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Summary and Analysis of First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies

Based on the Book by Kate Andersen Brower

OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA

Summary

Introduction

A 1993 yachting jaunt off Martha's Vineyard hosted by Jackie Kennedy Onassis for President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton captures the dynamics between past and present presidential spouses. When Hillary balked at jumping from a high diving board, and Bill and the Kennedy menfolk present goaded her on as she stood frozen, JFK's widow cried out: "Don't do it! Just because they're daring you, you don't have to!" Hillary heeded her predecessor's urging.

Despite the countless campaign stops, official appearances, photographs, and news stories that thrust America's First Ladies into the spotlight, little effort has been devoted by journalists, historians, or the public to truly understanding the inner workings of these women. They're not the picture-perfect images they're shoehorned into representing — but, Andersen Brower contends, that's why it's fascinating to get to know them.

Need to Know: The ten First Ladies to hold the title between 1961 and 2017 may have little to nothing in common — except strong and complex personalities — but they have forged deep bonds due to their unique shared experience. Though bearing the mantle of First Lady makes each of them an iconic figure, the expectations of these women are ill-defined at best — and wildly unrealistic at worst — and each has had to blaze her own trail as a spouse, parent, and public figure.

I. The Political Wife

Each First Lady has entered and experienced the White House under very different circumstances. Jackie, a youthful and glamorous figure, put her own stamp on the mansion's décor and proudly showed it off in a groundbreaking TV tour. By the time Lady Bird Johnson assumed the role, Jackie was a star — her shoes would have been hard to fill even if John F. Kennedy's assassination had not overshadowed Lyndon B. Johnson's ascension to the presidency.

Pat Nixon had steeled herself to the ups and downs of her husband's long political career, but her "plastic" facade finally cracked during their ignominious exit from the storied residence. Successor Betty Ford was intimidated by the role but gradually found her voice. Rosalynn Carter served as her husband's liaison to voters and heads of state alike.

Nancy Reagan quickly became a larger-than-life figure, thanks to the meticulous maintenance of her personal image in addition to that of the White House.

Her successor, Barbara Bush, was no stranger to the White House, having been married to George H. W. Bush, the two-term vice president under Ronald Reagan.

Hillary Clinton broke the First Lady mold with her outspoken involvement in her husband's administration — arousing some ire from the press, the public, and the Republican Party by doing so. Laura Bush returned the image of the First Lady to a pure, doting presidential spouse — and Michelle Obama, too, hewed to a traditionally apolitical role as "mom-in-chief," despite the fact that her status as the first African American First Lady was inherently groundbreaking.

Need to Know: Becoming the archetype of an American wife and mother is a weighty responsibility for First Ladies — not least because they find themselves in that position without choosing it. Following along with their husbands' ambitions out of love, loyalty, and devotion, they find themselves living a confined — and surreal — existence in the ivory tower that is the White House. Perhaps the only common circumstances of the ten modern women profiled in First Women was the sense of claustrophobia and confinement, and the shock of adjusting to rigid protocol and lack of privacy, that came with inhabiting a house that did not feel like home.

The silver lining: While the powers of the First Lady are not officially defined, each woman who fills the role has a palpable influence on her husband, and, therefore, on the nation.

II. Sisterhood of 1600

It would be an understatement to say that the bonds between First Ladies cross political lines and that each outgoing First Lady is solicitous of her successor, with an intimate White House tour serving in lieu of the letter an outgoing president traditionally leaves for his replacement.

One touching moment occurred in 1971, when Pat Nixon secretly arranged for Jackie Kennedy and her children to visit the White House for a private unveiling of JFK's and Jackie's official portraits. Despite her bond with Lady Bird Johnson, a traumatized Jackie had adamantly — though graciously — passed up previous offers to return to the house that held so many memories of her husband. But she and her children came away moved by and grateful for the chance to revisit their White House life.

Hillary Clinton, in turn, forged a bond with Jackie, taking her cues on how to raise an unspoiled child despite the rarefied privilege of growing up in the White House. Upon Jackie's 1994 death from cancer, Hillary was publicly choked up — and one imagines she had a similar private reaction upon receiving a letter from JFK Jr. expressing how her relationship with his mother had enabled Jackie to "reconnect" with the world of the White House.

Need to Know: Though most modern First Ladies found positive aspects of life in the White House, Michelle Obama, in particular, chafed at its protocol and at the disruption of her life and career. Disinclined toward politics, she fumed over low-blow attacks on her husband. More detached than her predecessors from the "sisterhood" that Andersen Brower references, Michelle nevertheless found an unlikely ally in Laura Bush, whose staff took pains to provide her with learned-the-hard-way guidelines on what to do and what not to do as First Lady.

