First Lady Blog-history and today

PRESIDENTIAL HANDSHAKES ON NEW YEAR’S DAY

2011-12-31T12:43:00.000-08:00

For more than a century, New Year’s Day was marked by a large reception held at the White House. Foreign ambassadors and members of the US government were invited, but attendance wasn’t restricted to a guest list. Astoundingly, anyone could wait on line, enter the White House, and shake the hand of the president.

The tradition of the New Year’s reception, or levee, as it was often called, began with George Washington, before the White House was built. The first occupant of the White House, John Adams, took up residence in the unfinished mansion in November 1800, and hosted its first New Year’s reception on January 1, 1801.

A history of the White House published a century ago noted that John and Abigail Adams hosted a “very formal affair”:

The President and his wife did the honors alone that New Year's Day, and it does not seem to have occurred to them to call on the Cabinet families to assist them. The President's wife sat in state in her brocades and velvets, while the President stood beside her in knee-breeches, gaily colored waistcoat, high stock collar, and his powdered hair tied in a neat queue. After each guest had paid his respects to them, he passed on and was served with refreshments by a waiter.

Thomas Jefferson Sets the Tone

John Adams would only spend one New Year’s Day in the White House, as Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated in March 1801. Jefferson continued the tradition of the New Year’s Day levee, though his personal style was hardly formal.

It was Jefferson who began the tradition of shaking hands with each and every visitor. He would stand in the oval reception room at the center of the White House (known today as the Blue Room). The line of visitors would pass by, and Jefferson would take delight in exchanging friendly greetings.

It was customary for foreign diplomats to attend the New Year’s reception in distinctive dress. In Jefferson’s day it was noted that the French ambassador was “decked in gold lace,” while an ambassador from North Africa wore silk slippers, a turban, and a scarlet jacket “embroidered with precious stones.” Native Americans would also attend, and it was written that they sported feathers in their hair and wore blankets and deerskin moccasins.

The White House Burns But Tradition Endures

Following the burning of the White House by British troops in 1814, the New Year's Day levees were held in the rented houses used by presidents James Madison and James Monroe.

The White House receptions resumed on January 1, 1818, hosted by Monroe in the rebuilt mansion. At that time it was decided to hold an earlier reception for the foreign diplomats and government officials, so they wouldn't be subjected to the crush of people in the public reception.

Customarily, anyone waiting on line outside would be admitted. After greeting the president in the Blue Room, the crowd would be directed into the enormous East Room. A temporary wooden bridge would be positioned in one of the large front windows of the East Room, and the guests would exit through the window onto the White House lawn.

Shaking Hands and Making History

President Andrew Johnson receives guests as they stream through the East Room, 1866.

A marathon of handshaking became a footnote to a momentous event on January 1, 1863. President Abraham Lincoln intended to sign the Emancipation Proclamation on that day, but first he had to shake thousands of hands.

When he finally sat down in his upstairs study to sign the historic document, he told Secretary of State William Seward that his right hand was swollen.

Lincoln suspected this particular signature might be examined closely in years to come, and he didn’t want it to appear weak. He was later quoted as saying, “The signature looks a little tremulous, as my hand was tired, but my resolution was firm.”

The following year, the New York Times printed the following dispatch, dated January 2, 1864, from the Associated Press:

Years ago had any colored man presented himself at the White House, at the President’s levee, seeking an introduction to the Chief Magistrate of the nation, he would, in all probability, have been roughly handled for his impudence. Yesterday four colored men, of genteel exterior and with the manners of gentlemen, joined in the throng that crowded the Executive mansion, and were presented to the President of the United States.

Lincoln’s final New Year’s Day reception was described in the New York Times of January 4, 1865:

The gala event of our New Year’s celebration was the annual reception of Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln. The White House was thrown open at 12 o’clock, and the Cabinet Ministers, the Diplomatic Corps, the Judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Claims, and the army and navy officers, paid, in the order of precedence, the compliments of the season to the President and his wife.

At 1 o’clock the citizens at large were presented. The Marine Band during the hours of reception discoursed excellent music, and the whole affair passed off with brilliancy, no less than five thousand people having gained admittance to the reception.

The President was in the best of spirits, and received the greetings of his friends in the most genial manner.

The New Year’s Day receptions continued for decades after Lincoln’s time. In the years before White House Christmas trees became the focus of holiday entertaining, the visit to the president's house on the first day of the year was the beginning of the social season in Washington.

The Great Receptions Fade Into History

A line of wellwishers waits at the North Entrance of the White House to greet President Theodore Roosevelt, 1905.
Library of Congress

AddMilitary members, who were admitted ahead of the general public, wait outside of the White House gates for the reception, 1909.

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Members of the police department contain the line of citizens waiting outside the White House gates for a chance to shake the president’s hand, 1911.

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The receptions remained enormously popular, and Time magazine published an article in 1930 about a man arriving early enough to be first on line for that year’s reception. The last New Year’s Day reception was held January 1, 1932, during the administration of Herbert Hoover. The following year, the Hoover family left Washington for the holidays, and the long tradition was broken.

AddThe line for the New Year’s reception reached down the White House sidewalk, wound out beyond the gates, and continued around the block bordering the old State, War, and Navy building (Eisenhower Executive Office Building) as anxious citizens attended the first New Year’s reception to be held in eight years, 1922.

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When Franklin Roosevelt took office in 1933 he chose not to revive the custom, partly because his paralysis made it difficult to stand to greet visitors.

Add captImmediately following the final handshake, President and Mrs. Coolidge are photographed in front of the White House with Military and Naval aides who assisted with the reception, 1927.

Library of Congress

With all the security precautions in today's world, it’s impossible to imagine that the public will ever again be able to celebrate New Year's Day by walking into the White House and shaking the president's hand.

Men, women, and children stood in a line of 3,303 people for hours in the cold and wind for the chance to shake hands with the president, 1927.

Library of Congress

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THE WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS TREE (displayed inside)

2011-12-02T18:39:00.000-08:00

The White House Christmas tree is a tradition that dates back to 1889. The very first Christmas tree in the White House was when Benjamin Harrison lived there. It was displayed in the Oval Room on the second floor. The Harrison White House Christmas tree was decorated with lit candles. This very first simple Christmas tree displayed in the White House has transformed into a treasured, national tradition.

The national Christmas tradition didn't take off right away, however. Not all of the presidential families displayed Christmas trees during the holidays. The event became official with the 1929 White House Christmas tree. First Lady Lou Henry Hoover was in charge of the decorations for the Christmas tree in the White House. Since then, decorating the White House Christmas tree has become an honor bestowed upon the First Ladies.

The first White House Christmas tree to display electric lights instead of candles was in 1895. First Lady Frances Cleveland decided to bring the Christmas tree in the White House up to modern standards by decorating it with the popular electric Christmas tree lights.

First Lady Jackie Kennedy started the White House Christmas tree tradition of decorating with a specific theme in mind. There have been many White House Christmas tree themes over the years. Jackie Kennedy's selected theme was inspired by the popular Christmas ballet, "Nutcracker Suite". She decorated the 1961 Christmas tree with candy canes, toy ornaments, and tiny gift packages. The ornaments were made by American craftsmen that were disabled or senior citizens.

The official White House website shows a photograph of a popular White House Christmas tree. It was the early American themed Christmas tree chosen by Lady Bird Johnson. The Christmas tree was decorated with traditional Christmas tree decorations such as gingerbread cookies, popcorn, fruit, and a paper mache angel was perched at the top. The White House Christmas tree was displayed in the blue Oval Room.

