America’s First Ladies Unite in Support of Their Shared Histories
Melania Trump, Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton join the National First Ladies Library & Museum as honorary chairs.
A little more than 25 years ago, former First Lady Hillary Clinton visited the National First Ladies Library & Museum to pay tribute to the efforts made in preserving the historic home of another former presidential spouse—Ida McKinley.
At the Canton, Ohio, national historic site now operated in partnership with the National Park Service, Clinton remarked about certain artifacts of McKinley’s—an inkwell she used to pen letters—and particularly “how the role of women—and first ladies—has grown and evolved over the past century, and how much we still needed to learn about their lives, their achievements, and their aspirations.”
In another historic moment on Tuesday, the National First Ladies Library & Museum (NFLLM) announced that First Lady Melania Trump and the four living former First Ladies Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Clinton will serve together as honorary chairs of its National Advisory Board.
To mark the announcement, Clinton said on Tuesday in a press release, “The central project of American democracy has always been expanding our understanding of who gets to shape it. The First Ladies Library and Museum reminds us that even as that endeavor moves forward in fits and starts, our country is better off because of women’s contributions—from the East Wing to every corner of American life—and it’s our job to keep it that way.”
The NFLLM is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to sharing the full stories of first ladies of the United States from their birth through their post-presidency years. As honorary chairs, the first ladies support its mission in preserving, promoting and educating people about the women, who to this date, have served in the role that has been defined by each succeeding first lady. Specifically, the library and museum’s National Advisory Board unites a “distinguished group of leaders” now including former first ladies, their chiefs of staff, historians, educators and advocates who share a belief in the power of women’s stories to inspire the next generation.
“Just having their support in serving as honorary chairs speaks volumes to the work that we’re doing,” David Lee, president and CEO of the NFLLM, told East Wing Magazine in a phone interview Tuesday.
Lee underscored having the women, historic figures in their own right, prominently associated with the nonprofit. And, he notes, the first ladies know that it’s not only a first lady story that is told.
“It’s women’s history and their impact and how these women and their causes have really shaped the nation,” he said. “We’re able to tell that story.”
The NFLLM’s late founder, Mary Regula, wife of the late Ohio Congressman Ralph Regula, spearheaded the efforts to establish the library that made its debut in 1998 at the historic Saxton-McKinley House—Ida McKinley’s childhood home—in downtown Canton. It was conceived as a repository for information in the form of books, articles and a research website about the nation’s first ladies. In the late 1990s, according to the NFLLM website, Regula raised millions of dollars to completely restore the Saxton-McKinley house that was built in 1842. That renovation was also an official Save America’s Treasures program grant recipient, which Mrs. Clinton highlighted during her 1999 visit.
Ultimately, Lee said, the story of America cannot be told without the stories of first ladies.
“Across time, across parties, and across personal causes, these women have shaped our nation in profound and often unseen ways,” he noted in the press release. “As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, the decision of these first ladies to come together around a shared vision—one rooted in education empowerment, and historical understanding—sends a powerful message about unity, leadership, and the enduring strength of our democracy.”
Other first ladies have also visited the site including Mrs. Bush and Rosalynn Carter. But, as the nation celebrates its 250th year since its founding, visitors to the library and museum can see for themselves the impact Lee talks about in its “Eras Exhibit: 250 years of First Ladies’ Progress and Power” showcasing first ladies’ impact on education, policy and culture.
As Clinton concluded her remarks all those years ago, she envisioned a greater understanding of first ladies contributions passed on through the library and museum and the insight it would give of the roles the women played in the country’s history.
“And by doing so,” she said at the time, “it will help to open our eyes to the kind of future that together we can imagine to make our country even greater.”
Now, with five first ladies united behind the library and museum’s mission, that sentiment rings louder than ever.