This Book Unravels the Mystery that Is Pat Nixon
Review by Stephanie K. Bohnak, Director of Education National First Ladies Library & Museum
“Pat refused to allow the press into her inner life, guarding her private thoughts fiercely. In the absence of a hard copy, the media constructed an image of Pat Nixon as ‘Plastic Pat,’ a silent, mysterious doll.” Given this nickname by John Fairchild from Women’s Wear Daily during the 1960 presidential election, historian Mary Brennan notes that the image may have developed earlier in Mrs. Nixon’s life in which she was seen as the “adoring political wife who robotically paid attention to her husband’s every word.” Despite this portrayal, Pat Nixon’s reputation in American history has been misconstrued, often tied to her husband’s 1974 Watergate scandal.
Heath Hardage Lee’s The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady debunks the popular myths and broad-stroke generalizations that have afflicted Mrs. Nixon’s legacy in an approachable, engaging, and eye-opening way through this fully scoped and intensely researched biography. In this work, Lee argues that despite the negative light in which Thelma ‘Pat’ Ryan Nixon has been cast, she was in fact “the opposite of what Americans thought her to be.”
In this work, Lee argues that despite the negative light in which Thelma ‘Pat’ Ryan Nixon has been cast, she was in fact “the opposite of what Americans thought her to be.”
Segmented into different eras in her life, The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon unearths the humble, yet hardworking beginnings of Pat Ryan before contextualizing the rise of Richard Nixon’s career in American politics through the eyes of his steady and supportive wife. Readers are then finally acquainted with America’s leading lady during Pat Nixon’s tenure as first lady of the United States, which lasted from 1969-1974.
For readers unfamiliar with the early life of Thelma Catherine ‘Pat’ Ryan, the first segment of this biography examines the life of a young girl with “dreams beyond the farm.” The same young woman who would later become the 37th first lady of the United States would also never be a “damsel in distress.” Rather, even after her mother’s death, she undertook household management and held an array of jobs to help support the Ryan family as well as her own aspirations throughout college.
A practical and diligent young woman who became known for her grace under pressure, Pat was almost always private. Some of her closest friends were still held at arm’s length, yet she remained a loyal friend and an alert and interested student. By the time she graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a degree in merchandising and a certificate in education, Pat Ryan earned a “Special Credential" from the institution equating to today’s master’s degree. A remarkably intelligent and resourceful individual, it should come as no shock to readers that as an educator in later life, she was also well-received and warmly remembered by past students.
Known in her early adulthood for her classic beauty, Pat Ryan was also a woman who intended to get more out of life than others. She had high aspirations for herself, worked hard to reach her goals, and refused to settle for any life partner who could limit her dreams. In an entertaining fashion, Heath Hardage Lee also shares the courtship between Miss Ryan and a young Dick Nixon, who persistently pursued and courted her. In fact, Lee argues that “her new suitor would have to work hard to convince her that giving up such hard-won independence was worth it.”
Notwithstanding her initial hesitation about their courtship, the two seemed happy to spend their time together alone and were known for being voracious readers. The young couple shared similar ideals for a bigger and better life away from their small-town beginnings. As Pat seriously considered the idea of marriage, she also contemplated public life; she once confided in her friend Alyce Koch that her future husband was “going to be President someday.”
As Pat seriously considered the idea of marriage, she also contemplated public life; she once confided in her friend Alyce Koch that her future husband was “going to be President someday.”
Through extensive archival evidence, readers are made privy to the more intimate aspects of Pat and Richard Nixon in this full-length biography. Lee argues that some of the letters exchanged between the private couple portray a “strong, passionate, and selfless early marriage: one counternarrative to some long-standing notions about the couple’s relationship.” Reflecting a true partnership, Pat Nixon was never just a wife to her husband. Rather, she was a practical counterpart whose resourcefulness and intellect would further propel the couple forward. Warm, thrifty, down-to-earth, and a hard worker, Pat Nixon was lauded for her approachability, as many women in postwar America could relate to her. Although she had early reservations about public life, it was Pat Nixon who turned out to be “her husband’s secret campaign weapon.”
Lee argues that “Pat’s reserved nature must have balked at the thought of being constantly on display” throughout her husband’s campaigning, yet she remained the “engine that pulled her husband along when he was tired, and behind the scenes she urged him toward perfection.” Already an exceptionally private woman, her reluctance to enter the political realm as a mother and government wife was not ill-founded. Despite her steady support, every detail about Pat became “fodder” for newspaper features in which even her most personal details were exposed to the American public. Later denoted as the “Cinderella Girl of the G.O.P,” Pat Nixon’s tenure as Second Lady of the United States set a later standard to which others would aspire. Her “person to person diplomacy” revealed itself during her time as wife to the vice president of the United States, where she became a “success story.”