One of the Reagan White House Christmas trees had a Mother Goose theme. The base of the tree featured scenes from Mother Goose nursery rhymes. 100 miniature geese decorated the Christmas tree, as well as gingerbread men and ornaments made out of Christmas cards.

The White House Christmas tree tradition has evolved somewhat over the years. Today, the First Lady selects a theme for the White House Christmas tree. Then American artists think up ways to decorate the Christmas tree for the White House. Each year, the National Christmas Tree Association presents the official White House Christmas tree that is displayed in the Blue Room. This has been a tradition since 1966.

The 2007 White House Christmas tree is a Fraser fir that is so large that the chandelier had to be removed to display it in the Blue Room. The 2007 White House Christmas tree theme is America's national historic sites. Ornaments designed by American artisans adorn the tree. Each handmade ornament represents a nationally recognized site in the United States. There are over 300 White House Christmas tree ornaments that represent American historic sites, monuments, national parks, memorials, and seashores.

The NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN

2011-10-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

There are roughly 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the United States every year. But only one tree gets the glory of standing as our country's national Christmas tree. Each year, a tree stands proudly outside the White House in Washington, D.C. and when the President flips that switch, it is illuminated with lights. It has been a long-standing tradition, dating back to 1923 when Calvin Coolidge presided over the first public celebration of the Christmas holidays with the lighting of a National Christmas Tree.

Now don't get this confused with the White House Christmas Tree. That tree, also known as the Blue Room Christmas tree, is the official indoor Christmas tree at the White House. However, the National Christmas Tree stays outdoors and its lighting has turned into quite a celebration. Each year, people from all over the country visit Washington to see the tree light up, and the celebration is now a part of the Christmas Pageant of Peace which also includes featured guest performers, costumed entertainers, volunteer gospel choirs, and even an appearance by the first family.

So how did this celebration come about? Take a trip back in time to see the major events that helped form this national celebration.

It Started at the Capitol

In 1913, the country got its first taste of national Christmas spirit. President Woodrow Wilson requested that a community Christmas tree be placed at the Capitol so that a lighting ceremony could be recognized as a national event. On Christmas Eve, a crowd of 20,000 gathered to celebrate "A Civic Christmas." Visitors enjoyed the U.S. Marine Band, 1,000 singers, and a costumed reenaction of the Nativity. Today, a Capitol Christmas Tree is still displayed on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, but not to be confused with the National Christmas Tree. Instead the National Christmas Tree has transformed into a major event at the White House.

The first official National Christmas tree came about in 1923. This "community Christmas tree" was lit by President Calvin Coolidge on Christmas Eve in President's Park, south of the White house, also referred to as the Ellipse. Decorated with 2,500 donated lights in red, white, and green, the tree was a gift from Vermont's Middlebury College. Visitors enjoyed the lighting of the tree as well as Christmas carols performed by the Epiphany Church choir and the U.S. Marine Band quartet.

The location of the tree moved over the next few years. It moved from the Ellipse in 1923, to Sherman Plaza - located near the east entrance of the White House - from 1924-1933, to Lafayette Park from 1934-1938, and then back to the Ellipse where it has remained.

Light It Up

The tree lighting ceremony itself has always symbolized the country's current events. For example, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the ceremony in 1941 included a surprise appearance by Sir Winston Churchill. And the following year, wartime blackouts kept the tree from being lit -1942 until 1944.

In 1954, the tree was lit for its usual celebration but something was very different. President Dwight Eisenhower lit the first National Christmas Tree for the Pageant of Peace on December 17 rather than Christmas Eve. This paved the way for the lighting ceremonies today. Not having it on December 25 allows for more tourists to see the lighting and still be home for their own family traditions. Also evolved was the Pathway to Peace, leading to the National Community Christmas Tree. It was now bordered by smaller Christmas trees decorated by embassies, states and U.S. territories. What once was a single Christmas tree, now includes a main tree with 56 smaller trees - one for each state, territory, and the District of Columbia.

Although the tree remains lit for hours during the holiday season, in 1980 the tree was only fully lit for 417 seconds. Each second symbolized each day hostages had been in captivity in Iran.

Five years later - Christmas Eve of 1985 - President George H. W. Bush instructed that the tree's lights be turned down momentarily in support of American hostages in Lebanon and their families at home. In 2001, children of victims of the September 11th terrorist attack on the Pentagon assisted in lighting the tree.

Keeping up with today's national concerns, the standard filament-burning bulbs that adorned the National Christmas Tree were replaced by energy-efficient light-emitting diodes, also known as LEDs. They serve as a national reminder of how everyone can save energy to decrease their carbon footprint.

The Right Tree

Prior to 1973, cut trees were donated for the Pageant of Peace celebration. That year, a 42-foot blue spruce from northern Pennsylvania was donated by the National Arborist Association, and was intended to serve as a permanent National Christmas Tree. Unfortunately, the tree began to die in 1976. In 1978, a 40-foot-tall living Colorado blue spruce was donated by an anonymous family in Maryland, was transplanted to the Ellipse where it continues to serve as the National Christmas Tree ever since.

Today

The Lighting of the National Christmas Tree and Pageant of Peace is celebrated every year at the White House. But if you are wondering why this has to do with national parks, you may be surprised to learn that the White House is in fact a unit of the National Park System. It was transferred to the National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior) on August 10, 1933.

You can read about this year's specific events, on the Pageant of Peace page. And for even more information, you can read the history of the National Christmas Tree on the Washington, D.C. Travel site.

The first National Christmas Tree," lit on December 24, 1923, in the middle of the Ellipse. The Washington Monument is seen in the background. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

The history of the Rose Garden

2011-09-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

The White House is a symbol of the United States of America. The building and the grounds create a lasting image in the minds of visitors. This applies to tourists as well as foreign dignitaries. The White House Rose Garden is a part of that image. It creates a specific type of vision of and nature. The concept of the White House (and the idea of a botanical representation at the White House) dates back to the very beginning of the United States.

George Washington's Vision

 George Washington envisioned a botanical garden on the White House grounds.

The idea of a White House garden was forwarded by the very first president, George Washington. Envisioning a botanical garden on the site, Washington made a purchase of the land that is now the south lawn. Other than the concept of a garden, that purchase was Washington's sole contribution to the White House botanical presence. This is appropriate, though, as the White House didn't exist during Washington's tenure as president.

The First White House Gardens

 Thomas Jefferson created the first formal designs for White House gardens.
John Adams was the first president to live in the White House. It's not surprising, then, that he was the first president to order the planting of a garden. When Thomas Jefferson occupied the White House, he redesigned all the gardens and chose the location of the flower gardens himself. John Quincy Adams, though, saw to the planting of the flower gardens using the designs that had been laid out by Jefferson.

Colonial Garden Becomes a Rose Garden

 Theodore Roosevelt's, Edith, worked with the White House gardener in 1902 to design a colonial garden. In 1913, though, it was replaced by a rose garden. This was the West garden of the White House and, once Woodrow Wilson's wife, Ellen, made the change to the rose garden, it became known as "The Rose Garden." The site of that original rose garden remains the site of the White House Rose Garden today.

