Question of the Day: What are your favorite achievements of past First Ladies?
We’d like to collect in this thread your favorite achievements of past First Ladies — this includes the women who served as hostessess for unmarried or widowed presidents.
What are your favorite stories about the good things they did, the things they achieved, and the elegant and patriotic ways they carried themselves?
We’d like an item for everyone from Martha Washington to Laura Bush, though we’re sure things will skew latter part of the 20th Century. So, let’s try to think hard about the 19th Century First Ladies and those who are often forgotten.
What are the favorite First Ladies stories you’ve heard of…and your favorite First Ladies in general?
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A personal favorite is Dolley Madison.
She introduced ice cream to American (peach flavored). Everybody loves ice cream!
Much more importantly… during the war of 1812 she oversaw the removal of important items from the white house and she is said to have personally taken the painting of George Washington down and left with it. The White House was then sacked and burned by the British. Dolley was instrumental in saving important parts of our new countries history.
Favorite achievements:
Jacqueline Kennedy’s restoration of the White House
Lady Bird Johnson’s wildflowers
Barbara Bush’s efforts in literacy
Laura Bush’s push for rights for Afghan women and her annual book fair on the mall
What Miss Marple said…and what Betty Ford did regarding de-stigmatizing breast cancer first; and receiving medical help for addiction treatment.
Coming ‘out’ with both of those problems was gutsy and something that had never been discussed publicly.
Breast cancer was whispered about.
No matter which party..the first lady always had charm..beauty..and love of country. Until now!!
Abigail Adams– her correspondance with her husband John is a great reasure trove of historical information. She also was the one who opened the correspondance between her husband and Thomas Jefferson later in their lives, leading to that trove of information. She was a strong advocate of public education for girls that was just as good and demanding as for boys, a strong advacate of women’s equality in general, and also for the emancipation of slaves.
{I suspect that she and Sarah P. would have enjoyed having coffee together, had they lived in the same era. . .}
Ditto! Abigail Adams for sure! I haven’t studied her much, but I would love to start. I shoue make it a goal this coming year!
Start by watching the HBO mini-series John Adams. It is well worth whatever price you might pay for it. If this doesn’t make you fall in love with Abigail Adams and inspire you to learn more about her, nothing will. What a classy lady!
To be honest, I first started loving Abigail when growing up, watching our tape of 1776. I loved the whole exchange between her and John, he insisting on Saltpeter, she insisting on pins, and how she stood up to him, but with such affection! That musical is such a great way to introduce younger folk into love of country and history. ^_^
You all will thoroughly enjoy David McCullough’s book “John Adams” John and Abigail gave each other strength thru their devotion to each other..Much like other First couples. Current occupants of WH definitely excluded.
Hillary Clinton (whom I often didn’t always agree with, back in the day) carried herself with grace after The Incident. Dignified, she held her family together in a time of personal family and national/international embarassment.
How she was able to rear Chelsea into such a decent, charming, and grounded young woman…I’ll never know. That is one thing conservatives like myself all admit: Chelsea turned out great, under some amazing circumstances.
It’s hard enough to raise a stable kid in this world, for all of us. It’s unimaginable to think how Hillary did this with Chelsea under the most miserable and trying circumstances.
And yes, this was a national favor. She spared us from opening up the paper and reading incidents of Chelsea doing drugs, sleeping around, etc. all the things that the children of famous people do.
And now Chelsea is going to be married, and Hillary and Bill will be grandparents, God willing.
beautifully said, dana!
I was not a fan of the Clintons when Bill was in office (for the same reasons I wasn’t a fan of Bush and am not a fan of Dr. Utopia), but your points are quite valid. She did a fabulous job, considering the circumstances life handed her. It’s funny…in comparison to our current situation, I miss the Clintons!
At least I can look back at her and say that she was a decent person.
Yeah, I have my differences with Hillary, but she was very dignified and classy all throughout the Lewinsky Scandal.
I concur.
Hillary is not my favourite, but yes she has brought up Chelsea the right way. Chelsea is a credit to her family and as a former first daughter she has been very dignified.
I can’t just chose one first lady, we’ve had some amazing ones. Eleanor Roosevelt did some spectacular work, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Betty Ford was pretty amazing, downright radical considering the challenges she was up against. She spoke about things we didn’t speak of, premarital sex, drug addiction, equal pay. In those days, TV still showed married couples sleeping in separate beds. Ironically Betty Ford was a great champion for the Equal Rights Amendment and Eleanor was not.
