at 68, when James died. There she remained as popular as ever, visiting Presidents and receiving an honorary seat in Congress.

Fourth President
James Madison

Elizabeth Kortright Monroe; 1817-1825

Born: 1768
Died: 1830

Aristocratic and aloof, Elizabeth Monroe presented a sharp contrast to her predecessor, Dolley Madison. She came from a wealthy, old New York family of Dutch descent; her father was a founder of the Chamber of Commerce and a British sympathizer during the Revolution. At 17, Elizabeth married 27-year-old James Monroe, a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress in New York. The couple had three children, two who survived infancy. The lived in New York, In Philadelphia when James was a Senator, and at their Virginia home near Monticello, before James's diplomatic assignment took them to Paris in the midst of the French Revolution. There Elizabeth helped secure the release from prison of Mme. Lafayette, whose husband had aided General Washington in the Revolutionary War.

Known in France as "la belle Americaine," Elizabeth lived in Europe off and on for 25 years while James served in various diplomatic posts. As First Lady, she brought her European style and taste to the White House, making it a more formal and elegant place. but she rarely attended dinners or other public functions, preferring the private company of family and close friends. Citing ill health, she discontinued Dolley Madison's practice of paying social calls, and spent months at a time away from Washington.

Fifth President
James Monroe

Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams; 1825-1829

Born: 1775
Died: 1852

Born in London to a British mother and American father, Louisa Catherine Johnson grew up comfortably in the "Old World" of England and France. One of nine children, she attended convent schools, spoke fluent French, and was an accomplished harpist who loved music. At 20, she married John Quincy Adams, the 28-year-old son of America's Vice President then serving as a diplomat in London. John's peripatetic career took Louisa to Germany, Massachusetts, Russia, England and Washington, where she distinguished herself time and again as a skillful and popular hostess. It wasn't easy. She found New England rustic and lonely. In Russia, she was separated for seven years from two of her three sons since John insisted the boys remain in America with his parents. A daughter born in Russia died in 1812. And in the winter of 1814, during Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, Louisa, with only her young son and a few servants, rode 40 days by carriage from St. Petersburg to Paris where John was waiting.

Louisa helped John's Presidential campaign, hosting parties and paying calls, but she herself had no wish for the office and suffered depression during her White House years. Complaining in her diary of isolation and of the inferior status of women, Louisa nonetheless performed her social duties with grace, often presenting programs of music.

Sixth President
John Quincy Adams

Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson; 1829-1837

Born: 1767
Died: 1828

Andrew Jackson met Rachel Donelson in the frontier town of Nashville, Tennessee, when he was a 23-year-old prosecutor living at her mother's boarding house. Rachel, a spirited 23-year-old was back home from Kentucky awaiting a divorce from her jealous and abusive husband of five years, Lewis Robards. Rachel and Andrew fell in love and wed in 1791, only to learn afterward that Robards hadn't divorced Rachel. Robards then did so, claiming adultery, and Rachel and Andrew rewed in 1794. But the Robards matter followed them, used later by Andrew's political enemies who called Rachel a bigamist and adulteress. The attacks always enraged Andrew who took a bullet in the shoulder defending Rachel's honor.

A devoted couple for 37 years, the Jackson's lived at the Hermitage, their pioneer farm outside Nashville. Though they were childless, their house was full of the many people "Aunt Rachel" took in. She was devout, charitable, and overweight -- a good country woman who smoked a pipe. Ridiculed by Andrew's opponents in his 1824 and 1828 Presidential campaigns, Rachel dreaded moving to Washington when he finally won. As fate would have it, she didn't have to. Just months before the inauguration, she died of a heart attack and was buried in her intended inaugural gown. Two of her nieces served as Andrew's White House hostesses. He missed Rachel till the day he died.

Seventh President
Andrew Jackson

Hannah Hoes Van Buren, Angelica Singleton Van Buren; 1837-1841

Hannah, Born: 1783, Died: 1819
Angelica, Born: 1816, Died: 1877

Hannah Hoes and Martin Van Buren were distant cousins who grew up in the small and insular Dutch community of Kinderhook, New York. They married when both were 24, but had only a decade together before Hannah died of tuberculosis. Gentle in manner with auburn curls and doe-like eyes, Hannah had five sons, four of whom survived her, and was active in charity work for the Presbyterian church. Little else is known about her life. Martin never remarried.

When Martin went to the White House 18 years after Hannah's death, he brought his four bachelor sons with him. Dolley Madison introduced the oldest, Abraham, to her 21-year-old cousin from South Carolina, Angelica Singleton, the daughter of a wealthy planter. The two wed in 1838 and toured the courts of Europe on their honeymoon. Angelica thereafter served as Martin's White House hostess, adopting some of the social customs of European royalty. Such practices contributed to the Van Buren family's image as "aristocrats" -- a political liability at a time of national depression. After Martin lost reelection, he returned to Lindenwald, his Hudson River estate, where Angelica and Abraham visited frequently from their home in New York City. A society figure, Angelica raised three sons, none of whom married.

Eighth President
Martin Van Buren

Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison; 1841

Born: 1775
Died: 1864

The only child of a New Jersey chief justice, Anna Tuthill Symmes was a well-educated 19-year-old when her father took her to the Indiana Territory, where he had purchased a half million acres for settlement. There she met and married 22-year-old Lt. William Henry Harrison, who had left his family's Virginia plantation to pursue a military career. Anna's father opposed the match, worried about the hardships of frontier life, but Anna adjusted nicely. After one year in a log cabin on the Ohio River, Anna and William built ever grander homes in the settlements of North Bend, Ohio, and Vincennes, Indiana. Anna raised ten children (nine died before her) and managed the family's land holdings while William rose in politics and the military.

Though she shared her husband's interest in government and public affairs, Anna, at age 65, did not want William to run for President in 1840. When he won, she was too ill to accompany him to the White House, grieving over the recent loss of a child. She was packing for the long trip to Washington when she received word of her husband's death of pneumonia one month after taking office. Anna remained in Ohio and eventually moved in with son John, whose own son Benjamin would become President in 1888. Anna encouraged her grandson Benjamin to fight for the Union Army.

