Prime ministers' wives -- and one husband / Mark Hichens.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hichens, Mark.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Prime ministers' spouses--Great Britain.

Prime ministers' spouses.

Politicians' spouses--Great Britain.

Politicians' spouses.

Great Britain.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

253 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; Chester Springs : Peter Owen ; Chester Springs, PA : Distributed in the U.S. by Dufour Editions, 2004.

Summary:

The role of the President's wife has been increasing in recent years, as has the Prime Minister's. Constantly in the public eye, as a hostess, sympathetic ear, and adviser she must ensure that her husband (and herself) never puts a foot wrong. She arguably has one of the hardest jobs in politics. Of the wives from the past two centuries or so featured in this book, nearly all have given their spouses unqualified support in political matters, with two notable exceptions, Emily Palmerston and Clementine Churchill, who were always ready to dissent. And, until Audrey Callaghan and Cherie Blair, none had careers of their own. In terms of their marriages, some were secure, some wobbly, and one actually broke down. In the case of Clementine Churchill, her marriage to Winston of fifty-seven years was a particularly remarkable achievement.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-[246]) and index.

ISBN:

0720612039

OCLC:

55875649