“10 Defining Moments in the History of the American First Lady 1900-2023”
“10 Defining Moments in the History of the American First Lady 1900-2023”
This week: Learn more about the events and challenges of some presidential wives in virtual lecture.
Oct. 19, 2023
The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics will present as part of its Presidential Lecture Series “10 Defining Moments in the History of the American First Lady 1900-2023” from 3 to 4:15 p.m. CDT Thursday. The program can be viewed on YouTube and will feature Myra G. Gutin, author and professor emerita of communication at Rider University, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and Diana B. Carlin, author and professor emerita of communication at Saint Louis University and a retired professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas where she taught a course on women in politics that included first ladies.
The history of the American first lady has seen a number of defining moments, incidents or challenges that are distinctive and leave a clear impression of the presidential spouse. Included in this presentation are discussions of Eleanor Roosevelt and Marian Anderson (1936); Jacqueline Kennedy’s Tour of the White House (1962); Betty Ford and Breast Cancer (1974), Hillary Clinton’s decision to run for the U.S. Senate (1999) and Michelle Obama becoming the first African-American first lady (2008).
The program is presented in partnership with the First Ladies Association for Research and Education, of which Gutin is president and Carlin is a founding member. Gutin is the author of The President’s Partner: The First Lady in the Twentieth Century and Barbara Bush: Presidential Matriarch. She has authored book chapters, articles, and op-eds about first ladies and is currently at work on a biography of Betty Ford. Carlin has authored book chapters on Martha Washington, Lady Bird Johnson, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama. She is the co-author of the first-ever textbook on first ladies, U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies. View here
Now through Nov. 27, 2023
Apply for Funds From the Laura Bush Foundation For America’s Libraries
Grant applications are now open for The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. The foundation provides funds to schools in the United States that are in need to extend, update, and diversify the book and print collections in their libraries with the goal of encouraging students to develop a love of reading and learning.
Since its inception in 2002, the Laura Bush Foundation has awarded $21 million to over 3,600 schools across the country, according to a statement from the foundation. In the 2022-2023 grant cycle, the Laura Bush Foundation awarded $1.5 million in grants to 300 school libraries across 36 states. Many librarians used the funds to update their library collections by adding more dual language titles and books that showcase a wide range of stories and perspectives.
The application deadline is Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. Successful applicants will be notified by mid-late spring 2024. Read more
Oct. 28, 2023
Trick-or-Treating at Mount Vernon
Tickets are now on sale for the Halloween celebration “Trick-or-Treating at Mount Vernon” with 18th-century entertainment and activities. During this event, children can collect candy, join in a costume parade, meet General Washington, and enjoy musical entertainment. Tickets are limited and can be purchased here.
Nov. 4, 2023
Sisters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush Celebrate New Children’s Book
“Love Comes First,” a new children’s book authored by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, will be discussed in a special event at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. This event is currently sold out, but those interested can be placed on a waitlist if more tickets are released. Signed books are still available. Read more
Nov. 16, 2023
Historian to Give Talking Tour of the Kennedy Restoration of the White House
Historian James Archer Abbott will present an illustrated discussion of The White House as “reimagined and reinterpretted” for President John F. Kennedy and wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy on Nov. 16 at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri. The event is free. Abbott is the lead author of “Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration and Its Legacy.” Read more
Nov. 16, 2023
Virtual Legacy Lecture: Jackie and the Books She Loved, Penning a Picture Book
The National First Ladies Library and Museum will feature author Ronni Diamondstein who will read her debut children’s book “Jackie and the Books She Loved.” Diamondstein will discuss how this book came to be and the remarkable literary life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the “First Lady of Literature.” Read more
Nov. 16, 2023
Third Thursdays Night Out with Jackie Kennedy - Private Curator-Led Tour
The National First Ladies Library and Museum invites visitors to “Get to Know the Real Jackie O” with this behind-the-scenes private tour led by their curator of the exhibition Beyond Camelot: The Life and Legacy of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Light appetizers and drinks are included. Read more
Nov. 28, 2023
Virtual Forum: Carl Sferrazza Anthony Discusses New Jackie Kennedy Book
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum welcomes historian and author Carl Sferrazza Anthony to discuss his new book Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy, a new biography exploring Mrs. Kennedy’s early adulthood. Eileen McNamara, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Boston Globe columnist and Brandeis professor emerita of the practice of journalism, moderates. Time: 6 to 7:30 pm EST. Register here
Dec. 5, 2023
White House History Live: The Washingtons, the Custises, and the Making of America
Learn more about the history of the nation’s “first family” during a White House Historical Association Facebook and YouTube Live event. The program will trace George Washington’s step grandchildren, the Custises, from childhood celebrities to carriers of the Washington legacy in nineteenth century America. Author Cassandra Good will discuss her book, “First Family,” sharing insights on writing the story of this historic family.