Ninth President
William. H. Harrison

Julia Gardiner Tyler; 1841-1845

Born: 1820
Died: 1889

Letitia Christian Tyler was in failing health when her husband, John, suddenly became president one month into William Henry Harrison's first term. Letitia and John had married in 1813, when both were 23. Both came from wealthy Virginia planter families. The pious Letitia focused on the domestic sphere, raising seven children and managing finances, while John pursued a political career. In 1839, she suffered a debilitating stroke. Though she accompanied John to the White House, she was in seclusion and died the following year. Her daughter-in-law acted as hostess until John remarried in 1844.

Known as the "Rose of Long Island," Julia Gardiner was a lively and flirtatious 22-year-old when she met the 52-year-old widower President. Visiting Washington with her wealthy parents (the Gardiners owned their own island in New York), Julia was wooed by many, but won by John. She reveled in her brief "reign" as First lady. She entertained lavishly, spent Gardiner money to refurbish the White House, helped relatives win key government posts, and pushed John's plan to annex Texas. She also began the tradition of playing "Hail to the Chief." After leaving office, the Tylers moved to John's Virginia plantation where Julia had seven children. A staunch supporter of the Confederacy, she lobbied Congress for a widow's pension after John's death in 1864.

Tenth President
John Tyler

Sarah Childress Polk; 1845-1849

Born: 1803
Died: 1891

Sarah Childress Polk was a First Lady in the tradition of Abigail Adams -- confident, outspoken, and politically involved. Her parents were wealthy Tennessee Presbyterians who sent Sarah to the best girls' school in the South. At 20, Sarah married 28-year-old James Polk, a Tennessee legislator and Andrew Jackson protege who had prospered in real estate. The two had no children but shared a love of politics, participating jointly in James' career and in the management of his distant cotton plantations.

During Polk's 14 years in Congress, Sarah developed friendships with influential politicians. Behind the scenes, she gave her husband advice, reviewed his speeches, copied his correspondence, and highlighted newspaper articles for him to read. She continued this practice as First Lady. A believer in America's God-given "destiny" to expand across the continent, Sarah shunned dancing, drinking, and card-playing on religious grounds. Even so, she enjoyed entertaining -- albeit sedately -- at the White House, but worried constantly about James' frail health. Widowed just three months after James left office, Sarah lived on for another 42 years in the couple's Nashville home and devoted herself to preserving her husband's memory.

Eleventh President
James Knox Polk

Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor, Mary Elizabeth Taylor Bliss (daughter); 1849-1850

Margaret, Born: 1788, Died: 1852
Mary, Born: 1825, Died: 1909

Margaret Mackall Smith, known as "Peggy," grew up amid the comforts of a Maryland plantation and attended finishing school in New York. At 21, while visiting her sister in Kentucky, Peggy met 28-year-old Lt. Zachary Taylor. They wed in 1810 and soon adopted the Army's itinerant lifestyle. They traveled from fort to fort -- in Florida, Arkansas, Minnesota, Louisiana, and Mississippi -- always bringing their good furniture and fine china along. But life on the frontier was hard. In 1820, a fever claimed two of their six children and left Peggy's health impaired. (A third daughter died later, soon after she wed Lt. Jefferson Davis.)

During Zachary's valorous service in the Mexican War of 1846-48, Peggy lived in Baton Rouge on a cotton plantation the couple had bought for retirement. It was there Zachary returned after the War and there he learned of his nomination for and election to the Presidency -- a job neither he nor Peggy wanted. At the white House, Peggy received family and friends privately upstairs. But she assigned all public hostessing duties to her 23-year-old daughter, Betty, the recent bride of Lt. Col. William Bliss. when Zachary died 16 months into office, Peggy was too distraught to attend his funeral. She died two years later. No likeness of her survives.

Twelfth President
Zachary Taylor

Abigail Powers Fillmore; 1850-1853

Born: 1798
Died: 1853

Abigail Powers was raised by her widowed mother in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Money was scarce, but Abigail got a good education at home, and later became a student and then, a teacher, at a nearby academy. It was there she met 19-year-old Millard Fillmore, an out-of-work clothmaker two years her junior who aspired to a legal career. Abigail encouraged Millard, sharing his love of learning. The two became engaged, but it was eight years before they could afford to wed in 1826. Abigail continued working until the first of her two children was born. She also taught herself to speak French, play the piano and the harp. When Millard went to Albany as an Assemblyman, and then to Washington as a Congressman and Vice-President, Abigail remained at home, but she regularly corresponded with him on everything from geography to government.

When Millard became President upon Zachary Taylor's sudden death, Abigail joined him in Washington. She successfully lobbied Congress to fund the first White House library and selected books for the collection. Often in poor health, she delegated some of her social duties to her daughter Mary Abigail. A staunch abolitionist, Abigail was unable to persuade her husband to veto the Fugitive Slave Bill. She caught a chill watching Franklin Pierce's inauguration and died of pneumonia 26 days later.

Thirteenth President
Millard Fillmore

Jane Means Appleton Pierce; 1853-1857

Born: 1806
Died: 1863

Jane Appleton came from a prominent New Hampshire family. Her mother had wealth, her father, prestige. He was a Congregationalist minister and president of Bowdoin College who died when Jane was only 13. But he instilled in her a rigid and puritanical outlook on life that did not bode well for a future in politics. Nonetheless, at 28, Jane defied her family's wishes and married longtime beau Franklin Pierce, a gregarious 29-year-old New Hampshire Congressman. It did not take Jane long to develop a distaste for politics. Her discomfort hardened into contempt once Franklin became a Senator, and in 1842, she persuaded him to quit politics for a lucrative private law practice back home.

When she learned that Franklin had accepted his party's 1852 nomination for President, Jane was so dismayed she fainted. Family life became her refuge. She doted on her only child; Benny, having lost her first in infancy and her second when he was four. Just weeks after Franklin's election, Benny was killed in a train wreck before his parents' eyes. Jane fell into a permanent depression. For her first two years as First Lady, she lived as a recluse, shunning social contact and writing letters to her dead son. A trusted relative, Abby Means, looked after her in the White House and assumed the hostessing role. Later on, Franklin managed to coax his wife into limited entertaining, dressed always in black.

