Bess Truman avoided the spotlight and, perhaps, would have avoided becoming first lady had duty not called. History documents her outspoken reluctance to step into the activist role that Eleanor Roosevelt forged over her 12 years serving as first lady until her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in office.
Mrs. Truman’s decision to shy away from the visibility—and press coverage—that Americans had become accustomed to with Mrs. Roosevelt, didn’t mean she didn’t contribute to her husband’s presidency or to the evolution of the role of first lady. There was more to the story, according to Anita McBride, author of a recent essay published about Bess Truman for the ongoing In Pursuit series sharing the leadership lessons of America’s presidents and selected first ladies.
“This is a first lady overshadowed by history, certainly by her predecessor,” McBride, co-chair of In Pursuit and co-author of Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women, tells East Wing Magazine in a recent phone interview. And not too far into the future, Mrs. Truman, again, was overshadowed by the young, dynamic and attractive First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
“It’s hard to be sandwiched in between the two of those and really get a fair shake for who you are,” she adds.
But McBride does just that in “Integrity Is the Foundation of Influence, Even When it Operates Out of View,” where she reveals Mrs. Truman’s on-the-quiet influence of the Truman presidency, the kind of influence that had always been present since their 1919 marriage.
When Harry Truman served publicly as a county judge in Jackson County, Missouri, his wife traveled with him learning “every political and legal aspect of his job,” McBride writes. That partnership would continue when her husband served in the United States Senate where she praised her husband’s “reputation for honesty and integrity” while she worked as a paid clerk in his office—something not uncommon at the time.
After Harry Truman was sworn in as president, McBride asserts in the essay that the perception of Mrs. Truman’s “lack of desire to use her position aggressively must also be seen as a strong internal belief that her own approach was adequate to the task.”
This was a strong woman, McBride says, who did not feel compelled to be someone else even though she likely felt the pressure from the American public to become so. That conviction, she believes, came from the first lady’s no-pretense upbringing in the Midwest.
That same humility, though, was refreshing for some. The press at the time characterized Mrs. Truman as “independent and an individualist” first lady, McBride writes, while she prided herself on the private influence she had with her husband.
“She felt she didn’t need to do it the same way Eleanor did,” says McBride, who also served as chief of staff for former First Lady Laura Bush. “Each person gets to make [the role] their own.”
Indeed, Mrs. Truman’s influence drew attention when she and her husband publicly rejected Congress’s push to tear down the White House that was in disrepair in the late 1940s. Mrs. Truman played a crucial role, McBride writes, in convincing Congress through her own lobbying efforts to preserve the historic exterior of the Residence while the interior would be completely rebuilt. To do so, she even spoke to the press.
“She was very involved with the president in reviewing the proposals that were coming in from the Army Corps of Engineers,” McBride says. “Both of them were completely in lockstep about protecting the house as much as possible and going the more expensive route to completely reconstruct it.”
That work, McBride notes, would make it possible for another future first lady to focus less on the structure of the mansion and more on its contents.
“[Mrs. Truman] really opened up the White House to the American people for them to be invested in it in a different way,” she says.
None of Mrs. Kennedy’s famous interior renovations about a decade later would have been possible without the Truman White House preservation. It is insight like this that McBride hopes readers will embrace, especially now when more resources are available and more research and writing is being done on America’s first ladies.
“I really hope that reading these one-sentence lessons about them sparks an interest to learn more,” she says. “And to be open to a different interpretation of the full life of a public figure who we think we know, but we really don’t.”
Read the full In Pursuit essay
Obama Presidential Center Celebrates First 100 Days
Since the Obama Presidential Center opened on June 19, waves of people keep coming. So, too, in the last three months are the worthy and whimsical happenings the Center has tallied along the way.
Most notably, 175,469 people from 50 U.S. states and 39 countries have visited the Obama Presidential Center’s Museum and ticketed events. Plus, 429 pounds of produce has grown in the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden, including 131 pounds of cucumbers. And, 3,382 new library accounts were created from the 206,684 visitors at the Chicago Public Library at the Obama Presidential Center campus.
The Center also counted four known marriage proposals, 250 visitors singing along to “My Shot” from a screening of the film Hamilton, and 11,424 Obama Burgers have been eaten.
