First ladies of the United States : a biographical dictionary / Robert P. Watson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Watson, Robert P., 1962- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Presidents' spouses--United States--Biography--Dictionaries.

Presidents' spouses.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (340 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Boulder, Colorado ; London, [England] : Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Whether editing speeches and appearing on the campaign trail, presiding over White House renovations and social events, championing important causes, or functioning as the president's most trusted adviser, first ladies have made significant contributions to the heads-of-state's careers and to the nation. Yet, the accomplishments of those who have acted as the power behind the presidency have gone largely unreported and underappreciated. Systematically profiling each first lady from Martha Washington to Laura Bush, Watson offers the reader an intimate look at these women who have served the United States.

The chronologically arranged biographies examine each first lady's early years and education, her family life, her presidential years, and her legacy. A short bibliography for each entry provides a selected list of additional sources. First Ladies of the United States is a convenient, well-researched, and thoroughly indexed reference, as well as an insightful account of the lives of forty-three women who have helped shape the course of U.S. history.

Contents:

Introduction: Powers behind the presidency

Martha Dandridge Curtis Washington

Abigail Smith Adams

Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Mann and Mary "Polly" Jefferson Eppes

Dolley Payne Todd Madison

Elizabeth Kortright Monroe

Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams

Emily Tennessee Donelson and Sarah Yorke Jackson

Angelica Singleton Van Buren

Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison

Letitia Christian Tyler

Julia Gardiner Tyler

Sarah Childress Polk

Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor

Abigail Powers Fillmore

Jane Means Appleton Pierce

Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston

Mary Ann Todd Lincoln

Eliza McCardle Johnson

Julia Dent Grant

Lucy Ware Webb Hayes

Lucretia Rudolph Garfield

Mary Arthur McElroy

Frances Clara Folsom Cleveland

Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison

Ida Saxton McKinley

Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt

Helen Herron Taft

Ellen Louise Axson Wilson

Edith Bolling Galt Wilson

Florence Kling Harding

Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge

Lou Henry Hoover

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt

Elizabeth "Bess" Virginia Wallace Truman

Mary Geneva "Mamie" Doud Eisenhower

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis

Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson

Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon

Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer Ford

Eleanor Rosalyn Smith Carter

Anne Frances "Nancy" Robbins Davis Reagan

Barbara Pierce Bush

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton

Laura Welch Bush

Appendix 1: Formal education of the First Ladies

Appendix 2: First Ladies' birthplaces

Appendix 3: Ages on becoming First Lady

Appendix 4: First ladies' presidential marriages

Appendix 5: Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson

Appendix 6: Rachel Donelson Jackson

Appendix 7: Hannah Hoes Van Buren

Appendix 8: Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-62637-353-1

1-84972-430-X

OCLC:

456520862