Fourteenth President
Franklin Pierce

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston; 1857-1861

Born: 1830
Died: 1903

Harriet Lane was born in rural Pennsylvania, the sixth of seven children of Jane Buchanan and Elliot Lane, a prosperous merchant. Orphaned at 11, Harriet chose her favorite uncle, U.S. Senator james Buchanan, to be her guardian. Educated at a Washington convent while "Nunc" served as Secretary of State under Polk, Harriet became a poised and skillful hostess, admired for her political savvy and her gracious manners. When Buchanan became Ambassador to England in 1853, he took Harriet with him and she formed a personal friendship with Queen Victoria. When Buchanan became President, his 26-year-old niece brought a welcome gaiety to the White House after the somber Pierce years. A popular figure, Harriet used her psotion to promote the arts and to further the cause of Native Americans. but the nation was grappling with a more immediate and explosive issue and in Nunc's final year in office, the Civil War began.

When Nunc retired Harriet looked after him at his Pennsylvania farm. At 35, she married Baltimore banker Henry Johnston with whom she had two sons. All predeceased her, leaving Harriet, at 54, on her own once more. She moved back to Washington and devoted herself to worthy causes. She founded a home for invalid children at Johns Hopkins University, and bequeathed her extensive art collection to the government for display in a national museum.

Fifteenth President
James Buchanan

Monday, December 3, 2007

Mary Todd Lincoln; 1861-1865

Born: 1818
Died: 1882

Mary Todd Lincoln was the most maligned and misunderstood First Lady of the 19th century. High spirited and high strung, Mary was subject to violent mood swings and sudden outbursts of temper. But she was also intelligent, determined and ambitious, and had an unwavering faith in Abraham Lincoln. Born into a prominent Kentucky family, Mary lost her mother when she was six. Her father remarried and though he gave Mary every material comfort, including a fine education, hers was not a happy childhood. At 21 Mary joined her sister in Illinois and met Abe Lincoln, a poor 30-year-old country lawyer who battled depression.

Though she encouraged Abe's quest for the Presidency, Mary's White House years proved trying. Always a spendthrift, Mary's profligacy drew criticism at a time of war and privation. Despite her work in Union hospitals, rumors spread that she was Confederate spy. And in 1862 her 11-year-old son died. All these traumas took their toll, but Abe's assassination left her shattered. She refused to leave her White House room for a month. Then, she worried obsessively about money, even after Congress granted her a widow's pension. Spending years in Europe with her young son Tad, Mary became even more unstable after Tad died at 18. Eventually committed to a mental hospital, she hired a lawyer and got herself released. Mary died at 63 at her sister's Illinois home.

Sixteenth President
Abraham Lincoln

Eliza McCardle Johnson; 1865-1869

Born: 1810
Died: 1876

It was in the mountains of east Tennessee in the town of Greeneville that Eliza McCardle and Andrew Johnson met, married and made their home. Eliza was a cobbler's daughter who attended school until her father's death forced her to go to work. Andrew had left his poor North Carolina home to become a tailor's apprentice. They married while both were in their teens and eventually raised five children. Eliza taught Andrew to write and give speeches, and managed the family finances.

When Andrew was elected to Congress in 1842 Eliza stayed home to educate their children. During the Civil War, she was forced from her home by a Confederate general while Andrew was serving as Lincoln's military governor in Nashville. The travails of the war years took their toll. By the time she became First Lady following Lincoln's assassination, Eliza was ill with tuberculosis and fearful for her husband's safety. She let her daughters serve as White House hostesses while she kept to her private quarters and monitored the President's days. She kept a scrapbook of newspaper articles for him to read and offered advice on matters ranging from Reconstruction policy to cabinet appointments. Throughout Andrew's impeachment trial Eliza remained steadfast in her belief that justice would prevail and he would not be thrown from office. She was right, but only by one vote.

Seventeenth President
Andrew Johnson

Julia Dent Grant; 1869-1877

Born: 1826
Died: 1902

Julia Grant often said that her eight years as First Lady were the happiest of her life. The fourth child and first daughter of a prosperous St. Louis slaveholder, Julia was warm and outgoing despite a birth defect that left her with a badly crossed eye. She met Ulysses, her brother's handsome but insecure West Point classmate, when she was 18 and he 22. They wed four years later, after "Ulys" returned from the Mexican War, and eventually had four children. The Grants were an unusually close family, thanks in large part to Julia's indomitable good humor. She believed always that Ulys was destined for greatness despite his string of business and professional failures.

Never meant for business or even politics, Ulys was at his best on the battlefield. During his service as the Union Army's commanding general, Julia frequently joined him in camp, some say to prevent his drinking. whatever the reason, the results were good -- his record propelled him to the White House.l As First Lady, Julia advised her husband on several Cabinet appointments though sadly her judgment was no better than his. In step with the "Gilded Age," Julia entertained lavishly at the White House, particularly for her daughter's wedding, and was disappointed when Ulys wouldn't seek a third term. After a two-year trip around the world, the couple moved to New York where Ulys was swindled. But his bestselling memoir left Julia a comfortable widow.

Eighteenth President
Ulysses S. Grant

Lucy Webb Hayes; 1877-1881

Born: 1831
Died: 1889

Lucy Webb grew up in a family of Ohio abolitionists and temperance advocates. After graduating from Cincinnati's Wesleyan Female College, the 21-year-old Lucy married longtime beau Rutherford Hayes, a 30-year-old lawyer (their mothers had introduced them). Lucy eventually gave birth to eight children, three who died in infancy. Early in her marriage, she took an interest in politics, espousing abolition and supporting Lincoln and the Republican party. When her husband volunteered for the Union Army, Lucy visited his encampments and served as a nurse. During his two terms as Congressman, she was an able Washington hostess. And back home in Ohio during "Ruddy's" tenure as Governor, Lucy helped found a home for soldiers' and sailors' orphans and visited various state welfare institutions.

