The White House's Greatest Hostesses

When the Obamas ascended to the White House earlier this year, many Washingtonians breathed a sigh of relief: after serving a grim eight-year sentence in the Prison of No Fun, they were finally up for parole. The capital's social life was about to come alive again at last.

Looking back over the last 220 years of American administrations, it's quite amazing how the First Couple - and the First Lady in particular - has set the social tone of Washington, and often that of the country and even the world. Last December, President-elect Obama pledged that, as a First Couple, he and Michelle Obama would "open up the White House and remind people this is the people's house."

Since moving into the White House, the Obamas have thrown poetry slams, hosted glittering galas, and planted a First Vegetable Garden. Michelle Obama in particular has ushered in new era of style and entertaining - and making good on her husband's promise, she's chosen to include us in the fun. Ms. Obama's open doors and open persona has not just made for good spectating; it has encouraged the rest of the country to follow suit.

Other First Ladies have dripped in a certain glamor, but they liked to keep it to themselves. Closed-door White House hostesses, such as a Galanos-clad Nancy Reagan or Oscar de la Renta-outfitted Laura Bush may have entertained on an elite level, but often left the public with its nose pressed up against the glass when it came to participating in the world of the White House.

These contemporary first ladies aren't the only ones to have privatized their hospitality. First Lady Elizabeth Monroe, whose husband James Monroe was president from 1817 to 1825, "changed White House customs to create the formal atmosphere of European courts. Even the White House wedding of her daughter Maria was private," according to her White House biography.

This special edition of Let's Bring Back will celebrate several of the White House's most inclusive hostesses. As a column (and soon a book!), Let's Bring Back celebrates rituals, curiosities, personas, and ideas from times past. Now that we are in an era of high-participation again, it seems like a good time to revisit some of the First Ladies who've welcomed the American public with open arms.

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Lucy Hayes (1831 - 1889) Wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican; in office from 1877 - 1881)

Many years before moving to Washington, Ms. Hayes was a constant presence on the front during the Civil War, where her husband was commanding the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. She earned the nickname "Mother Lucy" for nursing the wounded at the camps, and this compassionate impression followed her into the White House.

Though she was a temperance advocate and liquor was banned at the mansion during this administration ("The water flowed like wine," joked one guest), Ms. Hayes was a very popular and accessible White House hostess. According to one biographer, she "urged guests to wear street clothes. During the holidays, she invited staff members and their families to Thanksgiving dinner and opened presents with them on Christmas morning. When Congress no longer allowed the Easter Egg Roll on the Capitol grounds, she offered the White House lawn as a permanent substitute."

Both concerts and informal "sings" were hosted at the Hayes White House; Ms. Hayes also established a small White House zoo, conservatory, and First Lady Hall of Fame. By the end of the Hayes tenure in as First Couple, Ms. Hayes had become "one of the best-loved women to preside over the White House," according to her official White House biography.

* * *

Frances Cleveland (1864 - 1947) Wife of President Grover Cleveland (Democrat; in office from from 1885-1889, and again from 1893-1897)

Despite the storminess of her husband's presidential tenures, Frances Cleveland became "one of the most popular women ever to serve as hostess for the nation," according to her official White House biography.

Ms. Cleveland was the only First Lady who was married at the White House; the ceremony took place on June 2, 1886 in the Blue Room. At 21, she was also the youngest First Lady to have assumed the "post." "Frankie" (as she was called in the popular press) became an instant celebrity and was mobbed by admirers at public events.

According to another biography, "so closely was her clothing style copied that during the summer of 1887, when two Washington reporters found themselves with no general interest stories, they created a tale that the First Lady had decided to stop wearing the bustle-type dress: shortly thereafter the popular bustle met its fashion demise across the country." The birth of the First Couple's daughter, Esther, at the White House in 1893, generated additional public adoration.

Ms. Cleveland revolutionized the role of First Lady by hosting two public receptions a week, including one on Saturdays, when women with jobs were free to attend. Says a biographer: "Some White House domestic staff members were shocked as common shopgirls, government clerks, maids and other service industry workers lined up in the regal East Room to shake the hand and have a personal word with the popular young First Lady." .

* * *

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962) Wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Democrat; in office from 1933- 1945)

It is difficult to overstate how much Eleanor Roosevelt revolutionized the role of First Lady in terms of public accessibility. According to her White House biography, "she greeted thousands with charming friendliness. She also broke precedent to hold press conferences, travel to all parts of the country, give lectures and radio broadcasts, and express her opinions candidly in a daily syndicated newspaper column, My Day."

In one particularly heartbreaking edition of My Day, Ms. Roosevelt details her last day in the White House, following her husband's sudden death:

Yesterday the President and Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman lunched here with us and, from then on, I began to do "last things." At four o'clock, I greeted the members of my press conference for the last time. I have always looked out at the Washington Monument from my bedroom window the last thing at night, and the little red light at the top of it has twinkled at me in friendly fashion ... Now, I have spent my last night in the White House. I have had my last breakfast on the sun porch. And all today, I shall be saying good-bye to different people who have been loyal and kind and have given all that they could for the success of my husband's Administration or for the comfort and welfare of us all as a family.

One social highlight of the Roosevelt years was the 1939 visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the first British monarchs to set foot on U.S. soil. I love this story: according to one report, Ms. Roosevelt was criticized by some for serving hot dogs to the royal couple during a picnic. How all-American can you get?

