Florence Harding: Beyond the ‘Scorn and Criticism’
Biographer Katherine Sibley on Thursday shared insights on the impactful former first lady in a wide-ranging discussion with host Alan Lowe of the podcast American FLOTUS.
Florence Kling Harding, an American first lady mostly cast in the shadows of her husband’s political scandals, knew about her husband’s infidelity, encouraged him to broaden his political horizons by stepping into national politics and laid the groundwork for future first ladies taking up causes and initiatives.
She was also a feminist, historian and biographer Katherine A. S. Sibley tells Alan Lowe, host of the podcast American FLOTUS, in the latest episode that aired on Thursday.
Sibley, author of First Lady Florence Harding: Behind the Tragedy and Controversy, in their discussion describes Florence Harding before meeting her husband and future president of the United States as a resourceful, single, working mother who supported herself.
The podcast discussion follows Florence Harding’s remarkable life from childhood to the White House until her husband’s untimely yet astrologically predicted death. Sibley also explains how the narrative of Florence Harding’s legacy was soured by biographers who wrote blatant lies about her, including one that falsely accused her after her death of poisoning her husband.
“Few women in American history have been the subject of more sustained scorn and criticism than Florence Kling Harding,” Lewis L. Gould writes in the foreword of Sibley’s biography of Florence Harding, which is part of the Modern First Ladies book series.
It wouldn’t be until Sibley’s holistic biography of the first lady published in 2009 that Mrs. Harding’s contributions to the role were fully spotlighted. She understood that the role of first lady in the White House had a platform, Sibley says during the podcast, and that she “could do something with her power.”
During the short-lived Harding administration, Florence Harding advocated for veterans, encouraged women to get involved in the political sphere, spearheaded the first federal prison for women, fought for animal protections and understood how to use the media of her time period.
Listen to the full podcast episode
American FLOTUS is a partnership of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) and American POTUS. The podcast presents experts drawn from the many members of FLARE sharing with listeners their expertise and their experiences.
East Wing Magazine is a member of FLARE.
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