“The first 100 days of the Obama Presidential Center have surpassed our wildest imaginings; it’s like someone has sprinkled the campus with pixie dust that brings people joy, hope and a feeling of community,” said Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett in a press release. “Thousands of people from across the street and around the world have traveled here to see what makes this campus so special and have left inspired to bring change home.”
Calendar
Sept. 29, 2026
White House History Live: Presidentess—The Life and Legacy of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler
The White House Historical Association’s White House History Live presents the virtual event “Presidentess — The Life and Legacy of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler” at 5:30 p.m. ET on September 29, 2026.
Julia Gardiner Tyler was not a curiosity or a contradiction — she was a force. As the first “bride of the White House” and one of the youngest first ladies in American history, she consciously shaped her public role, skillfully used newspapers, portraits, and fashion, and expanded what a first lady could be before the role had rules. Authors Christopher J. Leahy and Sharon Williams Leahy reveal how Julia navigated the undefined early presidency, managed visibility with intention, and transformed personal and political challenges into influence. This virtual event will be live streamed on the White House Historical Association’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Read more
Sept. 30, 2026
What You May Not Know About Grace Coolidge and Often Overlooked First Ladies: A Conversation with Diana B. Carlin
Join the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum in person or livestream and recorded on You Tube on September 30 at 6:30 p.m. for a conversation with first ladies scholar and author Diana B. Carlin, “What You May Not Know About Grace Coolidge and Often Overlooked First Ladies,” as she shares insights into the lives and legacies of Grace Coolidge and other first ladies. The program, free and open to the public, is part of a continuing series marking the centennial of the Coolidge presidency. It comes as the presidential library and museum marks its 70th anniversary, dedicated in September 1956 by Mrs. Coolidge and her son John Coolidge. View here
Sept. 30, 2026
Second Private Tour of the Val-Kill Furniture Exhibit at the Met
The Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill presents an exclusive private tour on September 30, 2026, of the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit on Val-Kill Industries furniture for some of its supporters. This tour will be led by the exhibit curator, Alyce Perry Englund, and Eleanor Roosevelt’s great-granddaughter, Sara Boettiger. There will also be lunch included after the tour at the American Wing Cafe inside the museum. Read more
Oct. 2, 2026
Making Mental Health a Higher Priority: A Conversation with Chelsea Handler
The Carter Center presents a special conversation with comedian and mental health advocate Chelsea Handler —“Making Mental Health a Higher Priority” from 1 to 2 p.m. EDT on Oct. 2, 2026 at The Carter Center, Cecil B. Day Chapel, in Atlanta, Georgia. Admission is free. Registration is required and seating is limited. The deadline to register is Oct. 1.
Rosalynn Carter Mental Health and Caregiver Program Director Neetu Abad will moderate the conversation about the power of telling your mental health story.
Handler will discuss her own mental health journey and why she continues to share her story with the public. The conversation will also focus on how the public, media, and members of the entertainment industry can continue Rosalynn Carter’s lifelong mission of improving access to mental health care for everyone. Read more
Oct. 3, 2026
Family and Politics: A Workshop by Braver Angels
The Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill in Hyde Park, New York, presents “Family and Politics: A Workshop by Braver Angels” from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. local time on Oct. 3, 2026. The free event from the volunteer-led, cross-partisan movement brings together Americans to bridge the political divide, reduce stereotypes, and practice civil dialogue. The Family and Politics workshop teaches participants how to preserve family bonds while staying true to their values and political beliefs. Read more
Oct. 9, 2026
Legacy Lecture: The Soft Power of Fashion
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents a Legacy Lecture exploring how First Lady Michelle Obama used the soft power of fashion to shape public perception and build a lasting cultural legacy. The virtual event will take place at noon on Oct. 9, 2026, with Ginger Stanciel, Senior Curatorial Associate for the new Obama Presidential Center, examining Michelle Obama’s public image and the role fashion plays in diplomacy, leadership, and storytelling. Read more
Oct. 15, 2026
Third Thursday: From the Kitchen to the Heartland
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents an in-person, look at the world of the White House kitchen from 6 to 8 p.m. local time on Oct. 15, 2026, as it explores the stories behind the menus and meals that helped shape presidential history. Discover how food has reflected changing tastes, celebrated milestone events, and offered a glimpse into the lives of America’s First Families through historic White House menus from the National First Ladies collection. Read more
Send calendar items, press releases and announcements to jtaylor@eastwingmagazine.com.