By the time Lucy got to the White House, the First Presidential wife to hold a college degree was being hailed as a shining symbol of the "New Woman." But as First Lady, Lucy studiously avoided controversy and refused to be drawn into public debate on women's suffrage or other political issues. In keeping with her long held beliefs, she did ban alcohol from the White House -- prompting the famous nickname, "Lemonade Lucy" -- but otherwise, she assumed the traditional role of hostess, wife and mother. It was Lucy who began the popular children's Easter Egg roll on the White House lawn.

Nineteenth President
Rutherford B. Hayes

Lucretia Rudolph Garfield; 1881

Born: 1832
Died: 1918

Lucretia Rudolph, nicknamed "Crete," grew up in a religious household. Her father was an Ohio farmer and part-time preacher for the Disciples of Christ Church. An excellent student, Crete attended college at the Disciples' "Ecletic Institute" where she met classmate James Garfield. Sharing an interest in literature and philosophy, the couple had a long and unsteady courtship before marrying in 1858. At first the marriage was shaky. Jim was away most of the time -- teaching, serving in the Union Army, then going to Congress. Crete was left to raise the children and later cope with the death of their three-year-old daughter. Resolved to strengthen their marriage, the Garfield's relocated their family to Washington in 1867. Over the next 14 years while Jim served in Congress, the couple grew increasingly close. They joined a literary society, read, dined and traveled together and enjoyed being home with their five children.

Just months after the Garfields moved into the White House, 49-year-old Crete contracted malaria. She was convalescing at the New Jersey shore when word came that the president had been shot. For three months, he vainly fought for life while Crete kept constant vigil by his bedside. She also attended his funeral, which no prior Presidential widow had done. The public admired her courage and raised $385,000 for her family's financial security.

Twentieth President
James A. Garfield

Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur; 1881-1885

Born: 1837
Died: 1880

When Ellen Arthur died of pneumonia at home in New York at age 43, she didn't know that a few months later, the Republicans would choose her husband for Vice-President, and the next year, he'd be President. The only child of a prominent Virginia naval officer, Ellen grew up in Washington, D.C., where she was taught by tutors and attended St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House. At 20, she moved with her family to New York where she met Chester Arthur, an ambitious 24-year-old-lawyer. They wed in 1859 and had two children who lived to adulthood. During the Civil War, Ellen's loyalty to the south caused a temporary rift with "Chet," who served as a Union quartermaster in New York. But politics was otherwise of little interest to Ellen. Music was her passion. She was an accomplished soprano who performed frequently with the Mendelssohn Glee Club of New York.

When Arthur became President upon Garfield's assassination, he asked his sister, Mary McElroy, to act as hostess and help care for his daughter, Nell. An avid opponent of women's suffrage, Mary often invited former First Ladies Julia Tyler and Harriet Lane to receive guests with her at the White House. To honor Ellen's memory, Arthur donated a stained-glass window to St. John's Church and asked that it be placed in the south transept, facing the White House, so he could see it illuminated at night.

Twenty-First President
Chester Arthur

Friday, November 30, 2007

Frances Folsom Cleveland; 1885-1889, 1893-1897

Born: 1864
Died: 1947

At 21, Frances "Frankie" Folsom became the youngest First Lady in history when she married the 48-year-old President, Grover Cleveland, in a White House ceremony. She had known him all her life. Her father had been Grover's law partner in Buffalo, NY. He died when Frankie was 11 and Grover became an unofficial guardian to Frankie and her mother. By the time Frankie entered Wells College, Grover, by then President, wrote and sent weekly flowers. Upon her graduation, they became secretly engaged and wed following her tour of Europe. Despite the age difference, they were by all accounts well matched.

America loved its beautiful First Lady. Women copied her hairstyle and clothes, and clever merchandisers used her face to sell their products. She started receptions on Saturdays so working women could attend, and promoted women's higher education. When Grover lost reelection to Benjamin Harrison in 1889, Frankie predicted they'd be back in the White House in four years time. She was right. In the interim, she bore her first child, a daughter who died at 12. Her next two girls arrived during Grover's second stint in office -- highlights in an otherwise difficult term. The Clevelands retired to Princeton, NJ where they completed their family with two sons. Five years after Grover died, Frankie married an archeology professor.

Twenty-Second President & Twenty-Fourth President
Grover Cleveland

Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison; 1889-1893

Born: 1832
Died: 1892

Caroline Harrison was a multi-talented woman who made the most of her role as First Lady. Keenly interested in history, she became a founder and the first President-General of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She agreed to head a fund drive for Johns Hopkins Medical School on condition that the School admit women. These pursuits were balanced by a near dogged domesticity. A grandmother when she entered the White House, "Carrie" invited her extended family to live there too. Finding the mansion in dire need of repair, she managed its first overhaul in 70 years, adding electricity. She sewed, played the piano, raised orchids and painted. A gifted watercolorist, she designed her own White House china and collected the patterns of prior Presidents.

Carrie's varied interests were encouraged by her father, a minister and Ohio college professor who made sure his three only daughters got a fine education. Carrie's wit and exuberance captivated the reserved Benjamin Harrison, a freshman at her father's school. They wed in 1853 and had two children. During Ben's rise in Indianapolis law and politics, Carrie taught Sunday school and led the Women's Club. She continued her volunteer work in Washington when Ben was a Senator and then President, but her health declined. Two weeks before Ben lost his rematch against Grover Cleveland, Carried died of tuberculosis.

Twenty-Third President
Benjamin Harrison

Ida Saxton McKinley; 1897-1901

Born: 1847

Died: 1907



Growing up in Ohio as the privileged daughter of one of the town's leading families, Ida Saxton was attractive, confident and strong-willed. After completing school and a grand tour of Europe, she went to work at her father's bank and met newcomer William McKinley, a lawyer three years her senior. Right away she took to calling him "Major" because of his rank in the Union Army. They wed in 1871, but Ida's happiness was short lived. Within five years, she lost her two children, her mother, and her health, developing epilepsy and depression. An invalid for the rest of her life, she nonetheless accompanied William throughout his political rise -- as Congressman, Governor and President. For his part, William did everything possible to satisfy Ida's needs. He campaigned for President from his Ohio front porch so she could be nearby. A docile man, McKinley was influenced by others -- his monied supporters, the newspapers, his wife. She urged him to retain the Philippines following the Spanish-American War so the native peoples could be Christianized.