Italian Design

 The original rose garden was designed to resemble a 17th-century Italian garden. yellow rose in the garden image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com

When Mrs. Wilson designed the rose garden, she had in mind a 17th-century Italian garden, meaning it was essentially laid out as a pair of long hedges. These hedges bordered a walkway that was known as "the President's walk." This design, planted in 1913, lasted for almost 50 years in its original form. Even when it was redesigned, it remained a rose garden.

Kennedy Redesign

 John F. Kennedy was responsible for the current design of the rose garden. kennedy half dollar image by John Sfondilias from Fotolia.com

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy redesigned the rose garden. Rather than envisioning it as a border for "the President's walk," Kennedy wanted a venue for outdoor events. Today, the garden retains Kennedy's design. That allows it to be used for formal outdoor ceremonies as it can accommodate several hundred guests. It remains one of the lasting legacies of the Kennedy presidency.

Read more: The History of the White House Rose Garden
eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6596927_history-white-house-rose-garden.html#ixzz1Xw4uhB00

Lady Bird Johnson by Sandra Parshall

2011-08-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

I would have known that voice anywhere, but I never expected to hear it in my neighborhood branch library.

A few years ago I was browsing the audiobooks section of the Dolley Madison Library in McLean, VA, when I heard a woman say in an unmistakable Texas drawl, “Let’s go whole hog on spy novels.” Could it possibly be...? I looked up to see Lady Bird Johnson in a wheelchair, accompanied by a Secret Service agent and her daughter, Lynda Robb. Mrs. Johnson wore sunglasses, and I recalled reading in The Washington Post that she’d had cataract surgery at Walter Reed and was recuperating at Lynda and Chuck Robb’s home in McLean. Now here she was, picking out audiobooks to entertain her while she was unable to read. Several library patrons were nearby, and we all did our best not to stare, but we couldn't help smiling as we listened to her commenting, in a voice we knew so well, on the books her daughter suggested. And I couldn't help noticing that her Secret Service man regarded her with genuine fondness.

I had always admired Mrs. Johnson’s down-to-earth personality and her combination of grace and inner strength. Here in the Washington area, it’s not unusual to see politicians in public places, but they don't impress me. They’re just... well, politicians. But seeing my favorite First Lady picking out spy novels at my local library is an experience I'll always treasure.

Fourth of July celebrations

2011-06-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

July 2, 1776 is when John Adams proclaimed: I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sprts, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more. He wrote this to his beloved wife, Abigail. The revised Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, which is why it's celebrated on the Fourth.

Ever since 1777, Americans have celebrated the Day of Independence with fireworks, parades, picnics, family gatherings, etc. The first celebration had a firing of the canon, militia march and the reading of the Declaration of Independence with much 'HUZZA!' across the land. Ever since, there's not much changed. It seems that American's like a good party and it was passed with zeal as a proven National Holiday plus a few years later, adding the fifth as another day in which everyone will also get paid. There was a bit of snag with DC, since it's not a state, but the folks who live there, did finally obtain the same rights as everyone else.

Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who had finally made up and resumed their friendship after many years, died fifty years after the signing of the document. Two of our glorious Founding Fathers died together. It seems to be more of Divine intervention than a coincidence to me, that this should happen.

During the time of the Civil War, President Lincoln found it to be not a time of rejoicing but a time of sorrow, for he saw his Union slipping from further away plus all the dead haunted him. But with the Union victory in Vicksburg, they celebrated on July 7, 1863. In 1865, it's the first time that Freedmen could celebrate, reading the Emanicipation Proclamation in honor of the now assassinated President Lincoln. Tattered flags were flown and there was celebration all across the land, even at Gettysburg.


An added note, in 1868 President Johnson had the Declaration of Independence read not only in English but also in Spanish. 1883 it was read in Swedish in Moorhead, MN. God Bless those Swedes! 1907 Mark Twain gave a Fourth July speech in London. 1918, New York City gave a pageant parade with forty different nationalites. For the 150 year celebration, President Coolidge planted a willow tree similar to one that had been growing at Mount Vernon during President Washington's life. There were also speeches, ceremonies aplenty at Monticello and all across the land plus overseas. In 1919, one of the peaks in the Black Hills is renamed Mt. Theodore Roosevelt. In 1942, fireworks were cancelled because of 'blackout' during the war. 1960 gave us our 50th star, Hawaii. 1976, our nation's 200 anniversary, at 2:00 when the Declaration was approved, bells rang thirteen times simultaneously across our land commemorating our first thirteen colonies.

The Freedman speeches still ring across our land. The Declaration is still read. In spite of all of our differences and squabbles over politics, Americans still love our land and celebrate it with zest and honor.

So to EVERYONE who has served, will serve, knows someone who has or will, THANK YOU! GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Me and Mrs. Clinton by Jim Doherty

2011-06-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

     I never shook hands with her, nor did she and I ever exchange words, but on two occasions I was in the position, at least theoretically, of being obliged to take a bullet for Hilary Clinton.

      At the time I was working as a Department of Defense police officer, which means I was a civilian federal cop employed to provide law enforcement at a military base. Specifically, I was employed by the O’Hare Air Reserve Station, a USAF base that, until 1999, occupied the southwest quarter of O’Hare Airport in Chicago.

     Because military bases are easier to secure than civilian facilities, it was common practice that, whenever the President and/or his wife came to Chicago, Air Force One was parked in O’Hare’s military section. And for as long as the President and Mrs. Clinton were on base, part of the responsibility for their safety rested with the DoD cops.

     Of course, the U.S. Secret Service is the agency primarily responsible for providing bodyguard service to the President and his family, but it’s a big job, and they can’t do it without the help of local and state law enforcement.

     In simple terms, presidential security is designed as a series of concentric circles with the president (or the relevant family member) in the center. The innermost circles are occupied by Secret Service agents or patrol officers in the Secret Service Uniformed Division. But larger, outlying circles are generally occupied by local or state cops (which, in this case, included O’Hare’s DoD cops).

     My second day as a DoD cop was my first experience working a presidential detail. President Clinton and his wife were traveling together that day. As the disembarked from Air Force One, the circle I was part of was outlying enough that I barely recognized them. They posed for photographers, shook a few hands, and (I presume) would have kissed a few babies had there been any babies to kiss. They quickly entered their limo, which took its place in the motorcade, and were driven off the base. For as long as they were on the base, the lead vehicle in the motorcade was a DoD police car.

     The big thrill for me was that, after they were gone, I was assigned to guard Air Force One. I was one of two cops handling that part of the security assignment (the other being a USAF Security Policeman). My assignment was to “walk a beat” around the rear of the plane, from one wingtip to the other. Sounds boring as hell, but, at the time, I got a real charge out of knowing that I’d be able to brag about having once stood guard over the presidential aircraft.

     The second time, Mrs. Clinton came by herself. I was even farther away that time. I was assigned to a guard shack by a gate in a remote corner of the base that was usually opened only during rush hour. For reasons I was never privy to, it was decided that Mrs. Clinton’s motorcade would exit through that gate rather than the main entrance. My sole job was to open the gate once informed that the motorcade was on its way. This I did.

     Problem was, there was no human traffic control outside the gate, and the motorcade arrived just as a red light hit. The motorcade had to stop for traffic! The lieutenant driving the DoD squad car that was leading the motorcade off the base eventually decided to block traffic himself so that the motorcade could exit expeditiously. Though this sounds like a common sense solution, it was actually a fairly courageous decision on his part. One of the things that we were constantly reminded of during my tenure as a DoD cop was that we were not empowered to take any police action off the base. The lieutenant’s taking it upon himself to control traffic outside the gate was a violation of that principle. As far as I know, though, he never got in trouble for it.

