My Dear President Letters Between Presidents and Their Wives

by Gawalt, Gerard W.

• ISBN13: 9781579125523
• ISBN10: 1579125522
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-02-06
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal

Summary

More than half of the warm and inspiring personal correspondence included here has never before been published, making this a historic as well as a heartfelt compilation that reveals the private side of our most public figures. This beautiful and fascinating collection of letters, telegrams, cables, memos, and cards between U.S. presidents and their wives has been culled from the Library of Congress and various presidential libraries and private collections. It is the most comprehensive ever put together, and is sure to cast new light on our leaders in their most private and vulnerable moments. Each letter appears in its entirety, with the original spelling and grammar intact, and is set in historic context for a full sense of the moment that formed its backdrop. In most cases, exchanges are included, forming a dialogue between husband and wife. Gerard W. Gawalt has divided the book thematically into such topics as love, war, politics, travel, and sorrow. Eachsection is illustrated with handsome and historic artworkfrom the LOC's own collection, much of it never before published. Biographies of the correspondents are included, as well as sources for further reading. Like its successful counterpart, First Daughters, My Dear President is bound to become a cherished gift for history buffs for years to come.

Author Biography

Gerard W. Gawalt has for more than thirty years been a writer, a specialist in American history, and a curator of the papers of presidential families at the Library of Congress. His other books include First Daughters, The Declaration of Independence and the Evolution of the Text, and Thomas Jefferson: Genius of Liberty.

Table of Contents

Foreword by James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress	7	(3)
Introduction by Gerard W. Gawalt	10	(7)
The Correspondents	17	(290)
1 Love and Marriage	49	(44)
2 Off to War	93	(34)
3 Politics	127	(52)
4 Home and Family	179	(26)
5 Education	205	(28)
6 Sorrow and Consolation	233	(22)
7 Health and Concern	255	(14)
8 Good Works	269	(18)
9 Foreign Travel	287	(20)
10 Hello and Good-bye	307	(32)
Sources	339	(6)
Acknowledgments	345	(3)
Index	348