III. Profiles in Courage

The title of this chapter references John F. Kennedy's famous collection of biographies of American senators he admired — and suggests that presidential wives have been known to possess many of the same qualities.

Take, for instance, his own wife, Jackie, whom he summoned to his side for support during the harrowing Cuban Missile Crisis. Faced with the knowledge that the country was teetering on the brink of nuclear war, Jackie was determined to remain with him, startling her Secret Service detail with the declaration that, should such a catastrophic bomb drop, she would eschew the shelter to stand with her children on the South Lawn "like brave soldiers, and face the fate of every other American." Though terrified by that dire possibility, Jackie was also deeply appreciative of how much confidence her husband placed in her during the crisis, allowing her — if not an actual seat at the table — an insider's view of the war room's machinations.

Another First Lady of valor who placed her country before herself, albeit in a very different way, was Betty Ford. Just months after she unexpectedly became First Lady following Richard Nixon's resignation, fate dealt her another shocking hand: a diagnosis of breast cancer. She insisted on providing the public with full disclosure rather than the traditional euphemisms: She'd had a mastectomy. Betty's candor resulted in an outpouring of support from the public and the profound gratitude of those who were motivated to get life-saving screenings.

Today, October is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and many high-profile foundations hold charity runs and events dedicated to raising funds for research, treatment, and eradication of the disease. The personal and painful topic is so common to us now that we may not fully appreciate Betty Ford's bravery in broaching the taboo as the most regarded female figure in America.

Need to Know: Though not elected public servants, First Ladies often display the bravery, patriotism, and self-sacrifice that characterize Americans who have actively chosen to serve. Loyalty to husband and loyalty to country may be inextricably intertwined for these women.

IV. Motherhood

Raising children in the White House entails navigating many particularities of protocol in the effort to give them a normal upbringing — even when the children, such as young John-John Kennedy, have never known any other sort of life. Jackie Kennedy took great pains to give her children a sense of structure and interaction with their peers and the outside world; she even installed a kindergarten in the White House for Caroline and her playmates and arranged for her daughter's French teacher to accompany her on incognito outings. (Decades later, Amy Carter went to a public school, and after she balked at remaining inside the building during recess, Secret Service adjusted protocol.)

After JFK's death, Jackie managed — barely, at times — to rouse herself from the depths of her grief in order to maintain a sense of normalcy and consistency for her young daughter and son. She developed a close confidant in Reverend Richard McSorley, who became something of a father figure to the young boy. The priest remembers one poignant moment when she requested that he sing John-John to sleep with "Danny Boy," substituting the name "Johnny" as her late husband had done.

Over the years, First Ladies — like all mothers — have had different and complex attitudes toward parenthood. Lady Bird Johnson frankly recalled her "absolute horror" at being left in charge of infant Luci during Lyndon's tenure in Congress. Another Congressman's wife, Betty Ford, had her hands full while Gerald was off on the political stump. She raised her four children to be down-to-earth but was frustrated by their often-absent father affording her no backup.

For older children of presidents, following media coverage and public opinion can be painful. Richard Nixon's daughters, Julie and Tricia, anguished about how their father was being demonized over both Vietnam and Watergate, and they tried to keep his — and their increasingly anxious mom's — spirits up. Julie even skipped her own 1970 graduation from Smith College based on Secret Service counsel that her presence, much less her father's, would turn the event into a roiling cauldron of protest.

And, sometimes, the challenges facing First Ladies and their children has nothing to do with the role itself, as in the fractured relationship between Nancy Reagan and her daughter, Patti Davis.

Whether before or during their White House tenure, presidential spouses have suffered greatly and staunchly in their roles as mothers. Barbara Bush sat vigil at the bedside of her daughter Robin before the girl — who adored her big brother George — succumbed to leukemia at age four.

Need to Know: For children growing up in the White House, the iconic estate may serve as a sprawling and lavish playground, a confining fishbowl, a home with some semblance of normalcy, or all of the above. For the adults who work in and visit the White House, from dignitaries to household staffers, the presence of children serves as a counterbalance to pomp and circumstance — in other words, a reality check.

And for the women striving to raise well-adjusted children at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, life presents a minefield of challenges.

V. Supporting Actors

From Lady Bird Johnson bankrolling Lyndon's first run for Congress to Hillary Clinton vehemently defending Bill against his opponent in the Arkansas gubernatorial primary, First Ladies have been instrumental in supporting their husbands' political careers. They have also endured challenges ranging from Hillary fielding criticism of her decision to keep her maiden name, Rodham, to Lady Bird bravely facing irate opponents of desegregation while campaigning for LBJ in Deep South cities.