As First Lady, Ida received guests, but held a bouquet to discourage tiring handshaking. She sat next to William at dinners so he could cover her face with a handkerchief if she had a seizure. But mostly, she knit slippers, donating hundreds of pairs to charity. When William was shot and fatally injured in his second term, his first worry was how Ida would be told.

Twenty-Fifth President
William McKinley

Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt; 1901-1909

Born: 1861
Died: 1948

Edith Carow and Theodore Roosevelt grew up in neighboring brownstones on New York City's posh Union Square. Two years apart, "Edie" was best friends with Teddy's sister and often visited the family at their summer home in Oyster Bay. In 1880, Edie attended Teddy's wedding to a beauty he'd met at Harvard, Alice Lee. When Alice died in childbirth in 1884, her grief-stricken husband took their baby, Alice, to a Dakota ranch to heal. He returned to New York in 1885 and married Edie the next year. She was private and reserved, he was flamboyant and loved the spotlight, but together they made a perfect pair. Edie provided five sturdy children (she also raised Alice), a stable and well-organized domestic life, intelligent but never intrusive company, and an intrepid spirit that rivaled Teddy's own.

McKinley's assassination thrust the Roosevelts into the White House. Teddy at 42 was already a celebrity because of his exploits in the Spanish-American War, but now the public was fascinated with his boisterous family as well. Determined to protect their privacy, Edie organized access, hiring a social secretary, fashioning protocol, and supervising media relations. The construction of a new office wing enabled her to renovate the White House living quarters, and she hung portraits of the First Ladies, including her own, downstairs.

Twenty-Sixth President
Theodore Roosevelt

Helen Herron Taft; 1909-1913

Born: 1861
Died: 1943

Helen "Nellie" Herron and Will Taft seemed destined to become man and wife. Both were raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, by political families with ties to the White House. As a teenager, Nellie visited the Hayes White House and thought of becoming First Lady one day. Ever ambitious, Nellie was a 22-year-old teacher when she organized a weekly literary discussion group and invited 25-year-old Will, a fledgling attorney, to join. Three years later, they wed. While Will rose in judicial office, Nellie raised three children and helped found Cincinnati's symphony orchestra. But she aspired to a larger stage and was thrilled when Will became America's first Governor in the Philippines in 1900. In the course of four years, Nellie explored the Far East and became an accomplished hostess, much appreciated by the Filipino people. On a visit to Japan, she fell in love with the many flowering cherry trees.

Back in America, Will came under consideration for a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy. He favored the appointment, but his wife did not, preferring a run for the Presidency. When he won the White House, Nellie was happier than he. Unfortunately, a few months later, she suffered a stroke and took a year to recover. Besides resuming the social duties she loved, Nellie influenced several cabinet appointments. But her most lasting contribution was planting the beautiful Japanese cherry trees that surround the Tidal Basin.

Twenty-Seventh President
William Howard Taft

Ellen Louise Axson Wilson; 1913-1921

Born: 1860
Died: 1914

Ellen Axson and Woodrow Wilson shared a common heritage. Their fathers were both Presbyterian ministers in the South. Ellen grew up in Rome, Georgia, the oldest of four children. She helped raise her siblings after her mother died, but her passion was art. At 22, she went to New York City to study at the Art Students League. Besides painting, she took in lectures by social reformers and volunteered at a mission school. She also kept up a correspondence with 25-year-old Woodrow, a lawyer she'd met at her father's church who was off pursuing his Ph.D. After marrying in 1885, Woodrow taught at successive colleges while Ellen raised their three girls. Sharing her husband's interest in public policy, she contributed ideas for his speeches at Princeton and later in politics. He considered her his greatest advisor.

Ellen was First Lady for only 17 months before she died at 54 of Bright's disease. But in that time, she accomplished much. Appalled by the slums in Washington, Ellen motivated Congress to enact housing reform -- the Alley Dwelling Act of 1914. She also continued painting (her work was well-received by experts), and promoted the crafts of the Appalachian women. And, within a six month period, she held White House weddings for two of her daughters.

Twenty-Eighth President
Woodrow Wilson

Edith Bolling Galt Wilson; 1913-1921

Born: 1872
Died: 1961

Edith Bolling grew up in a small Virginia town where her father settled after losing his plantation in the Civil War. Starting over as a rural lawyer and judge, he barely managed to support his 11 children. With money scarce, Edith received little formal education but she was a quick study and learned from those around her. At 18, she met Washington jeweler Norman Galt while on a visit to her sister. She married him at 24 and bore their only child who lived just days. A widow at 36, Edith's inheritance allowed her to continue a sophisticated lifestyle complete with trips to Europe and haute couture. She was visiting the White House at age 43 when she met the recently-widowed President, 58-year-old Woodrow Wilson. Sparks flew and the couple wed in 1915.

As First Lady, Edith was her husband's biggest booster and a plucky role model for a nation at war. She led conservation drives, raised funds, and volunteered for the Red Cross. Behind the scenes, she learned the Allies' secret code and deciphered dispatches from the front. Edith accompanied Woodrow to the Paris Peace Conference, and after his crippling stroke in 1919, she rigidly controlled access to his sick room. Determined to protect his fragile health, she picked which matters to present to him when. After leaving the White House in 1921, Edith and Woodrow had three more years together. She survived him by 37 years.

Twenty-Eighth President
Woodrow Wilson

Florence Kling Harding; 1921-1923

Born: 1860
Died: 1924

Florence Kling took after her father, a rich and iron-willed Ohio entrepreneur. He taught her business and sent her to music school, but at 19 she eloped with ne'er-do-well Henry DeWolfe and bore her only child. Divorced at 25, Florence was teaching piano when she fell in love with the glib and handsome, but hopelessly malleable Warren Harding. Five years her junior, he published the local newspaper, the Marion Star. With their marriage in 1891 Florence could at last put her business acumen to use. As circulation and advertising manager she boosted the Star's revenues and its profile until it was one of the most influential dailies in the state. Then she turned her energies to Warren's political career, promoting his 20-year rise to the White House.

