First Ladies For Dummies. Marcus A. Stadelmann, PhD
1920. Right before, Edith Wilson basically became the president herself after Woodrow Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke. She became his guardian and gatekeeper and studied every paper and decided what would go to the president and what wouldn’t. In other words, she became responsible for policy making, and letters sent to her addressed her as “Mrs. President.”
Phase IV (1933–Present)
In the 20th century, with wars and the second industrial revolution, the role of women dramatically changed in the U.S. This brought about a change in the role First Ladies performed and also changes in American culture. Here is where the modern era for First Ladies began. They became public figures pursuing their own causes, which made them not only more famous but also resulted in the media scrutinizing them even more. (Check out Part 5 for these First Ladies.)
Then, after 1960, First Ladies’ roles changed rapidly one more time. For the first time, First Ladies started campaigning for their husbands, even on their own, which previously had been considered not proper. Today, First Ladies campaigning for their husbands hasn’t just been accepted but is expected. In addition, First Ladies today are expected to pick a public cause to focus on, which in turn gets them involved in political issues. They truly have become a first partner to today’s presidents. By now, First Ladies often outstrip their husbands in popularity, emotional access by the public, and even book sales.
In the beginning, First Ladies were mostly nonpartners in their husband’s presidencies, and today they have become full partners. They are now equal in not just social or charitable matters but also in political matters. From Edith Wilson to Eleanor Roosevelt to Hilary Clinton, First Ladies have become trusted allies and advisors for their husbands and have asserted themselves independently.
Today, many First Ladies are highly educated, have professional portfolios, and have ambition to seek political office. Traditionally, a First Lady’s background has impacted how influential and assertive she will be.
Educational achievement and professional experience are great predictors on how strong First Ladies will be. Based on this, it’s possible to predict that future First Ladies will be more independent, more politically involved, and possibly more controversial in the public’s eyes compared to the First Ladies of the past.
Chapter 2
First Lady Rankings and Evaluations
IN THIS CHAPTER
This chapter looks at how experts rank U.S. First Ladies. The public is aware of some of the First Ladies, namely the wives of our most famous presidents. This knowledge comes mostly from schools and the emphasis that the media places on these important First Ladies. But when was the last time you read about or saw a show on Lucy Hayes or Grace Coolidge? On the other hand, you can choose among several movies or books about Eleanor Roosevelt or Jaqueline Kennedy.
Polls show that most U.S. citizens know about the First Ladies in office during their lifetime but don’t know much about the First Ladies of the past. Most Americans are familiar with Michelle Obama, Nancy Reagan, and even Jaqueline Kennedy. But what about Helen Taft or Sarah Polk? Therefore, the public ranks current and famous First Ladies higher than lesser-known first ladies. Academics who study First Ladies, on the other hand, have a better historical perspective and do rank some of our founding First Ladies, such as Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison, very high.
Over time, the standing of a First Lady may change within the rankings of the U.S. public and academics, providing for renewed interest in her life and actions while serving as First Lady. Some First Ladies are highly regarded after they leave office, only to end up being considered disappointments in the long run. Other First Ladies may be considered failures shortly after the end of their term and then become popular later. Nancy Reagan is a great example of this. When her husband left office in 1989, she was ranked very low, among the ten least influential First Ladies. This changed over time, as people took a look at what she had done and how influential she was with her husband, especially during his second term. By the time the newest rankings came out in 2014, she made it into the top 15 list of First Ladies.
This chapter looks at the one consistent academic survey of U.S. First Ladies, the Siena College Research Institute Survey on First Ladies, which is taken just about every decade.
Evaluating the First Ladies
Unlike U.S. presidents, academics and the American public rarely evaluate First Ladies. It wasn’t until the 1980s that the Siena College Research Institute in New York established an academic survey to rate and rank First Ladies. The survey continues but isn’t taken often, usually only about once a decade. To this date, it has been conducted only five times since its inception in 1982. The most recent survey, discussed later in the chapter, was taken in 2014.
It wasn’t until the 20th century that stronger First Ladies emerged. They suddenly took their place next to the president and influenced policy making. Some were even quite public about it. Eleanor Roosevelt was the first First Lady who was actually publicly involved in policy making and openly conversed with the America public about her political stands and preferences.
Media scrutiny of First Ladies is also a recent phenomenon. During most of the 19th and 20th centuries, the media didn’t delve into the lives of First Ladies. Much of what we know, we get from letters written by First Ladies, their husbands, and their acquaintances, and even that isn’t much because often First Ladies would burn their correspondence when leaving office. It was considered taboo to report on the private lives of First Ladies — the public didn’t know much, if anything, about Eleanor Roosevelt’s live-in girlfriend or Helen Taft smoking cigarettes and playing cards with the boys. A president’s or First Lady’s private indiscretions were kept secret. This code of silence held well into the 20th century.
The Watergate scandal in the 1970s changed things. Suddenly, the media believed that it had an obligation to be a watchdog over the presidents and First Ladies. This new role allowed the media not only to check presidents for public mistakes and policy failures but also to report on First Ladies and their activities. This role for the media won’t change as long as juicy scandals continue to garner large audiences. Future First Ladies have to expect to have their lives scrutinized and any minor wrongdoing reported. Hillary Clinton found that out the hard way in 1993 with the Whitewater scandal, where the Clinton’s were accused of financial wrongdoings (see Chapter 18) and again in 2015, after her term as First Lady had ended in 2001, when the media reported on her using her private server for classified emails. Today, scrutiny of First Ladies does not even end after their terms have ended. Melania Trump ran into a