The Presidential Companion: Readings on the First Ladies

by Watson, Robert P.; Eksterowicz, Anthony J.

• ISBN13: 9781570036590
• ISBN10: 1570036594
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-15
• Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Pr

Summary

Bringing together the work of notable historians, political scientists, and sociologists, The Presidential Companion: Readings on the First Ladies offers a collection of essays that demonstrate the political relevance of first ladies throughout U.S. history and the dramatic expansion of their power during the twentieth century. With a foreword by Hillary Clinton's former chief of staff, Melanne Verveer, this anthology fills a gap in scholarship about the position of first lady and reveals the political acumen and activism of a number of the holders of this unofficial executive office.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	xi
Foreword	xiii
MELANNE VERVEER
Preface	xvii
PART ONE INTRODUCTION	1	(16)
PART TWO FOUNDING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIRST LADYSHIP	17	(56)
Overview	19	(2)
ONE Martha Washington and the Creation of the Role of First Lady	21	(14)
PATRICIA BRADY
TWO Political Parties: First Ladies and Social Events in the Formation of the Federal Government	35	(19)
CATHERINE ALLGOR
THREE Betty Ford and the Transformation of the Role of First Lady	54	(19)
MARY LINEHAN
PART THREE SOCIAL AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES INFLUENCE	73	(72)
Overview	75	(2)
FOUR True Women: The Roles and Lives of Antebellum Presidential Wives Sarah Polk, Margaret Taylor, Abigail Fillmore, and Jane Pierce	77	(25)
ELIZABETH LORELEI THACKER-ESTRADA
FIVE Edith Bolling Galt Wilson: The Protective Steward	102	(24)
JAMES S. MCCALLOPS
SIX Bess W. Truman: The Reluctant First Lady	126	(19)
RAYMOND FREY
PART FOUR POLITICAL AND POLICY INFLUENCE	145	(86)
Overview	147	(3)
SEVEN Eleanor Roosevelt: An Unlikely Path to Political Activist	150	(19)
SUSAN ROTH BREITZER
EIGHT Policy Experts: Congressional Testimony and Influence of First Ladies	169	(23)
COLTON C. CAMPBELL AND SEAN E. MCCLUSKIE
NINE First Ladies and U.S. Foreign Policy	192	(18)
GLENN HASTEDT
TEN The Evolution of the Role and Office of the First Lady: The Movement toward Integration with the White House Office	210	(21)
ANTHONY J. EKSTEROWICZ AND KRISTEN PAYNTER
PART FIVE MODERN FIRST LADYSHIP	231	(130)
Overview	233	(2)
ELEVEN First Ladies and Policy Making: Crossing the Public/Private Divide	235	(17)
KAY M. KNICKREHM AND ROBIN TESKE
TWELVE Copresident or Codependent? The Rise and Rejection of Presidential Couples since World War II	252	(21)
GIL TROY
THIRTEEN Hillary's Choices: The First Ladyship of Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Future of the Office	273	(16)
MYRA G. GUTIN
FOURTEEN Sharing the Bully Pulpit: Breast Cancer and First Lady Ford's Leadership	289	(20)
MARYANN BORRELLI
FIFTEEN Something Old, Something New...Laura Bush's Surprising Political First Ladyship	309	(17)
ROBERT P. WATSON
SIXTEEN Public Perceptions of Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton: What the Data Tell Us	326	(35)
VALERIE: A. SULFARO
PART SIX: CONCLUSION	361	(8)
APPENDIX Chronological List of First Ladies	369	(2)
Bibliography	371	(14)
Contributors	385	(4)
Name Index	389	(8)
Subject Index	397