Jackie Kennedy was good too, because she taught the country about grace and strength. Hillary Clinton, too, because she never stopped trying to serve her country, even as first lady.
I personally like all first ladies generally. I like Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush. My favorite first lady story was when Barbara fell down and broke her leg while sledding with the grandchildren.. She was so regular.
Martha Washington for following the troops with her husband to make sure George was eating and sleeping correctly on many occasions.
Jacqueline Kennedy for the restoration of the White House and having all of us remember our history and she had most of it donated, and her support of the arts and American made products. Visiting foreign countries she had the world fall in love with us by speaking to them in their native tongue. Sharp little cookie.
Elanor Roosevelt for visiting the tent cities and our soldiers during the Depression and WW2-always looking out for the underdogs.
Hillary Clinton-I like it when she is feisty. I don’t know what the DNC was thinking those idiots.
Martha Washington, who showed them all How It Was To Be Done
Bess Truman and Pat Nixon, primarily because they weren’t in the world’s collective face 24/7. Those were the good old days.
Oops, forgot Mamie Eisenhower.
Roslyn Carter’s work on de-stigmatizing mental health.
I don’t know much about the history of First Ladies, but I’ve always admired how devoted Nancy Reagan was to her husband. It was clear she just adored the guy.
Ditto what people have said about Abigail Adams.
Best achievement Michelle Obama will ever make to the office of First Lady:
Becoming a former First Lady!
I liked Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” message. Considering at the time everybody I knew smoked pot (or more) and we were losing great people (John Belushi) to drugs it was a brave and gutsy move and it was very successful. We should actually adopt the “Just Say No” message for a few things…namely the healthcare bill and all the global warming hype that is going on.
I miss Ronald Reagan’s leadership and the sense of security we had when he was in charge. I watched an old speech of his and it brought tears to my eyes.
My choice would be for Laura Bush. Her commitment to the women in Afghanistan on receiving mammograms was overlooked, I believe while she was the First Lady. And, although, I was not a Clinton fan while she was the first lady, I have to say, I agree with the other comments that I now admire Hilary for the way she held herself together when Bill did his dasterdly deeds but especially, how she went through her campaign, which I do believe was HISTORIC in the true meaning of the word, not in the dr.utopia kind of way.
I gotta agree. She was sweet, charming and humble. Never in your face or looking for attention. She shared a love of country with her husband that made them endearing as a couple.
My favorite Laura Bush moment was when she publicly called out the government of Myanmar.
Jackie O remains my favourite in my lifetime. Even though I was very young, I remember the dignity of Jackie O.
Nancy Reagan was always quietly in the background, and she also carried herself with dignity.
Laura Bush is another favourite not because of Afghanistan because of what she did for the soldiers in general, always beside George when they went to visit the families. She was always very dignified despite the bad publicity given to her husband.
This has to be a ditto for Patricia Nixon, for she was another dignified first lady.
Up until now, from a foreigner’s point of view, the first ladies have been very dignified. However, the present one lacks sophistication and she lacks grace. She needs lessons in deportment and she needs to keep her mouth shut. There are some very ugly moments captured on film. Never before have I seen a first lady who can look so ugly and undignified by wearing shorts and jeans. It is just so out of place.
Some people believe that it’s “refreshing” that we have a first lady who is so “down to earth”. Well, I may be only forty, but I still believe in that such a position warrants elegance, class, dignity and grace at ALL times. This first lady tries too hard to be just like regular folks. It looks awkward since we know better.
By far, Hillary, for her tireless work on human rights issues, her diplomacy even during her tenure as First Lady, and the wisdom and grace she showed during the entire eight years. She has carried the torch in public service from her youth, her time as first lady, her Senate tenure, and now the wonderful job she is doing as Secretary of State. Also concur about Barbara Bush — love her!
Hillary’s “Women’s rights are human rights” speech was her high point as First Lady, IMO.
This is a great site to check out about the First Ladies.
http://www.firstladies.org/
Pat Nixon, and her daughters I might add, showed more grace and dignity than any before or since in my lifetime. For those of you not old enough to have lived through the Watergate saga believe me when I tell you it was like nothing before or actually since. Her loyalty and demeanor throughout it all was amazing to see. Detested the man at that time but had nothing but admiration for his wife.
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hello?This is Hillbuzz how anyone could comment in the negative on anything Hillary has done makes us wonder who’s commenting.The Clinton’s personal lives were made public and dragged through the mud for political gain.Let’s go over this again Bill was the greatest,remember the good old day’s when you had a checking and saving’s account?Hillary will be even greater.