American First Ladies: Their Lives and Their Legacy Hardcover - 2001

First line

Martha Washington was the "worthy partner," as her obituary phrased it, of the nation's first president.

From the rear cover

From Eleanor Roosevelt's deep involvement in social issues to Hillary Rodham Clinton's successful campaign for the U.S. Senate, the First Lady has been a continuous source of interest and intense scrutiny. American First Ladies examines how this position has evolved through history and how each First Lady has adjusted to the demands of being the wife of the president.

Beginning with Martha Washington and concluding with Laura Bush, these biographical essays provide a chronological account of each woman's life and assess her place in the development of the institution of First Lady. Now extensively revised, American First Ladies offers essential facts about each woman based on the latest research on the history of the presidency and the role of the First Lady. The bibliographies for the essays have been updated, and there are new articles on Abigail Adams, Frances Cleveland, Lou Hoover, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower, Rosalyn Carter, and Nancy Reagan. The book concludes with the Siena College First Lady Polls (1982, 1993), a table of Presidents and First Ladies (1789-2001), and a comprehensive index.

Media reviews

Citations

• American Reference Bks Annual, 01/01/2002, Page 402
• Booklist, 03/01/2002, Page 1170
• Reference and Research Bk News, 11/01/2001, Page 47
• Voice of Youth Advocates, 12/01/2001, Page 386