In a refreshing manner, Heath Hardage Lee skillfully weaves others into the Nixon narrative throughout the text, including the Eisenhower and Kennedy families, who (despite what the American public might have perceived) were familiar and friendly with the Nixon family. Considered ‘frenemies,’ Dick Nixon and Jack Kennedy were natural opposing forces in the political arena, yet it was their wives’ styles and personal lives that were criticized. Although there appears to be some initial negative bias in the text about the Kennedys, as readers progress throughout, it is clear that Lee aptly understands the nuances of the 1960 presidential election, and true to her mission, she maneuvers through the many contradicting feelings Mrs. Nixon must have been experiencing throughout this time.
When Pat Nixon first met Jackie Kennedy in 1953, she noted in her diary that she was a “darling girl.” Ultimately, the two women were pitted against one another in the media. Jacqueline Kennedy’s harshest critics saw her as an out of touch elitist who had little care for politics, while Pat Nixon critics targeted her stoic, almost “plastic” demeanor and labeled her a woman who was not “the best dressed.” Lee suggests that the lack of press accessibility for Mrs. Nixon would ultimately affect her image during the 1960 election. Regardless of the personally devastating loss that year, Pat and Richard Nixon understood that their life in politics was not yet over.
For many who have only remembered the Nixon administration for its scandals or affiliated political party, this biography completely shifts the paradigm by focusing on the first lady.
For many who have only remembered the Nixon administration for its scandals or affiliated political party, this biography completely shifts the paradigm by focusing on the first lady. Even from her earliest days in California, Pat Ryan was dedicated to equity and diversity. Lee argues that it was Pat Nixon’s superpower: “her ability to reach across borders, nationalities, and ideologies to the core humanity of a person.” When she became first lady of the United States, Pat was so involved in many different projects and causes that “just choosing one thing as her signature issue was too confining.” Continuing her work from her time as second lady, as first lady, Mrs. Nixon dedicated her time to the problems of women, children, and the needy. Unfortunately, she was often overlooked by the West Wing staff to such an extent that her important legacy was often pushed to the sidelines.
Dedicated to volunteerism, Mrs. Nixon publicly advocated for the American Red Cross, the Girl Scouts, and the American Cancer Society. She personally ensured accessibility at the White House by promoting wheelchair ramps, sign language, and multilingual tour booklets. As a diplomat on behalf of her husband, Pat Nixon traveled extensively to war-torn Vietnam and Peru following a massive earthquake. The first, first lady to have an entirely separate campaign made for her, she also became the first, first lady to travel to Africa, and she also traveled alongside her husband to the Soviet Union and China. Following her visit to China in which she expressed fondness for giant pandas, the United States was gifted a set of the bears in her honor. Seriously focused on her duties as leading lady in which she showed “remarkable stamina, discipline, and hard work,” Mrs. Nixon’s impact was severely understated and underappreciated. Even the feminist press saw her as subservient to her husband, rather than an advocate for women as she further modernized the role of first lady.
“Only now, many years after her death, can we truly understand how she moved the needle toward women’s rights in a subtle, but profound way,” Heath Hardage Lee writes.
“Only now, many years after her death, can we truly understand how she moved the needle toward women’s rights in a subtle, but profound way,” Heath Hardage Lee writes.
Humanizing at its heart, The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady, skillfully examines the full life of a remarkable, hard-working, and humble woman who has been historically misremembered and misrepresented. This vast biography, based on meticulous archival accounts and personal interviews, is “much more compelling than the artificially constructed image of the First Lady that most Americans know.”
Although the book seems a large undertaking, the read is worth it: each chapter is accessible and tied to significant historical and personal events. Hard to put down, it was entertaining and sobering at times. Lee’s work is not only evidence of years of research, but it is also a labor of love in which this author successfully shares American history through the perspective of a former first lady of the United States.
Stephanie K. Bohnak is the director of education and outreach at the National First Ladies Library & Museum in Canton, Ohio. She brings a distinguished background and unwavering dedication to the institution. With an MA in History and Public History from Bowling Green State University, specializing in women's history and American enslavement, Bohnak is dedicated to illuminating often-overlooked narratives in American history.
Her BA in History from the University of Akron, accompanied by minors in Anthropology and Classics, provides a comprehensive understanding of historical contexts and concepts. Additionally, Stephanie Bohnak holds an AS in Culinary Arts from Sullivan University, reflecting a diverse skill set that enriches educational endeavors with interdisciplinary perspectives. Through innovative programming and outreach, Stephanie Bohnak honors the legacies of America's first ladies while fostering historical literacy and inclusivity for all.