     The first time I was involved in her protection, I only saw her from a distance. This second time, she was in a limo with darkened windows, so I never even got a faraway glance.

     Those two incidents were my tiny contribution to First Lady history.

Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles, 1919

2011-04-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

(This picture isn't of them in Paris. I don't know what happened, and I can't seem to make it smaller or delete it. It doesn't show up when I go into the blog for preview. Sorry, dear readers.)

In Paris, Mr. Wilson was clearly stunned by the savagery of the Great War and wanted the Germans to pay for it. Mr. Wilson didn’t want it to be revenge, but more a reconciliation between all nations. He also wanted more knowledge of situations and circumstances. He felt that America needed input in European affairs.

Wilson in Paris

A sense of isolationism was growing in America at that time. His sculpting of the League of Nations earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. First Lady Mrs. Wilson was beside him at the conference, and she was one of the first First Ladies to travel as an American ambassador.

Copy of Treaty

When they left the White House in March 1921, they resided in Washington. Mr. Wilson died in 1924, and she remained in her home, delighting Washingtonians. She’d visit the White House and was friends with most inhabitants, including Jackie Kennedy. She rode in the Kennedy inaugural parade at age 90.

Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918

2011-04-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Wilson supported her husband during these trying times, embracing the Acts. Neither did anything to curtail the anti-German sentiment, unfortunately, which seemed to spread across the land. As it dug in deeper, the President did an about face and committed our troops to the war effort.

Rosenberg's

The Sedition Act was basically a series of amendments, which broadened the Espionage Act, taking away Freedom of Speech. Movie stars, authors, poets, plus many citizens and elected officials, who spoke out against the war, were all subject to the power of the president. Many were jailed, ostracized publicly and silenced by any possible means.

Anyone who opposed the war effort or spoke in favor of the German government was under scrutiny. The term Frankfurt became hotdog because of the German association. Germans were Americanizing their names and denying their heritage. Socialists such as Eugene Debs, a multi-presidential candidate, was jailed for “obstructing recruiting”. Our nation was under siege because of this law. No longer was the press able to report the truth nor were citizens allowed to speak freely. Even personal mail was confiscated from citizens—that’s you and I. When the Industrial Workers of the World organization sympathized with workers throughout the world, including Russia, some were imprisoned or extradited from the United States and forced to give up citizenship.

Emma Goldman

Mrs. Wilson and the Liberty Bonds

2011-01-30T14:23:00.000-08:00

With the declaration of war in 1917, Edith used it as an excuse to eliminate the Easter eggroll and also the New Years Day reception. She was not one who wanted much to do with entertaining, so it gave her an excuse to also hire a secretary to handle her affairs. Entertaining in the White House was minimal.

Throughout the war she liked to be called Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, even as she went about with her duties. Instead of hiring gardeners, she borrowed twenty sheep from a nearby farm to keep the lawn mowed. The wool was donated to charity, and did net $50,000. 00. She knitted trench helmets, sewed thousands of vessels and volunteered with the Red Cross. Helping her husband decode messages and give advice is what she's mostly noted for.

The Liberty Bond was sold to support the allied cause. The Act of Congress authorized the Liberty Bonds, which soon became a symbol of patriotic duty and introduced the idea of financial securities to many citizens. They are still in use today and were issued after September 11, 2001. The government used famous artists to make posters and used movie stars to host bond rallies. Charlie Chaplin made a short film called, "The Bond." Even the Boys and Girl Scouts rallied and sold bonds. Army signal corps was established, and they were to criss-cross the country and sell the bonds. The program was successful in raising money for the war effort. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were among some of the Hollywood elite.

EDITH WILSON: The Night of Terror

2010-12-29T18:46:00.000-08:00

It was November 15, 1917 and suffragists were picketing outside of the White House for the right to vote. Women picketed and were thrown in jail for doing so, being told that they were obstructing justice.

    As they picketed, policemen came wielding clubs and their warden’s blessing, to hit the women and forcefully take them to jail. Thirty-three women were almost beaten to death for picketing and bringing to the President’s attention the need for a signed law allowing them to vote. The President never yielded, and stayed behind the sanctity and safety of the White House as these women were beaten to inches of their lives. The First Lady also stayed by the Presidents’ side and never swayed or made comment concerning the beatings.

    These thirty-three women were brought to prison and were starved, some were actually beaten to death or left to die without medical aide. They had heart attacks. Left to hang. Lucy Burns was chained to the cell bars above her head for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
     Another woman, Dora Lewis, was in a dark cell and had her head smashed against an iron bed and knocked out cold. The guards pinched, twisted and continued beating her.
     For weeks these women were continued to be beaten and only fed water from an open pail. The slop that they were fed was colorless and infested with worms.
     Alice Paul began a hunger strike and was beaten once again. They force fed a tube down her throat and poured liquid until she vomited. They tied her to a chair and beat her.

     All this went on for weeks until the press finally got wind of it. A psychiatrist cronie of Woodrow Wilson’s tried to have Alice Paul committed as insane. Finally a doctor stepped forward and admitted that ‘courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.’
     President and First Lady Wilson stood by and let this happen. Afterwards, the National Woman’s Party developed. Women didn’t get the right to vote until 1920. Wilson left office in 1919.

EDITH WILSON the second wife of Woodrow Wilson.

2010-11-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

Was Edith Wilson our first American Princess?


    Since my next in the series is Edith Wilson, I will try my level best to find some new information about her, but there’s little to be found.
    She was born in Wytheville, Virginia, October 15, 1872 and died in December in 1961. She lived in Washington. She loved Washington, just like Dolley Madison did who resided there after selling her estate.
    Genealogists can trace Edith Wilson’s ancestors to colonial Virginia by either bloodline or through marriage. She was English, Native American, related to Thomas Jefferson, Martha Washington, Letitia Tyler and the Harrison family. Most notable was her direct descent from the famous Powhatan tribe princess, Pocahontas. That’s pretty impressive in my book, but does that make her a princess through lineage?
Edith was the seventh of eleven children in her family, had black hair and blue eyes and stood about five feet nine inches. She was the same height or about, as myself! She had a difficult childhood, living in crowded room above a storefront with her siblings and her relatives were also impoverished. Her father was a lawyer and a judge, so he was probably on the road a lot.
    Her first marriage was to Norman Galt who owned a jewelry store, in Washington D.C. He died in 1908, leaving Edith as the sole heir to the store, leaving her a wealthy widow. Edith and Norman had one son, unnamed, who died in infancy, 1903.

To bow or not to bow…

2010-10-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

When Barb asked me to write something for her First Lady Mysteries blog, I was very excited and a little nervous. As an Italian who has lived in New York for just two years, what knowledge do I really have about American First Ladies? I might not be a textbook historian, but I can give you a European’s perspective on how First Ladies are perceived ‘across the pond’ (as Churchill would say).

There is silent common set of rules that run through all of Europe called “protocol”. Any variation from these rules will stir a wave of common emotion, whether one is a monarchist, a republican, a leftist or a right wing supporter. In other words: Europeans love it when a First Lady is put to the test.

Take Mrs. Obama, for example. During her visit to London in April 2009, the First Lady put her hand behind the Queen’s lower back, posing for a photograph. England went mad. As the NY Magazine put it: “Nearly the entire nation simultaneously snarfed their English Breakfast.” By touching the Queen, Mrs. Obama had departed from that centenarian rule where no one touches the Queen unless she touches you first. But the world loved it: Google returns 909,000 hits when you look up the incident.

