First Ladies: ‘The Original Influencers’
Panel explores how history regards presidential spouses and the real power they wield.
At the outset of a panel discussion at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center on Friday, it was historically understood that first ladies of the United States presidency indisputably wield power. But as the discussion weaved from the distant past to the present, questions about how their impact on the presidency should be examined led to this constant: Women’s perspectives and who writes that history matters.
The program “First Ladies: Their Enduring Impact on American Life” featured Teri Finneman, co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to U.S. First Ladies, Heath Hardage Lee, author of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady; and Michael LaRosa, former press secretary for former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. The discussion was moderated by Miller Center Professor Barbara Perry, co-chair of the Center’s Presidential Oral History Project and author of Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier.
Women’s history is forgotten, explained Finneman during the discussion, and that contributed to why first ladies weren’t studied until the late 20th century.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary of its founding, Finneman pointed out that studying first ladies in depth didn’t begin until the mid-1980s. The field of study is credited to Historian Lewis L. Gould for being the first academic to create a university-level course on first ladies at the University of Texas in 1982 and then later, in 1984, serving as the keynote speaker at the first National First Ladies Conference.
“[First ladies] were really the original influencers,” Finneman said. “These were women who had power in this country when many women didn’t. I think analyzing their impact on our country is just as interesting as studying the presidency.”
And why scholars hadn’t pursued first ladies’ contributions sooner? The history, until recently, was predominantly written by men and “men write about men,” Finneman explained.
“You can see this in how Mary Todd Lincoln has been treated throughout history and how male biographers treat her very differently than women, who tend to have more sympathy for her,” Finneman added.
The historical distortions of first ladies were also present for former First Lady Pat Nixon who was characterized as being “plastic” and as having an alcohol problem. Neither of these were true, said Lee, adding that the media during the Richard Nixon presidency created a baseless narrative around his wife.
“[The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon] is really a deconstruction of that,” Lee said. “This happens to all first ladies. I think it is very unfortunate and very sexist.”
Lee went on to explain how first ladies have always been reduced to something easy—“plastic Pat” in the case of Mrs. Nixon and, more recently “Lady MacBeth” in the case of former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
“It’s totally unfair, reductive and not true,” Lee said. “These things … are easy for the public to grasp and say and the media pushes them out. It’s also a way to get to their husbands.”
As the discussion unfolded to the present day, the focus shifted to how history will regard Dr. Biden, who received criticism during the 2024 presidential campaign for, perhaps, protecting her husband, former President Joe Biden, from scrutiny until he ultimately withdrew from the presidential race under pressure from members of his own political party.
What is it really like in the East Wing? The question posed by Perry to LaRosa, who worked in the White House for the first two years of the Biden administration, prompted this response:
“She’s not going to be a prop,” LaRosa said, explaining that Dr. Biden didn’t seek out being an “influencer.” He also acknowledged that history is being written right now about the Bidens and the role of the first lady.
“I think it will be under scrutiny,” LaRosa said. “I think it will be exposed as having a greater role …influential role.”
The former press secretary also disclosed that he learned very quickly that first ladies are “a supporting actor” and that “families, especially now, are weaponized.”
LaRosa went on to say what is unique about being a presidential spouse is that there are “no rules being first lady.” Every first lady’s experience is different, he noted, adding that Dr. Biden wanted to use the office’s platform her way.
“She did not want to be an icon, or dancing on [The Ellen DeGeneres Show] like Mrs. Obama, and she didn’t want to be a fashion icon,” LaRosa said. And, when reporters would ask about what Dr. Biden would be wearing, he recalled responding to them with the first lady asking, “‘Well, did you ask the boys’ side what he’s wearing?’ And the answer was usually ‘no’.”
An aspect of Dr. Biden’s legacy that will leave a lasting impact on the Office of First Lady and that mirrors society, according to LaRosa, is that she kept her day job teaching at Northern Virginia Community College.
“There was no hesitation,” LaRosa said. “She was going to do it because she did it as second lady. The only problem was trying to make sure we could find a way to keep her safe and keep the integrity of her classroom.”
Eventually, the conversation turned back to history and Perry’s question about what practitioners—professors and biographers—should study when it comes to first ladies?
When it comes to Dr. Biden, LaRosa believes her actions and motivations will be closely examined for history.
“As we grapple as the Democratic Party, but also as a country with the history being written right now and exposed right now—the unprecedented moment of last summer, which you don’t see very often. I don’t know if we’ve ever seen it,” LaRosa said. “Maybe [President Lyndon Baines Johnson] was the last time a president had voluntarily given up power.”
Time will tell. But as 250 years of history surrounding first ladies is just beginning to be cultivated, Finneman returned to the idea that whether intentional or not, first ladies are indeed influencers. They are exerting power whether they are dancing on Ellen or not, she said.
“It’s showing that the Office of the First Lady is accessible and normal and caring about the public,” Fineman said. “Which is something in difficult times we really need.”
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