Four years ago, prior to the closely fought 2016 United States presidential election, the medical fitness of the candidates was a much discussed topic. Hillary Clinton evinced many physical symptoms - a chronic cough, at least one physical collapse, and occasional mental symptoms, of concern since she had a history...
Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt died seventeen years before her husband Theodore Roosevelt ascended to the presidency of the United States. She is the most recent of the five women who never saw their husbands reach the White House. Martha Jefferson, Hannah Van Buren, and Ellen Arthur were featured recently in...
Ellen Arthur was born in Virginia and grew up in Washington D.C. She was an only child and remained very close to her mother until the latter died. William Lewis Herndon, her father, was a U.S. Naval officer; consequently he was often away on sea duty. His notable achievement was a...
Hannah Van Buren was the wife of Martin Van Buren who became the eighth United States President eighteen yeas after her death. Both Martin and Hannah were residents of the closely knit Dutch community of Kinderhook, New York, a small town near Albany, New York. The Van Burens were members of...
Six United States Presidents entered the White House unmarried; four were widowers - Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and Chester Alan Arthur. Two others were bachelors - James Buchanan and Grover Cleveland. Martha Jefferson was the first woman to die before her husband was elected President. Popular media have linked...
Ellen Axson Wilson was the first of President Woodrow Wilson's (1913-1921) two wives. Ellen Wilson died on August 6, 1914. Her death devastated and profoundly depressed the president to the extent that he became unfocused and indecisive in the presidency, in significant contrast to his determined and brisk decision-making of...
Caroline Harrison was the wife of President Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) who in turn was the grandson of President William Henry Harrison (1841). The later Harrison has the distinction, which probably will remain unique forever, of both defeating and then losing to the same opponent, Democrat Grover Cleveland (1885-1889, 1893-1897). Mrs....
Three American First Ladies died, compared to eight US Presidents who expired while president. The three are Letitia Tyler, Caroline Harrison, and Ellen Wilson. Two died from the delayed complications of childbirth while Mrs. Harrison was a victim of pulmonary tuberculosis. Letitia Tyler was a most obscure First Lady. Little is...
PREVIOUSLY THIS BLOG has discussed First Ladies who served successfully, First Ladies who died in office, and Surrogate First Ladies. This edition will focus on three women who were divorced from their husbands, who later remarried and became President of the USA. The two presidents are Ronald Reagan and Donald...
Melania Trump is only the second United States First Lady to be born abroad. Louisa Caroline Johnson Adams, the wife of the sixth US President was born in London, England. Two hundred years later, Melania Knavs Trump, a native of Novo Mesto, Slovenia, the wife of the Nation's forty-fifth president,...
Presidents Andrew Jackson and Donald Trump possessed many similarities both before and during their respective presidencies. Both would be considered macho men- - tall and imposing, proud, boisterous, accomplished, and triumphantly elected from backgrounds beyond politics. However, the two differed in two significant respects - fertility and women. Donald Trump is the...
Donald Trump, the 45th US president made it known that Andrew Jackson, the 7th US president, was his favorite predecessor. This affinity is the likely reason that the scheduled replacement of Andrew Jackson's visage on the twenty dollar bill has been delayed until at least 2029. I am often asked about...
Melania Trump is the 49 year old wife of the country's 45th president, Donald J. Trump Her striking appearance seems to preclude any significant medical problems. Moreover, her penchant for privacy further beclouds any significant history of illness or physical disability. It was a sudden surprise when Mrs. Trump was hospitalized in...
Dear Friends, This blog has been inactive even moribund for many months, a situation that this author is determined to correct. First an explanation - many interesting and rather long travels, to the Panama Canal, along the Danube, Vienna, and most recently a cruise from Sydney to Singapore. Another, and more than satisfying,...
FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP WAS HOSPITALIZED TO UNDERGO A COMPLICATED MEDICAL PROCEDURE ON MONDAY MORNING, MAY 14, 2018. The American public was notified only subsequent to her hospital admission and the completion of the procedure. President Trump did not accompany his wife to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in order...
Barbara Bush, the former First Lady of the United States, died on April 17, 2018. Many well-deserved tributes for this remarkable lady will appear on cable, on broadcast news, and in print over the following days. Recollections and obituaries there will be far better written and more comprehensive than anything that...
John Eaton was President Jackson's Secretary of War. This cabinet choice was controversial and ultimately disruptive. Not the first time that a president, upon reflection, would want a 'do over,' as President Trump retrospectively regrets his selection of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Eaton (1790-1856) had much to recommend him for...
Please check out my blog: Firstladiesofamerica.com Six women had profound effects upon Andrew Jackson, affecting his behavior, his character, his emotional and physical well-being, and the success or lack thereof of his actions. This is the topic of my next book, which is about one-third completed. Elizabeth Jackson was the mother who...