First ladies are not required to bow or curtsey, first, they are not monarchists; second, they are not the Queen’s subjects. But attention to detail shows respect for a country’s traditions. Can anyone blame Mrs. Reagan when she encouraged John Travolta to dance with Princess Diana at a gala evening in November 1985? For heart-broken Britons, those where the last days they would see the Princess smile with gusto. But Mrs. Reagan didn’t have much luck with the British press, which in 1981 criticized her extensively over her lavish parties in London leading up to the Royal wedding (of Prince Charles to Lady Diana). Thus, Nancy Reagan was portrayed at home as “Queen Nancy” which amused foreign tourists and Americans alike.

Carol Glatz of the Catholic News Service once wrote that “Clothes do indeed make the woman and the man, and they can also make or break a visit to the Vatican.” She was referring to the dress code, another silent but well known protocol that First Ladies are required to follow when meeting the Pope at a private audience. In the history of American First Ladies’ private audiences with the Pope, every First Lady has chosen to follow the silent protocol (wearing black) as a sign of respect towards the one thousand year-old tradition. The same is not true of some other First Ladies. The most famous fashion failure was Raisa Gorbachev’s who visited Pope John Paul II in December 1989 wearing a bright red dress. This was the first official visit of a Soviet head of State to the Vatican, so her choice of clothes could have been a political statement. Truth is, I was thirteenth at the time and I still remember the headlines in the papers.

But despite the entertainment that protocol provides through the media, the truth is that First Ladies are not just a social attraction. When Pope John Paul II met with Nancy Reagan for the first time, he congratulated her and thanked her for her work on drug abuse. When Michelle Obama was in London for the G20 summit in April 2009, she visited the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Language School in Islington and said these words to the girls: “I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life who taught me about quiet strength and dignity. You too can control your own destiny.”

Indeed, quiet strength and dignity is the First Ladies’ legacy. After all, didn’t Eleanor Roosevelt once say that behind every successful man, there is a very tired woman?

Sorrows and the final tears for Mary Lincoln

2010-10-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

   New letters have surfaced from the descendants of the doctor who had treated Mrs. Lincoln for her migraines, insomnia and probably depression and other ailments, which also included bladder infections. She indicated that she needed more chloral hydrate, which is a sedative and hypnotic, to sleep. Thus was her state of mind when her son, Robert, had her committed to the state hospital in 1875, ten years after her husband's assassination. She was confined to the state hospital as a lunatic for four months before being able to plead her case and get released. No one, absolutely NO ONE came to her defense.
   The second time that Robert tried to have her committed, the courts deemed her fit under the condition that she went to live with her sister Elizabeth Edwards, in Springfield. This is the same sister which she lived with at the time of her marriage to Abraham. She more or less stayed in her room with her trunks, and cried until she couldn't cry anymore, then she'd cry again. However, Robert was removed as the executor after trying to get her committed for the second time.
   Mrs. Lincoln had written her final letter to Robert, stating her burial wishes. They are as follows: "I wish my remains to be clothed in the white silk dress which will be found in the lower drawer of the bureau in my room. I desire that my body, shall remain for two days with the lid of the coffin being screwed down and on the 3d day, after my death, Professor Swing acceding, I wish the coffin taken to the latter's church, he preaching the funeral sermon from the 23rd Psalm." The Rev. David Swing was minister of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chicago. She concludes: "beside my dear husband & Taddies' on one side of me."
    When she died in Springfield on July 15, 1882, her instructions weren't precisely carried out, but she was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery beside her husband and children. Her open coffin stood in the same spot where she had been married, forty years before where she stood as a bride. Her hands were folded across her chest and she wore her wedding ring that had been placed there in 1842. It was inscribed: "Love is Eternal".
    She was a great lady and a wonderful First Lady in her own right. Without her love and support for our president, Mr. Lincoln never would've been able to carry through with his mission of preserving the union of the United States of America. For this, we must forgive Mrs. Lincoln her faults and just love her for who she was, our First Lady.

Mary Lincoln and the Civil War.

2010-09-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

     Clouds and darkness surround us, yet Heaven is just, and the day of triumph will surely come, when justice and truth will be vindicated. Mary Todd Lincoln

    After President Lincoln was elected, Mary did her best to influence his cabinet. There were few that she liked, but try as she might, she had little influence with Abraham. She did work her charms on the menfolk, and did develop quite a following. As the war progressed she saw so little of her husband plus having to deal with the public as well as the death of her children, made her more anxious and out of sorts than normal. By her flirtations with men of power, she was able to underwrite the redecorating of the White House and purchase clothing until Abraham finally figured it all out and almost exploded.She also gave men vouchers so that they'd be able to get an audience with the president, which really disgusted him. Abraham was very patient with her.
However, what is so impressive is that Mary Lincoln was hundred percent behind the Civil War even though she was born and bred a southern gal, she believed in it. The relatives, including siblings, who fought for the South, she mostly ignored because they were against her husband. The reason behind her full-fledged support of the Emancipation stems from her grandmother who helped escaped slaves. Mary lived close to a slave prison and saw hangings. She also knew how unjust it was to have families split apart, the parents or children sold in an instant. The intertwining of the races was very prevalent at that time in Lexington. Mary did have her slaves, but she got by without as much as possible by doing a lot of the work herself.
    In Washington she'd visit the hospitals and sit with the men and write letters home for them. That is one of the ways that she lent her support.
    From all the search that I've done, besides her support of the war, and trying to get certain men into the President's cabinet, I couldn't find one piece of legislation that she influenced. I really can't believe it, but she was a busy lady doing all that redecorating and shopping! She had sixty-four full trunks weighing nearly four tons when she died. All I can think of is, what would she have done if there had been a Mall of America in her day? Yikes!