First Lady at 61, Florence had her work cut out for her. Warren was woefully unsuited for the Presidency and both Hardings suffered from illness and stress. Moreover, a fortune teller had given Florence the unsettling advice that her husband would die in office. But "the Duchess," as Warren called his wife, forged ahead, ignoring her husband's infidelities, his drinking parties (it was Prohibition), his cronyism, and focused on work, helping veterans, meeting the public, and cultivating the press. She was with the President when he died on a trip out West, just as the scandals of his Administration were coming to light.

Twenty-Ninth President
Warren G. Harding

Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge; 1923-1929

Born: 1879
Died: 1957

A cherished only child from Burlington, Vermont, Grace Coolidge was her husband's alter ego. While he was taciturn and frugal to a fault, she was fashionable, generous, and gay, far more attuned than Calvin to the styles and mores of the Jazz Age. After college, Grace taught deaf children in Northampton, Massachusetts. There she met Calvin, a lawyer and aspiring politician seven years her senior. They wed in 1905 and as Calvin rose in state politics, Grace raised their two sons. During his tenure in Boston as Lt. Governor and Governor, he left his family in Northampton to save on expenses. A legendary tightwad, Calvin's one indulgence was buying stylish clothes for his wife.

The Harding-Coolidge victory of 1921 brought the Coolidges to Washington where Grace quickly became the darling of capitol society. Her warmth and humor then charmed the nation after Calvin inherited the Presidency. By poking fun at Calvin's famous reserve, Grace made him appear more likeable. But she herself avoided politics, becoming a symbol of compassion even as her husband earned a reputation for steadfast indifference to social causes and the growing gap between rich and poor. Calvin's win in 1924 was overshadowed by the recent sudden death of his teenage son. Though both Coolidges put up a brave front, they were relived to retire to Northampton at the end of the term.

Thirtieth President
Calvin Coolidge

Lou Henry Hoover; 1929-1933

Born: 1874
Died: 1944

Lou Henry and Herbert Hoover were kindred souls. They were born the same year in Iowa, both imbued with a Midwestern devotion to hard work and honest ambition. They also shared a passion for business, science, politics, and the great outdoors. Indeed, it was their mutual interest in geology that brought them together at Stanford University where Lou was the first woman to earn a geology degree. After marrying in 1899, Lou joined "Bert" on his mining expeditions around the world. They lived in China during the Boxer Rebellion, England, France, Russia, Burma, Egypt, Australia, Korea and Japan, with their two sons in tow. Fluent in five languages, Lou translated a significant Latin text on metals.

A millionaire by World War I, Bert turned to public service. After running the food relief program in Europe, he became Commerce Secretary, then President. For her part, Lou urged the nation's women to become active in all aspects of American life -- politics, sports, charity, work, and homemaking. She practiced what she preached. Lou headed the Girl Scouts, catalogued White House treasures, gave to the needy and designed a Presidential retreat. She also overcame her aversion to the press and used the radio to mobilize voluntary support for the poor during the Depression. But the Hoovers' own dogged self-reliance prevented them from favoring the type of massive federal assistance the American majority wanted, and got in the next election.

Thirty-First President
Herbert Hoover

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Roosevelt; 1933-1945

Born: 1884
Died: 1962

Eleanor Roosevelt had a sad childhood despite her New York City family's wealth and prominence. Her mother was a beauty disappointed in Eleanor's looks, and her father, Teddy Roosevelt's brother, was a loving but unreliable alcoholic. Both died before Eleanor was 10, when she joined her strict grandmother. At English boarding school Eleanor gained confidence and purpose, returning home and volunteering at a New York settlement house. Her idealism impressed Franklin Roosevelt, her fifth cousin. They wed in 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt giving the bride away. With five children and a domineering mother-in-law, Eleanor drew strength from community work. As Franklin became immersed in politics, so did she, linking him to his party and the public after he contracted polio in 1921.

By the time Eleanor got to the White House, she was used to being Franklin's "eyes and ears," going where his legs couldn't take him and reporting what she saw. But she went further as First Lady, becoming an indefatigable champion of the poor and the powerless. A demoralized America loved her for it and even her enemies admired her devotion to social justice. An early advocate for American blacks, Eleanor helped bring minorities and women into the Democratic party. She wrote a daily column, held press conferences, and tirelessly toured the nation. During World War II, she visited U.S. troops in Europe and Asia. After Franklin's death in 1945, Eleanor remained a leader in human rights.

Thirty-Second President
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Wallace Truman; 1945-1953

Born: 1885
Died: 1982

Bess Wallace and Harry Truman met as children in Sunday school in Independence, Missouri. For Harry it was love at first sight, but Bess was not so smitten. Many years would pass before she wed her ardent suitor at age 34, years in which she enjoyed a privileged upbringing, excelled at tennis, attended finishing school, and, after her father's suicide, helped run her mother's house. By the time Bess wed Harry in 1919, her independence was well established. It didn't help that Harry, who'd been a farmer, had no head for business. When he briefly operated a haberdashery (it went under), she was his bookkeeper. She held the purse strings throughout their marriage, and was always one of his most influential advisors.

Elected to the Senate in 1934, Harry hired Bess as his office assistant. She advised him on speeches and campaign strategy, but preferred Independence to Washington. Upset when Harry became the Vice-Presidential nominee in 1944, she was stunned when FDR's death made him President. A reluctant First lady, the antithesis of her predecessor, Bess abhorred publicity. Though she fulfilled her hostessing duties, her larger role was behind the scenes, advising Harry on everything from cultural exchange programs to the atom bomb. During his 1948 whistlestop campaign across America, Harry would jokingly introduce his wife and daughter as "the Boss" and "the Boss's Boss." It must have struck a chord.

Thirty-Third President
Harry S. Truman

Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower; 1953-1961

Born: 1896
Died: 1979

The decade of the 1950's was the most domestic in U.S. history as soldiers returned from the war to build homes and families in record numbers. It was fitting, then, that war hero Dwight Eisenhower should bring to the White House a woman who perfectly embodied the qualities women aspired to in the post-war years. Mamie Doud was a homebody, content to remain in her husband's shadow, supportive, gregarious, a lively hostess, a fine housekeeper. Born into a wealthy Iowa family, Mamie grew up in Denver, where she attended finishing school, and spent winters in San Antonio. There the popular debutante met Dwight, a young Army officer stationed nearby. They wed in 1916 and had two sons. The death of the eldest at four was a lifelong blow to both parents.

