From the Society Page to the Front Page: First Ladies as Newsmakers

The media has always been fascinated by FLOTUS, but first ladies have taken vastly different approaches to the spotlight.

This is the first story in a two-part series analyzing the evolving relationship between America’s modern first ladies and the media.

Former First Lady “Lady Bird” Johnson and Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall arrive at Panther Junction, Texas, in Big Bend National Park in 1966. (Photo: National Park Service)

In April of 1966, First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson led 100 press representatives on a wilderness adventure at Big Bend National Park in West Texas. Wearing a red checkered shirt, jeans and a cowboy hat, the first lady, along with then-Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, took the group on a hike up the Lost Mine Trail to glimpse views of the rugged desert and mountains surrounding them. As Johnson paused on the ridge between Juniper Canyon and Green Gulch in the Chisos Basin, according to the National Park Service, she said, “This looks like the very edge of the world.” 

The next day, a photo of the scene in the New York Times would prompt President Lyndon Johnson to…