White House China

2010-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

It's my understanding that Abigail Adams used whatever dishes were there, or what? I never did find that out, but there is a written note in her handwriting inviting a guest to one of the 'levees' as they were called. Dolley Madison's state china service was a hard-paste porcelain with gilt-relief. The plates were produced in 1814 at the Paris factory of Jean Nepomucene Hermann Nast.
    After the War of 1812, with the White House burning, etc, the Monroes had to refurnish and redecorate. First Lady Mrs. Monroe decorated in the French style. She was the first to have White House china created solely for the presidential use. The placesettings were manufactured in Paris. She was also the first to have an eagle as part of the design with a red, white, and blue banner displaying the words, "E Pluribus Unum", the national motto. There are five vignettes inside of the dark red border, representing agriculture, strength, commerce, science and arts.
    Another set wasn't ordered until the Polks moved in in 1845. The service included a plain white design and gold trim, there is a shade of green border and a large flower in the center, like a pink wildflower.
    Mary Lincoln knew how to spend money. She would put Madonna to shame, I think. It was her mission to spruce up the White House and make it special to the world. She gave it some much needed updating and redecorating all the way from the family living quarters to the kitchen. She purchased china that was solely made in America. She was very socially active and conscience of what it should look like, assuming that they won the war. The purple-red border called 'Solerino", later known as "Royal Purple", gave way to the center American bald eagle, which appears as if it were flying through the clouds. The Coat of Arms displayed on the bald eagle is glorious.
    When Mrs. Hayes moved in, she ordered the china to include the flora and fauna of North America as decoration. She used the same eagle and Coat of Arms motif for the center.
    In 1892, First Lady Caroline Harrison wanted new china that would be "symbolic and meaningful to Americans." She also had the Coat of Arms in the center, designed a goldenrod and corn motif etched in gold around a wide band of blue. There are also 44 stars for the number of states in the union and the corn is symbolic of her home state of Indiana. Mrs. Harrison was the First Lady to begin gathering and storing remnants of former chinaware in the White House. She died before it's delivery.
    First Lady Edith Roosevelt ordered Wedgeood china. It was white and highlighted the Great Seal of the United State for the first time. This was in the early 1900's.
   Mrs. Wilson, Edith, chose Lenox, and it was in 1918. The china featured a deep ivory border surrounding a brighter ivory body and two bands of matte gold encrusted with stars, strips, and other motifs. The Seal of the president was raised in gold in the center of each piece. This was the first time that everyone at a State Dinner could eat off the same plate design plus it was decorated by American workmen.
    First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt found that by the time she'd moved in, the dishes were largely depleted. She ordered Lenox, also, and the year was 1933. They included a border of 48 stars, the presidential seal in enamel colors on an ivory body. President Roosevelt liked nautical objects, the stars were set against a band of marine blue. The inner band was complemented with golden roses and feathers, which was reminiscent of the Roosevelt crest.
    The Truman's went through extensive renovations in the White House. First Lady Bess Truman ordered Lenox china in 1951. The pattern included a border of celadon green flanked by an etched gold band and a twenty-four karat gold rim on an ivory body. It included a raised gold presidential seal, surrounded by 48 gold stars. After the war, President Harry S. Truman issued an executive order to standardize the seal; he had the head of the eagle turned toward the olive branch, representing peace, instead of toward the arrows, representing war.
     First Lady Maimie Eisenhower only ordered service dinner plates to complete the set.
    First Lady Lady Bird Johnson determined that new china was needed. Her china featured American wild flowers and was manufactured in the United States by Castleton China. She featured the eagle that was first designed for the Monroe china. The wildflowers feature flowers from throughout the United States. That lady sure loved her wildflowers!
    First Lady Nancy Reagan was modeled after Woodrow Wilson's, featuring the seal in burnished gold on an ivory background with a border of scarlet. The service was manufactured by Lenox.
   First Lady Hilary Clinton wanted to commemorate the 200 anniversary of the White House. The china included a border of pale, creamy yellow, rather than a brighter primary color, and images of the White House, instead of the customary seal. Each placesetting has a different pattern, with elements found in the various rooms of the White House.
   First Lady Laura Bush ordered from Lenox, too. She chose a soft green pattern due to its versatility and ability to coordinate with flowers. The pattern was inspired by Dolley Madison's dishware. The smaller White House Magnolia Pattern is now distributed throughout the United States through DeVine Corporation, and this is what was used in their private quarters.
   All of this information came from Google. If you want to read more or see pictures Google China Room and White House China. There's two great Wikipedia sites. The best pictures of all is this link: http://www.firstladies.org/documents/    Give that a try, hopefully it'll work.

Fourth of July celebrations

2010-06-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

July 2, 1776 is when John Adams proclaimed: I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sprts, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more. He wrote this to his beloved wife, Abigail. The revised Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, which is why it's celebrated on the Fourth.
     Ever since 1777, Americans have celebrated the Day of Independence with fireworks, parades, picnics, family gatherings, etc. The first celebration had a firing of the canon, militia march and the reading of the Declaration of Independence with much 'HUZZA!' across the land. Ever since, there's not much changed. It seems that American's like a good party and it was passed with zeal as a proven National Holiday plus a few years later, adding the fifth as another day in which everyone will also get paid. There was a bit of snag with DC, since it's not a state, but the folks who live there, did finally obtain the same rights as everyone else.
    Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who had finally made up and resumed their friendship after many years, died fifty years after the signing of the document. Two of our glorious Founding Fathers died together. It seems to be more of Divine intervention than a coincidence to me, that this should happen.
    During the time of the Civil War, President Lincoln found it to be not a time of rejoicing but a time of sorrow, for he saw his Union slipping from further away plus all the dead haunted him. But with the Union victory in Vicksburg, they celebrated on July 7, 1863. In 1865, it's the first time that Freedmen could celebrate, reading the Emanicipation Proclamation in honor of the now assassinated President Lincoln. Tattered flags were flown and there was celebration all across the land, even at Gettysburg.
    An added note, in 1868 President Johnson had the Declaration of Independence read not only in English but also in Spanish. 1883 it was read in Swedish in Moorhead, MN. God Bless those Swedes! 1907 Mark Twain gave a Fourth July speech in London. 1918, New York City gave a pageant parade with forty different nationalites. For the 150 year celebration, President Coolidge planted a willow tree similar to one that had been growing at Mount Vernon during President Washington's life. There were also speeches, ceremonies aplenty at Monticello and all across the land plus overseas. In 1919, one of the peaks in the Black Hills is renamed Mt. Theodore Roosevelt. In 1942, fireworks were cancelled because of 'blackout' during the war. 1960 gave us our 50th star, Hawaii. 1976, our nation's 200 anniversary, at 2:00 when the Declaration was approved, bells rang thirteen times simultaneously across our land commemorating our first thirteen colonies.
     The Freedman speeches still ring across our land. The Declaration is still read. In spite of all of our differences and squabbles over politics, Americans still love our land and celebrate it with zest and honor.
     So to EVERYONE who has served, will serve, knows someone who has or will, THANK YOU! GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Early marriage and up to the White House

2010-06-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

Others live on in a careless and lukewarm state-not appearing to fill Longfellow's measure: 'Into each life, some rain must fall.' Mary Todd Lincoln.

   Mary Lincoln was profoundly in love with Abraham because of his intelligence, wit and charm, he was the same way. She had had many suitors, but settled on him. Abraham didn't feel as if he was good enough for her at one point, and broke off the engagement. Both were miserable. There also was a duel fought that was over her, but neither would ever speak of it. Before courtship, Abraham was quoted as saying that, 'he wanted to dance with her in the worst way.' The day after his marriage, Abraham told people that his new status was a 'profound wonder.'
    The day after his marriage, he was probably gone overnight because he had nine cases in Christian County courts, thus began their marriage. Mary was left to her own devices, which was taking care of the home and their growing family. By the 1850's, Lincoln's prominence grew. When Lincoln ran for office, his best adviser was Mary. He respected her judgment because she was very knowledgeable, plus her father had been involved in politics. When the White House drew near, her prominence dropped to the back row seat because of the war.
   However, that woman knew how to entertain and charm the skin off a snake, and boy did she. When he was gone for either the circuit court or campaigning, she worked the public by having 'salons', just like her kin through marriage, Dolley. Dolley had ice cream salon's or meals, Mary did the same. She also began dressing Abraham, otherwise he would've looked even more like a bedraggled backwoodsman, than he already did. He also began using his stovepipe hat as a safe place to put his letters, like a briefcase. However much that she'd refined him, it only went so far. Once when visitors came to the door asking for Mary, he said, "she'll be down after she gets her trotting harness on."
     That quote is a great indication of what caused her outbursts. She worked day and night to get her husband elected. In August of 1860, three months before the presidential election, parades began in front of their house. A photographer climbed to the second floor of Harriet Dean's house, across the street from the Lincoln's, and took that famous picture. Mary had opened the door, and people filed inside. The picture shows Tad upstairs, Willie is looking on, and Mary is elegantly dressed.
   It is unknown exactly what the Lincoln's did when they learned the outcome of the election. However, on November 6, 1860, Abraham had been sitting in the telegraph office in Springfield waiting for the results. When he learned that he'd carried Pennsylvania, he immediately went home, and said, "Mary, Mary, we are elected."