First Lady Laura Bush departed the White House nine years ago. Although far less flamboyant than Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama, her immediate predecessor and successor as First Lady, she remains active in educational and social causes. She, like Rosalynn Carter, does what she does quietly, not vociferously. She serves as...
ROSALYNN CARTER'S MANY CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES CONTINUE INTO HER TENTH DECADE At present, five former United States First Ladies are still living. Three appear often in the media: Barbara Bush, who will be ninety three in June, 2018 attracts attention because of her outspoken comments; Hillary Clinton, because of her political activities;...
A PRIMER TO THE 25th AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION Donald Trump recently completed his first comprehensive medical examination as United States President. Before and immediately after this event, the mainstream media made a big fuss over the applicability of the 25th Amendment to his ability to function as president....
From Policy Allies to Political Enemies John Quincy Adams, the sixth United States President, was succeeded in 1828 by Andrew Jackson, its seventh president. Their rivalry during both the 1824 and 1828 presidential campaigns became both politically intense and personally hateful. Jackson blamed Adams for the death of his beloved wife Rachel...
A Few Weeks Ago, the following news flash illuminated my computer screen: Former President George H.W. Bush is now the longest-living president in U.S. history at the age of 93 years and 166 days. Bush on Saturday surpassed the previous record held by Gerald Ford, who lived to be 93 years and 165...
ANDREW JACKSON WAS AN ANGRY AND VIOLENT MAN. THE NATION WAS FORTUNATE THAT HIS VIOLENCE DISSIPATED PRIOR TO HIS PRESIDENCY, BUT HIS ANGER TOWARDS BOTH HIS OPPONENTS AND THEIR CORRUPT POLICIES CONTINUED. Jackson fought two duels, acted as a second in a third, and challenged his adversaries, including the incumbent governor...
AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS DOES NOT SPARE PRESIDENTIAL WIVES Recent history has taught that the wives of Presidents and of presidential candidates do not escape collateral damage when their husbands are under fire from political enemies. The opposition tactic was to damage the target by inflicting pain on his closest ally, his...
THOMAS JEFFERSON HAD HARSH WORDS FOR JACKSON'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IN 1824. Daniel Webster visited the aged former president in his Monticello home in 1824. Webster quoted Jefferson as saying, "I feel much alarmed at the prospect of General Jackson President. He is one of the most unfit men I know of...
[caption id="attachment_17011" align="alignleft" width="300"] Generated by IJG JPEG Library[/caption] While Melania Trump has settled into the traditional role of a First Lady, her step-daughter Ivanka Trump has assumed the policy/political profile of many recent First Ladies. This bifurcation of what many assume to be the duties and responsibilities of the wife of an...
ELIZABETH HUTCHINSON JACKSON, HIS MOTHER, A PIONEER IN THE EARLY REPUBLIC In 1765 Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson immigrated to America with her husband Andrew Jackson and their two infant sons. A second Andrew, their third and final child, was born in America's Carolina highlands in 1767. The Jacksons were Scots-Irish, a hardy and...
Melania Trump is in Paris. President Trump has flown to France to commemorate Bastille Day with French President Macron. Mrs. Trump was speaking French to students at a Parisian grade school when US reporters were ushered into the classroom. At that time, for whatever reason, Melania switched to speaking English...
President GH Bush celebrated his 93d birthday on June 12, 2017. His health remains fragile; he was released from Houston's Methodist Hospital in late April 2017 after treatment for bronchitis and pneumonia. Moreover, he suffers from Parkinson's Disease which confines him to a wheel chair. Fortunately, the ex-president has recovered;...
Melania Trump has moved into the White House and has assumed the traditional responsibilities of a First Lady. Her role became apparent during the Trumps' recent Mideast and Europe trip. She was prominently photographed at ceremonial dinners, during the Trumps' visit to the Vatican, and at appearances at childens' hospitals....
While researching Emily Donelson for my next book, "The Surrogate First Ladies", I became fascinated by Emily Donelson, President Andrew Jackson's niece and more importantly his social hostess in the White House. Emily served as his Surrogate since Rachel, Jackson's wife, had died just prior to his inauguration. The stories...
BARBARA BUSH, THE OLDEST FIRST LADY, STILL LIVING, WILL BE NINETY-TWO ON AUGUST 8th. Presently, the United States is fortunate to have five living former First Ladies: Barbara Bush will celebrate her ninety-second birthday on August 8, 2017. She was recently hospitalized for a week in Houston to recover from bronchitis. Her...
Ivanka Trump Kushner, the daughter of President Donald Trump, has a significant, but as yet undefined role in her father's White House. Not only is she the wife of Jared Kushner, the senior advisor to the present, but also she serves as an unpaid special assistant to her father. No doubt...