A loyal Army wife, Mamie followed her husband from base to base, from France to Panama to the Philippines. While Ike led the Allied troops in World War II, Mamie remained in Washington and became popular with reporters. A great asset to her husband during both his Presidential campaigns, Mamie kept a low profile as First Lady, avoiding controversy and focusing on entertaining, decorating (her favorite shade was pink), and fundraising for charities like the American Heart Association -- particularly after Ike suffered a serious heart attack in 1955. Despite her worries for his health, Mamie supported Ike in his desire for a second term, then gladly retired with him to Gettysburg.

Thirty-Fourth President
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis; 1961-1963

Born: 1929
Died: 1994

Jackie Bouvier grew up in "society" in New York, Newport and northern Virginia. Although Catholic, Jackie's parents were divorced. Her father, a handsome Wall Street broker and bon vivant, was also a spender and a drinker. But he and Jackie, his firstborn, adored each other. Raised by her mother and wealthy stepfather, Jackie rode horses, went to prep school, studied in Paris, was "Debutante of the Year," and graduated college. She was a Washington news photographer when she met Jack Kennedy, a rich and handsome Congressman 12 years her senior. They wed in 1953, Jack by then a Senator and aiming higher. Jackie helped his campaigns, writing a "Campaign Wife" column and meeting with the press, but her heart's desire was children. She bore four, but only two survived.

First Lady at 31, Jackie brought youth, beauty and exquisite taste to the White House. Her first priority was her little ones, whose antics delighted the nation. But she also undertook the historic restoration of the White House, helped preserve Lafayette Square, and pushed for government funding for the arts. A glamorous hostess, Jackie invited leading artists and intellectuals to the White House and charmed statesmen around the world. Supremely dignified throughout the ordeal of her husband's assassination, she then left political life but never escaped the spotlight. Wed to tycoon Aristotle Onassis from 1968 till his 1975 death, Jackie then became an editor in New York. She died at home at 65.

Thirty-Fifth President
John F. Kennedy

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Claudia "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson; 1963-1969

Born: 1912
Died: 2007

Lady Bird Johnson overcame shyness to become one of America's most active First Ladies. Daughter of a wealthy Texas farmer, she was the family baby and only girl. Nicknamed Lady Bird at two, she lost her mother at five. Often left alone, she sought comfort in the beauty of the landscape. After graduating college in 1934, she met Lyndon, a flamboyant 26-year-old congressional aide, and married him two months later. She financed his first Congressional campaign in 1937, then ran his House and Senate offices when the military (1941) and heart attack (1948) kept him away. She also managed their broadcasting business and raised their two daughters. Emboldened by a public speaking course, Lady Bird campaigned hard for the Kennedy-Johnson ticket in 1960. In 1963, she watched Lyndon take the oath of office aboard Air Force One after JFK's assassination.

As First Lady, Lady Bird strove to "beautify America," focusing attention on the country's precious natural flora and the dangers posed by unchecked development. She spurred legislation to keep billboards off national highways and plant wildflowers instead. She also worked for passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act, promoted the Head Start program and used her position to open doors for women in government. Widowed in 1973, Lady Bird remained active in civic endeavors in her hometown of Austin, Texas, where in 1982 she founded the National Wildflower Research Center.

Thirty-Sixth President
Lyndon B. Johnson

Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon; 1969-1974

Born: 1912
Died: 1993

Thelma Ryan was born the night before St. Patrick's Day. Right then her Irish father, who worked in a Nevada silver mine, decided he'd call her "Pat." Childhood ended early for Pat. Her mother died and her father developed lung disease, and Pat assumed responsibility for herself and two brothers. She attended school and held down paying jobs in her free hours, at first doing chores on the family's California farm and later working as a sales clerk, teacher's aide, movie extra, janitor, and bank clerk. After college, Pat became a teacher in Whittier, where she met Richard Nixon, a young lawyer whose industry rivaled her won. A man with lofty ambitions, "Dick" was not one to take no for an answer. He wooed Pat till he won her. They wed in 1940 and had two daughters.

Pat did not share her husband's love for politics, but she believed in being a supportive wife and worked dutifully on all his campaigns. As First Lady, Pat accompanied Dick to the Soviet Union and China, earning the respect of reporters as an intelligent and candid spokeswoman for the President. She also made solo visits to Africa and South America. Pat liked to open the White House. She made it wheelchair accessible and launched garden tours and evening Christmastime tours, and she continued with the restoration Jackie Kennedy began, carefully adding hundreds of important pieces to the collection. But Watergate took a heavy toll on Pat, who stoically stood by her husband throughout his ordeal.

Thirty-Seventh President
Richard M. Nixon

Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer Ford; 1974-1977

Born: 1918

Betty Ford was a new kind of First Lady; gutsy, independent, and forthright. Growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Betty aspired to be a professional dancer. She took classes at Bennington College, then spent two years in New York City studying with choreographer Martha Graham and supporting herself as a runway model. Returning home, Betty taught dance, started a troupe, and eventually became a fashion buyer. After a five-year marriage ended in divorce, she met lawyer and aspiring politician Gerald Ford. They wed in 1948, just before Jerry won the Congressional seat he would hold for the next 25 years. The Fords moved to Washington and Betty raised four children while Jerry rose in Republican politics.

A year after Jerry replaced Spiro Agnew as Nixon's Vice-President, Nixon himself resigned and the Fords were thrust into the White House. Betty's candor was a tonic to a nation wary of political figures. Other First Ladies had held political views that differed at times from their husbands' but they didn't express them publicly. Betty did. She was an outspoken proponent of the Equal Rights Amendment and the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. She was equally forthcoming about personal challenges, such as her 1974 battle with breast cancer, and years later, her treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. In 1982, she helped found the Betty Ford Center for others in recovery.