Mary Lincoln

2010-05-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

MARY LINCOLN: The wife of the sixteenth president of the United States.
I've wondered where to begin with Mrs. Lincoln so I think I'll give my readers a brief overview of her early life before she married Abraham, who truly was devoted to her. They were like night and day. In their case, opposites did attract.
   Mary was from an elite family. Her father, Robert Smith Todd, was an established banker, earning enough money to send not just his sons to school but also his daughters. Mary had twelve years of an education, which is unheard of in her day. Mary grew up mingling with powerful politicians such as Senator Henry Clay. Mary was vivacious, very bright, very interested in politics, very sociable. She became Abraham's intelligent and trustworthy informant about political issues. She knew just about everyone and had a wonderful sense of a person's character, if only her temper wouldn't get in the way. She had the Todd temper. One day she was gracious and kind, the next horrible.
    However, I believe, that Mary had good reason to be temperamental, but she did like the drama and carried her temper too far in a lot of cases. That being said, who could blame her? She had to deal with a husband that had homespun humor, and she was quite the refined woman. Besides having her husband shot, and who was sitting right beside her, she'd also lost two children by that time, and later her beloved, Tad. With the death of three children and one husband, all she had left was Robert, who comitted her to a mental hospital. From what I've read, they were always estranged. Robert never understood his mother. She was neurotic with mild dementia plus eccentric. Abraham was gone most of the time, leaving her the parental duties plus taking care of the house. At home in Springfield, this meant milking the cows, etc, plus cooking. They were poor. Mr. Todd purchased their house for them.
   As you can see, my heart really does go out to Mary. I think history judges her too harsh and hopefully I can change the readers opinion about her, even if it's just a little bit.

Twilight years

2010-04-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

James Madison told this to Dolley's uncle's wife, Catherine Coles. Mr. Coles was a congressman.
"Now for Madison. He told me I might say what I pleased to you about him. To begin, he thinks so much of you in the day that he has lost his Tongue; at Night he Dreames of you and starts in his sleep a Calling on you to relieve his Flame for he Burns to such an excess that he will be shortly consumed and he hopes that your Heart will be calous to every other swain but himself. He has consented to everything that I have wrote about him with sparkling Eyes. Monroe goes to France as Minister Plenipotentiray. Madison has taken his House. Do you like it"?
   That is how it all started between Dolley and James Madison, little teasing between relatives and friends. Dolley was the catch, James the little, big man.
   Dolley lived a long life. She first learned to ride horses and before her death, she was able to ride the locomotive. People traveled across the continent in covered wagons. She witnessed the expansion of the American West by being privvy to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Dolley was in the White House welcoming them home with all of their treasures.
   After facing financial ruin, with all thanks to her nasty son, she was forced to sell the plantation. Twenty years after living in Washington, she moved back to the city, living across from the White House. She became a fixture in Congress, where, in 1844, she was awarded a permanent Congressional seat. That honor has never before been bestowed upon a woman nor since. She graciously offered all of James's papers to Congress, who in kind, gave her a stipend for them, knowing that she was destitute.
    Dolley also gave witness to the early electronic age by being the first private citizen to send a personal telegraph message. As well as the telegraph, we also have several photos of her in her later years.
   She held the nation together in times of trials and tribulations. She gave us hope as a nation and found a way to meld us together into one unit by her ice cream socials and parties. She showed Congress how to be bipartisan. Dolley wrote to women's groups across the country asking for recipes, thus endearing her to the masses. After the war, she was the first First Lady to take up a cause. She organized an orphanage for the children left behind after the destruction of Washington DC.
    Dolley Madison set an example for all forthcoming First Ladies. Dying in 1849, she was eighty-one years old. She was eulogized as America's First Lady.

The Washington Monument

2010-03-11T06:08:00.000-08:00

    As we all know, Dolley was the first First Lady to open the White House to the public, to let everyone see the President's House, thus began her road to fame. After James' death, Dolley personified the, 'old' guard, the relic of the Revolution. She knew everyone and everyone loved her, and she loved them. She returned to Washington after James's death where her fame increased overnight. She was the 'queen' of Washington, usurping all First Ladies living in the White House.
    When building the Washington Monument, they knew who to turn to for support, our Dolley. She had the qualities needed to raise the money, and advertisers focused on her graciousness and luster as a woman. She was genuine. She presented to Washington Society all that was good. Money was raised through fairs, fundraisers and other solicitations.
    Ladies from the Revolution were given homage. Beside her was the widow of Alexander Hamilton, she'd never remarried after husband was killed in that famous duel with Aaron Burr. John Quincy Adams' widow also attended. The two former First Ladies plus Mrs. Hamilton stood right out front as the parades marched, bands played and speeches were made, but all eyes were on one particular lady, Dolley. By now she was almost destitute, dressed in black from an earlier age but still looking as regal and beautiful as ever before, was Dolley. By now, the slave who had helped her save the Washington portrait, was giving her money for food.
    Railroad and coach fares were reduced for this event. People streamed in from far and wide to Washington to see what was happening and to witness Dolley laying the cornerstone of the monument. A 'delicious freshness' in the air captured Dolley as she smiled at them all. This beautiful eighty year old woman with the kind and gracious, gentle and forthright personality, had served, hosted, been invited, and enjoyed the company of everyone since the day of her birth and was loved by all.
    I like to think that she went home, poured a glass of wine, and said, 'Here's to ya, old girl! You done good!" She also would've had a twinkle in her eye.

The Burning of Washington

2010-02-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

This is taken from a letter Dolley wrote to her sister Anna right before the burning of Washington D.C during the War of 1812. This letter is posted August 23, 1814.

    My husband left me yesterday morning to join General Winder. He inquired anxiously whether I had courage or firmness to remain in the President's house until his return on the morrow, or succeeding day, and on my assurance that I had no fear but for him, and the success of our army, he left, beseeching me to take care of myself, and of the Cabinet papers, public and private. I have since received two dispatches from him, written with a pencil. The last is alarming, because he desires I should be ready at a moment's warning to enter my carriage, and leave the city; that the enemy seemed stronger than had at first been reported, and it might happen that they would reach the city with the intention of destroying it. I am accordingly ready; I have pressed as many Cabinet papers into trunks as to fill one carriage; our private property must be sacrificed, as it is impossible to procure wagons for its transportation. I am determined not to go myself until I see Mr. Madison safe, so that he can accompany me, as I hear of much hostility towards him. Disaffection stalks aound us. My friends and acquaintances are all gone, even Colonel C. with his hundred, who were stationed as a guard in this inclosure. French John (a faithful servant), with his usual activity and resolution, offers to spike the cannon at the gate, and lay a train of powder, which would blow up the British, should they enter the house. To the last proposition I positively object, without being able to make him understand why all advantages in war may not be taken.

    Wenesday Morning, twelve o'clock.--Since sunrise I have been turning my spy-glass in every direction, and watching with unwearied anxiety, hoping to discover the approach of my dear husband and his friends; but, alas! I can descry only groups of military, wandering in all directions, as if there was a lack of arms, or of spirit to fight for their own fireside.