The program is part of the White House Live series and explores the stories that make up the history of the executive mansion and can be live streamed on the White House Historical Association's Facebook and YouTube pages starting at 5:30 pm ET on December 5. Read more
Dec. 6, 2023
Online — Ann Lowe: An American Couturier with a First Ladies' Connection
The National First Ladies Library and Museum will feature Elizabeth Way, associate curator of costume at FIT in an online discussion of the Ann Lowe exhibition at the Winterthur Museum. Ann Lowe (c. 1898 - 1981) was a prolific American fashion designer, working from the 1910s in Montgomery, Alabama, through the 1920s in Tampa, Florida, and for four decades in New York City. Lowe spent her career creating custom gowns for elite American women, specializing in intricate, feminine silhouettes and floral embellishments. Her most famous design is Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy's 1953 wedding dress. Read more
Dec. 10, 2023
A Timeless Holiday Tea at the National First Ladies Library and Museum
Celebrate the warmth of the holidays at the National First Ladies Library and Museum with “A Timeless Holiday Tea”' featuring a livestreamed program by Coleen Christian, former White House holiday decorator. Coleen Christian is an esteemed interior decorator who was part of the White House decorating team in 2008, where she created icicle trees in the Grand Lobby and festive Fife and Drum motifs in the State Dining Room. She is the author of “Christmas with the First Ladies: The White House Decorating Tradition from Jacqueline Kennedy to Michelle Obama.” Signed copies of Coleen Christian’s book will be available for purchase. Read more
Now through Dec. 31, 2023
Apply for the Washington Library’s Fellowship Program
The Washington Library is accepting applications for its 2024-2025 research fellowship program now through Dec. 31, 2023. Research fellows can spend one, three, or six months as a research fellow at the George Washington Library, located at George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia. Funded research opportunities are available to people researching the early American period. Read more
On exhibit through April 27, 2024
Beyond Camelot: The Life and Legacy of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Visitors to the National First Ladies Library and Museum in Canton, Ohio, can explore a replica of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding gown designed by Anne Lowe and other never-before-seen artifacts donated by Monte Durham of Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta. The free exhibition runs through April 27, 2024 and is open to the public. Read more
Podcasts
“U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies”
The White House 1600 Sessions features White House Historical Association president and host Stewart McLaurin sitting down with Anita McBride, former chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush, and current director of American University’s First Ladies Initiative, at the Dolley Madison House in Washington, DC for an insightful interview about her co-authored new book “U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies.” The discussion reveals the history of how first ladies have influenced American society, public policy, diplomacy, and life in the White House. View here
What Spooky Novels Did Martha Washington Enjoy Reading?
The latest episode of the podcast and video series Secrets of Washington's Archives digs into Martha Washington's copy of the gothic novel The Children of the Abbey, written by Regina Maria Roche in 1796. Listen here or watch the video
Faith and Freedom
This full-length podcast episode presented by George Washington’s Mount Vernon explores a set of prayer books belonging to Martha Washington and her granddaughters. Listeners can learn from resource specialist Jennifer Seiter what the Washington family heirloom reveals about the sweeping religious changes happening in the United States during the early Republic and George Washington’s own commitment to religious freedom. Listen here
Learn About Jaqueline Kennedy’s Friend and Rose Garden Designer “Bunny” Mellon
The White House Historical Association’s new podcast from The White House 1600 Sessions series features a conversation with Thomas Lloyd, author and member of the Association’s National Council, about his book “Garden Secrets of Bunny Mellon.”
In the episode, Stewart McLaurin, president of the association, travels to the home of Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon, philanthropist, stylemaker and renowned gardener, to meet with Lloyd, Mrs. Mellon’s grandson, to talk about her most famous design— refurbishing the White House Rose Garden. Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, a close friend of Mellon, handcrafted a memory book for her, which also is discussed in the podcast. Listen here
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