On a personal level, the First Ladies provide crucial support to their husbands and families — and the extended family comprised of the entire United States. Mild-mannered librarian Laura Bush was the yang to George W.'s yin, serenely admonishing him when he got carried away and seething over minor staffer infractions that inconvenienced her daughters. She provided support to a grieving nation after September 11, 2001, including offering solace to the people of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the doomed heroes of Flight 93 perished.

Need to Know: A crucial part of the First Lady's job is to have her husband's back, in public and in private. Hillary Clinton's famous indignant comment, "I'm not ... some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette," was, on some level, disingenuous. Every modern First Lady has filled the role of the proverbial great woman standing behind the great man.

VI. East Wing vs. West Wing

The East Wing of the White House is occupied by staffers, mostly female, who work for the First Lady. The West Wing is populated by the largely male community of staffers who work for the president. Rivalry between the two camps is a recurring theme across administrations, but has played out differently in each one.

First Lady Michelle Obama drew a line in the sand between the two camps, disavowing any possible participation in political policy. By contrast, Hillary Clinton ruffled feathers by crossing boundaries to locate some members of her team in the West Wing. Her outspokenness echoed that of Betty Ford, whose unvarnished remarks sometimes stirred controversy.

Pat Nixon exemplifies the East–West divide. She was constantly undermined by West Wing staffers, particularly chief of staff H. R. Haldeman and counsel John Ehrlichman, who sought to lessen her influence on her husband and within the White House. (Of course, given the way his presidency unfolded, it's no surprise that Nixon's advisors would resort to manipulative tactics to shore up their own power.)

Need to Know: The rivalry between staffers who work for the president in the West Wing and those who work for the First Lady in the East Wing is ingrained in the fabric of White House culture. It seems slightly absurd that the gender separation that manifests in the seat of US government is comparable to that at a junior high school dance, but old traditions die hard.

VII. The Good Wife

Though privately devastated by JFK's now legendary infidelities, Jackie Kennedy threw herself into maintaining a flawless appearance — of both herself and the White House — perhaps as a coping mechanism for feelings of loneliness and betrayal, Andersen Brower suggests. An upper-crust, well-educated aficionada of art and culture, Jackie was forever curating the White House's many historical and newly installed treasures. And after her husband's death, she set about curating his memory, introducing the modern-day Camelot concept (via a Life feature story) that is now enshrined in American history.

Pat Nixon displayed a different but comparable level of wifely dedication. A scrappy, hardworking woman, she put aside her own profession to back her husband's political ambitions and found herself dragged through the mud after a crushing (and suspicious) loss to JFK in 1960 and another loss in the California gubernatorial race in 1962, the latter of which seemed to put the lid on Nixon's political career once and for all. When the couple ultimately took up residence in the White House — a move the worn-out Pat no longer sought — she was besieged by the rage of Vietnam protesters and the public's outrage over the Watergate scandal. The stress sapped her energy, though she kept up a front to pretend otherwise.

Betty Ford's valiant dedication to her husband, Gerald, was repaid with tough love when, years after leaving office, he staged an intervention to confront her alcohol and prescription pill addiction. (Betty would, of course, go on to found a prominent addiction treatment center.) She was inconsolable after his death.

Rosalynn Carter stood by Jimmy through his US Navy career; a move back to Plains, Georgia; and his political career, which launched with a state senate position in 1962 and advanced to the presidency in part by her tenacious campaigning. Adjusting to the pomp and circumstance of the office was awkward for the down-to-earth couple, but Rosalynn was passionately invested in politics and became a conduit for Jimmy's advisors to express their concerns. She even attended Cabinet meetings — and her active role in her husband's administration was no more popular than was Hillary Clinton's decades later.

The controlling Nancy Reagan took the role of supportive spouse to the next level. She had zero tolerance for any perceived slight or disloyalty to her husband, and Cabinet members crossed her or ignored her wishes at their own peril. Ronald's staffers were known to turn to her if they wanted a colleague ousted.

Hillary Clinton endured perhaps the most public and humiliating test of spousal loyalty in the form of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. And while some cheating husbands buy their wives diamonds as a mea culpa, Bill did her one better: He threw his support behind her ultimately successful run in New York's US Senate election.

Need to Know: Dedication is a skill First Ladies cultivate over years spent supporting their spouses through campaigns and lower offices, as well as life events in between.

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Excerpted from Summary and Analysis of First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies by Worth Books. Copyright © 2017 Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA.
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