     Three o'clock.--Will you believe it, my sister? We have had a battle, or skirmish, near Bladensburg, and here I am still, within sound of the cannon! Mr. Madison comes not. May God protect us! Two messengers, covered with dust, come to bid me fly; but here I mean to wait for him... at this late hour a wagon has been procured, and I have had it filled with plate and the most valuable portable articles, belonging to the house. Whether it will reach its destination, the "Bank of Maryland," or fall into the hands of British soldiery, events must determine. Our kind friend, Mr. Carroll, has come to hasten my departure, and in a very bad humor with me, because I insist on waiting until the large picture of General Washington is secured, and it requires to be unscrewed from the wall. This process was found too tedious for these perilous moments; I have ordered the frame to be broken, and canvas taken out. It is done! and the precious portrait placed in the hands of two gentlemen of New York, for safe keeping. And now, dear sister, I must leave this house, or the retreating army will make me a prisoner in it by filling up the road I am directed to take. When I shall again write to you, or where I shall be to-morrow, I cannot tell!

   And, thank heavens for Dolley, or we wouldn't have the beautiful portrait of General Washington.

Inauguration Day and Balls 1797-1809

2010-01-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy." Ben Franklin

   From 1797 when we had our first presidential inaugration to 1933, the date was always March 4. It took an amendment to the Constitution to change it to January. I believe it had something to do with marking the passing of the torch from one president to another and starting a new year, which makes perfect sense to me.

   At the first inauguration, George is the president who said, "So help me God," and kissed the Bible. Martha Washington loved to hold levees, as they were called, and she used them as a means to further her husband's career. She'd have small dinners/parties and when George was tired, it was bedtime, which meant it was probably around ten. Martha would announce that it's time for everyone to leave, and they did. Just like that. George may have already hit the sack. She was the first woman behind the great man.

    Abigail Adams was shy and never felt as if she belonged in society. After all, John was gone constantly and she had to keep the home fires burning, milk cows, feed chickens and pick eggs plus keep the ornery pigs in their pens, while he was out garnering support and money towards the American cause. She probably felt like an outcast, but he valued her judgement more than anyone. She's the first lady to to tell her president husband, 'don't forget the ladies'. So she was definitely a feminist long before the word was probably invented. She was also called, 'Lady Adams', which made her blush. Lady Adams gave a strong impression on the press and the public. For her husband's inauguration, she entertained in their small Philadelphia home. She was the first lady to live in the White House.

    Thomas Jefferson had a few guests over where he entertained into the night, with Dolley and James Madison by his side. After all, Dolley was his First Lady when it came to keeping the party jovial and full of fun. She made the men sing and long for her, while also charming the wives.

    First Lady Dolley and President James Madison were the first to host a Presidential Ball and it was at the Davis' Hotel. At the inauguration, President Madison celebrated with great rejoicing. The militia surrounding the area marched into Washington City and escorted the president to the Capitol. At the ball, there were upwards of four-hundred people. Dolley was dressed, wearing a gown of buff color velvet, ropes of pearls, and a stylish turban, which was ornamented with a bird-of-paradise. (First Ladies Cook Book) Dolley brought grace and charm to the White House and set the standards for every succeeding First Lady.

    Imagine Dolley raising her glass of wine to one of her old and dearest friends, and saying, "Cheers!"

White House Christmas 1777-1813

2009-12-11T13:28:00.000-08:00

The Father of Our Country, George Washington, honored the first Christmas with the troops at Valley Forge. In retirement, he proclaimed Christmas, "an event worthy of rousing cheers, song, pistol shots and firecrackers."

Thus started the tradition of celebrating Christmas with parties in the White House. President Jefferson had one-hundred guests and you can be sure that Dolley was the leading hostess. President Jefferson had installed a 'dumbwaiter' for the staff to bring the food from the kitchen. He also entertained the guests by playing the fiddle.

Christmas is a time when the president's seem to have all livened up and enjoyed themselves. President Madison wasn't any different, but he relied on our Dolley to make sure that the guests had enough food and drink.

Even though Dolley was born into a Quaker family, she soon learned to adjust to the whims of her husband and the country. She still wore a turban or cap to cover her beautiful jet black hair and because it's Christmas, she'd make sure that a couple purple peacock feathers adorned it. For Christmas, she'd be dressed in pink satin and lace. Her blue eyes would sparkle and charm not only her husband, but all the men in the room. She was quite short in stature as was the president. Since he was naturally shy, he let her do most of the talking.

The guests would include all of Congress plus traveling diplomats, especially her beloved French friend and wife of the ambassador, and family. Since Madison was having a trying time garnering support for the passage the Constitution, the famous compromise of equal representation may not have been passed.

For Christmas, they didn't have the tree decorating tradition yet, so everyone would be cheerful with drinking sherry, bourbon, wine and Scotch. Dolley would've overseen the food preparations or she would've depended on her loyal and trustworthy servant, Jean Pierre Sioussat. Dolley's favorite recipes were as follows: Macaroni Soup a' la Napeoliatine, Madison Cakes and Williamsburg Pound Cake. I'm sure the table would've been overflowing with seafood, stuffed goose and Virginia ham plus a multitude of different breads.

She would've offered a toast, curled her lips at a joke, and winked while zestfully toasting, "Merry Christmas! God Bless America!"

Thanksgiving and the White House, 1809-1817

2009-11-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

Actually, Thanksgiving didn't become a holiday until after the Civil War when President Lincoln proclaimed it as a day to give thanks for the ending of the war and preservation of the union. I like to think that Dolley would've celebrated it in grand style. Yes, she is Dolley with an 'e', simply because her name was Dorothea and that's the way that she signed it.

To quote from her letters and memoirs printed by her grand-niece, it is written that Dolley's table 'fairly groaned' from all the food to eat. The serious and thoughtful Mr. Madison was sick quite a bit during his life and Dolley always aimed to cheer him up with friends, relatives, and good food. She was a master at bringing all walks of life and political parties together and making merry. If someone declined her offer, she'd go and visit this person and personally invite them to the occassion. Always the hostess, she made everyone feel welcome, wanted, and well-fed.

For a Thanksgiving meal, she would've made sure that all dishes were American and cooking utensils were American made. She would've scrutinized the menu and made sure that it was palatable for everyone.

I would guess that the turkey was very large by today's standards and stuffed with oyster stuffing. She'd have wine and spirits for her guests to sip while the servants served mashed potatoes and sweet potato muffins. There'd be crab cakes with lemon flavored caper sauce to pour over them as well as a Virginia ham with relish.

The guests would be satisfied but knew that the best was yet to come and would make sure that they saved room for dessert. After all, her home was theirs in the warmth of hospitality, so she'd order several pies to be served. They'd probably be pumpkin, pecan and apple.

Let's all of us raise a toast to this grand First Lady, who brought the White House, the President's House, to the people, giving us our first glimpse into their lives.

The First Ladies and us, the US.

2009-08-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Beautiful or butt ugly, funny or sour, witless or witty, fat or skinny, tall or short, all First Ladies leave an impression. Who was your personal favorite?
As for me, I'm not sure. Maimie Eisenhower was 'in office' when I was born. I thought Jackie Kennedy was beautiful and wispy. I wondered if a strong wind would blow her away, but she sure could protect the family! No one got close to Caroline or John-John. They all had their causes, right from redecorating to spreading seeds along the roadways to make our land more beautiful. Cheers to Ladybird Johnson! They sure knew how to stir up their husband's politcal agenda.
We all have to admit that they've sure added color to the ever changing face of America!