Former First Lady Hillary Clinton has reemerged in public after her 2016 election defeat. During the recent presidential campaign, she was beset my rumors of ill health. She had spasmodic coughing spell, tiredness, and a fainting episode. These symptoms together with her documented past history of deep vein thromboses (DVTs),...
"MEL DAZZLE. TRUMP HOME RUN" reads the banner headline on the Drudge Report as I type this. Donald and Melania Trump have just returned from a grueling nine day trip to the Middle East and Europe, where this First Lady has emergesd as charming, gracious, tactful, and very engaged. Mrs. Trump has...
Melania (Mrs. Donald) Trump has been an enigma, a question mark, to the curious, often judgemental, Washington press corps and to its governmental establishment ever since her husband was elected president in November 2016. Mrs. Trump elected to remain in New York City for most of the time during the...
WHEN FIRST LADY ELEANOR ROOSEVELT WAS NOT AROUND, A SURROGATE NEEDED TO 'LOOK IN' ON PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT. Daisy Suckley was a Hudson River neighbor and distant cousin of President Franklin Roosevelt (FDR). She was both intelligent and refined, but also unmarried, without a profession, and the only support for her...
DO THE FORMER FIRST LADY'S COUGHING SPELLS IMPERIL HER AMBITION TO BE THE COUNTRY'S FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT? It is appropriate that any consideration of the cause and significance of Ms. Hillary Clinton's cough should be proceeded by an analysis of both the character and the circumstances of the problem. First, it is...
DO THE FORMER FIRST LADY'S RECURRENT COUGHING SPASMS IMPERIL HER AMBITION TO BE AMERICA'S FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT? Mrs. Clinton's episodic cough became the stuff of scrutiny and speculation during her testimony before the Congressional Benghazi Committee hearings in October 2015. Amid her eleven-hour testimony, she broke out into a choking fit. A...
During her October 2015 testimony before the House of Representatives Select Committee on the 2012 Benghazi attack, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was convulsed by spasmodic coughing. Although she recovered to complete her testimony, videos of the event were widely viewed both on television and on social media. Since Mrs....
Helen (Nellie) Taft was the wife of President William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States (1909-1913). While a teenager Nellie and her family were White House guests of President Rutherford and First Lady Lucy Hayes during the Christmas/New Year celebrations of 1877-8. John Herron, Helen Taft's father,...
Grover Cleveland is the only United States President to serve two non-consecutive terms (1885-9; 1893-7). Cleveland, when elected the first time, was and still remains the nation's only second bachelor president. However, in contrast with his predecessor James Buchanan, he married during his time in office. Rose successfully fulfilled the social,...
Grover Cleveland is the only United States President to serve non-consecutive terms (1881-5; 1893-7). As a consequence his presidencies are counted twice, he is both our 22nd and 24th presidents. Cleveland, when elected the first time, was and still remains the nation's only second bachelor president. However, in contrast with his...
Chester Alan Arthur became America's twenty-first president (1881-1885) after the assassination of President James Garfield. Arthur's wife, Ellen, had recently died from pneumonia. Chester Arthur was the fourth U.S. President who entered the White House as a widower. Initially, he decided against the appointment of a permanent surrogate to fulfill the...
Eliza Johnson, Martha's mother, was the wife of Andrew Johnson, America's 17th president (1865-1869), who achieved the presidency upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. Johnson was enfeebled by tuberculosis, and as first lady, according to one report, "spent most of he time in her room, where she read, embroidered,...
Nancy Davis Reagan died this morning from congestive heart failure. Her death occurred twelve years subsequent to the death of her husband, and twenty-seven years after the Reagans left the White House. Mrs. Reagan, at 94 years, 8 months, was the second longest-lived of America's First Ladies. Mrs. Bess Truman...
HARRIET LANE AND HER HOME FOR CHILDREN The Benevolence of a Surrogate First Lady Harriet Lane was a Surrogate First Lady for her uncle James Buchanan, the fifteenth United States President (1857-1861). In 1866, Harriet wed the wealthy Baltimore banker, Henry Elliot Johnson; two sons soon enhanced the couple's marriage. The early 1880s...
HARRIET LANE II WHAT'S A SURROGATE FIRST LADY TO DO AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE? The Surrogate Harriet Lane did plenty and accomplished much. Initially she cared and supported her bachelor uncle, ex-president James Buchanan, at his Wheatland estate, nearby Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Buchanan died in 1868; his will generously acknowledged his niece. His...
James Buchanan (1857-1861) was the fifteenth United States president and its only lifetime bachelor. Moreover, it was often suggested, but never documented, that he also was America's only homosexual president. (1) Bereft of a wife and daughters, Buchanan selected as his White House "first lady" Harriet Lane, his beloved niece...