Thirty-Eighth President
Gerald R. Ford

Eleanor Rosalynn Smith Carter; 1977-1981

Born: 1927

Rosalynn Smith grew up in Plains, Georgia, the oldest of four children of an auto mechanic and a seamstress. After losing her father at 14, she helped shoulder the household burdens while still graduating valedictorian of her high school class. She spent one year at college, then wed Plains' Annapolis midshipman Jimmy Carter in 1946. Rosalynn loved being a Navy wife, living in new places and starting a family (she eventually had four children). She was crushed when Jimmy was called back to Plains in 1953 to run his family's peanut farm. But she pitched in at the office and eventually ran the operation while Jimmy rose in Georgia politics. When he became Governor in 1971, she led the effort to overhaul the state's mental health system. By the time he became President, the Carters were used to working as partners.

As First Lady Rosalynn broke new ground by attending her husband's cabinet meetings and acting as his emissary to foreign heads of state during a 1977 solo mission to Central and South America. Expanding on her earlier work in mental health, Rosalynn chaired a Presidential Commission that spurred passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1977. And she worked for a variety of other causes, ranging from women's rights to the problems of the elderly to the plight of refugees in Thailand. After leaving the White House, she has continued her activism at the Carter Center in Atlanta.

Thirty-Ninth President
Jimmy Carter

Anne Frances "Nancy" Davis Reagan; 1981-1989

Born: 1921

Nancy Reagan was born in Queens, New York, her father a salesman who left when she was two. Nancy lived with relatives until her mother, an actress who performed with touring shows, wed a physician and moved her daughter to his Chicago home. Adopted at 14 by her stepfather, Nancy majored in drama at Smith College, then landed roles on Broadway and later in Hollywood. There she met actor Ronald Reagan, a divorced father of two. They wed in 1952 and eventually had two children. Over time, Nancy swapped acting for domesticity while Ronald branched out into politics, becoming California Governor in 1967. Fourteen years later, his conservative message of less government and more enterprise struck a national chord and Americans elected him President at 69.

Nancy's initial image as First Lady was as a style setter, petite and immaculately dressed in designer clothes; decorating the White House; purchasing expensive china. But later she focused on substantive issues, especially drug abuse, telling young people to "just say no." Nancy was always protective of Ronald, but she became even more so after the attempt on his life. He trusted her and she wielded no small influence, encouraging his friendship with the Soviet leader Gorbachev. After Ronald retired and was stricken with Alzheimer's disease, Nancy became active in the search for a cure.

Fortieth President
Ronald W. Reagan

Barbara Pierce Bush; 1989 - 1993

Born: 1925

Barbara Pierce enjoyed a happy childhood in affluent Rye, New York. After boarding school and one year at Smith College, she wed high school beau George Bush in 1945, soon after the young naval pilot was shot down over the Pacific. Moving to Texas so George could enter the oil business, Barbara eventually had six children. When her daughter died in 1953, Barbara was shattered, but George helped her through. She was at his side when he went to Congress in 1967 and wherever else he went after that: U.N. Ambassador; Liaison to China; Republican National Committee chair; C.I.A. Director; Vice-President; and President.

Barbara loved her life in politics. In 1974 when China was just opening to outsiders, she explored Peking by bicycle and later lectured on the experience. She volunteered in local hospitals and aided the Republican party. Convinced that most social issues would resolve themselves if children were properly educated, Barbara launched a campaign to eradicate illiteracy when George became Vice-President. She brought the issue with her to the White House and gave it top priority. An enormously popular First Lady, Barbara was blessed with a wry sense of humor and complete self-confidence. She didn't mind her wrinkles or white hair; she loved being a grandmother. Above all, she was genteel, gracious, and discreet -- and for these qualities Americans admired her. Year after year, she led the President in the polls.

Forty-First President
George H.W. Bush

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton; 1993-2001

Born: 1947

The oldest child of a homemaker and a businessman, Hillary Rodham grew up in a comfortable Chicago suburb. A Goldwater Republican in the early 60's she became a Democrat at Wellesley College, where she was student body president and commencement speaker in 1968. At Yale Law School, she focused on children's issues and dated classmate Bill Clinton, a Rhodes scholar who aimed to be President. They wed in 1975 and had a daughter. While Bill pursued Arkansas politics, Hillary practiced at a Little Rock law firm. She supported his political ambitions and was a key advisor, chairing the state's Education Standards Committee when he was Governor.

As First Lady, Hillary initially assumed a high profile policy-making role, leading the Administration's 1994 effort at broad health care reform. When that failed, she turned to a more traditional "women's issue" -- the welfare of children and families. But her own marriage came under embarrassing public scrutiny when her husband was impeached for lying about his illicit relationship with a young intern. Whatever her marital woes, Hillary staunchly opposed the 1998 attempt to remove her husband from office. Then, when a Democratic Senator from New York announced he'd retire in 2001, Hillary established residency there, ran for the seat, and won -- becoming New York's first woman Senator and the only First Lady to win elective office.

Forty-Second President
William J. Clinton

Laura Welch Bush; 2001 to present

Born: 1947

When Laura Welch and George W. Bush were introduced at a dinner in Midland, Texas, they proved the theory that opposites attract. She was a reserved 30-year-old schoolteacher and librarian with a passion for books. He was a gregarious 31-year-old oilman who liked a good time. Within three months, they were wed. Like George, Laura had grown up in Midland, where her father was a homebuilder. But while George went east to study, Laura majored in education at SMU, then earned a masters in library science at the University of Texas. She led a largely private life as a wife and mother of twin daughters until her husband's gubernatorial win thrust her into the public eye.

As First Lady of Texas, Laura Bush focused on the cause of education. She launched an early childhood development initiative to help ready kids for school, and started the annual Texas Book Festival to raise money for public libraries. She used the statehouse to promote family literacy much as her mother-in-law, former First Lady Barbara Bush, used the White House. When George W. entered the 2000 Presidential race, Laura proved an able and popular campaigner, giving the opening address at the GOP convention. In the years since he was first elected, Laura has emerged as a strong, but discreet, First Lady, who wields no small influence as her husband's most trusted confidante. Calm, quiet and self-possessed, Laura Bush has been called her husband's "check and balance."

Forty-Third President
George W. Bush