* * *

Jacqueline Kennedy (1929 - 1994) Wife of John F. Kennedy (Democrat; in office from 1961 to 1963)

During the Kennedy reign as First Couple, the White House itself became a symbol of youth, hope, and glamor, as Jacqueline Kennedy stripped away the dowdy remnants of Eisenhower-era decor, determined to elevate the White House's aesthetics with historical art and period pieces. While this might have been seen as an expensive, elitist project by some, the Kennedys described the renovation as an effort to preserve the heritage of the American presidency.

When public curiosity about the project reached a fever pitch, in the ultimate gesture of inclusion, Jacqueline Kennedy invited the entire world into the White House to see the results of the "restoration."

On the night of February 14, 1962, three out of four television viewers tuned to CBS or NBC to watch A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy. Four nights later, ABC rebroadcast the program to a sizable national audience; the show was then syndicated in more than fifty countries around the globe. The Museum of Broadcast Communications says that ultimately "hundreds of millions of people saw the program, making it the most widely viewed documentary during the genre's so-called golden age." The unprecedented program, with its inside-look at "Camelot," helped transform the Kennedys from a politician and his wife into international icons.

During the televised tour, President Kennedy made a brief appearance. Of his wife's renovations, he said: I think if [young boys and girls] can come here and see alive this building and in a sense touch the people who lived here, then they'll go home more interested and I think they'll become better Americans. Some of them may want to someday live here themselves -- even the girls."

* * *

In Fall 2010, Chronicle Books will release a book by Lesley M. M. Blume based on this popular column. 'Let's Bring Back' will be a sophisticated, stylish novelty book, detailing objects, pastimes, and personas from bygone eras that should not have been left behind. From sealing wax and quill pens to the Orient Express, fainting couches, and limericks, there is a great deal of ground to cover. Please make sure to visit previous installments of Let's Bring Back.

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Comments

[QueenCeleste]

Lesley, thank you for this lovely look at the charming First Ladies of yesteryear. Fascinating how the demise of the bustle came about! And I am very eager to read "Let's Bring Back" when it is released next year!

[ChicagoSuz]

Mrs. Roosevelt changed the course of my life in one afternoon. Long after she left the White House, she continued to be a great hostess & include people from all walks of life. When I was 9, as part of a girl's group at my school, I was welcomed into her apartment at One Fifth Avenue in New York. She served us dessert and then, as we sat cross-legged on the rug of her living room, she regaled us with stories of children all over the world, their different cultures and lifestyles, their abject poverty, and more. Up until that moment, I thought that life began & ended in Brooklyn. She opened up the whole world to me & filled me with compassion & curiosity. I haven't been the same since.

Whenever I see Mrs. Obama surrounded by school children, I am thrilled, knowing that these children are having a similar experience.

[Tamera]

Great post. I love First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, she just was what a First Lady should represent. First Lady Michelle Obama is also a class act, she is truly a blessing for all of us.

[QueenCeleste]

Oh, what a remarkable experience!

[naschkatze]

Lucky you! Eleanor Roosevelt is top on my list of historical people I would like to know. I think Michelle Obama is much closer to emulating her than Hillary Clinton ever was.

[Aesthete]

I read a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that has sustained me ever since I first read it. She said, "No one can hurt your feelings without your consent." As one who was teased and taunted in the school yard as a youngster and has sometimes had to put up with disparaging remarks from others as an adult, I am able to draw great comfort from her quote even though I never met her in person.

[rich misty]

I very much enjoyed reading your post and the wonderful comments. Thank you all for a wonderful feeling.

[Evangeline A]

Washington Society in Mrs Cleveland's time: http://edwardianpromenade.com/?p=565

[skippyB]

Thanks for these always-interesting glimpses into history. I find them irresistible.

[Isabelle17]

All of these women should be referred to as Mrs, especially in an article about hospitality and good manners....

[myjs]

Great White House website
Great photos

www.whitehousemuseum.org

[Shawn Drewry]

Alot of people say U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama tops them all!

http://www.ShawnDrewry.com

http://www.YouTube.com/DrewryOnlineLive

[kshawNCvoter]

Oh.My.God FLOTUS MO looks amazing in that pic. She is gorgeous.

[MissStylish]

For information on other first ladies around the world and Look for Less Options on Michelle's fashion, check out

http://firstladiesstyle.onsugar.com/3081233

[We-Are-The-Ones]

I think the current 1st Lady will be the best hostess because she is having many more events and has been very inclusive these past 4 months. She invites children into every aspect of the White House (kitchens, gardens, poetry, role model events, etc.).

I am also happy that she had such wonderful roll models to look to.

[kepary]

Jackie O was giving a tour of the White House while her husband was upstairs w/ Monica... oh wait that was the other woman that showed women what to do when their men cheat

[We-Are-The-Ones]

You are an idiot.

These women showed other women how to be gracious in light of awful, childlish behavior by their husbands. Hillary Clinton was amazing in light of Bill's behavior and subsequent lies.

[cjk002]

Wow.

You must live a lonely, miserable life. If not, I feel sorry for the people who have to be around you.

[FearlessFreep]

Wasn't Frances Cleveland Grover's ward before marrying him? The Soon-yi of her time!

it wasn't the first time GC raised eyebrows: when he was running for president, the Republicans tried to make an issue of his love-child. ("Ma, Ma? Where's my Pa? Gone to the White House, ha ha ha!") The John Edwards of his time!

[Evangeline A]

Except Cleveland wasn't the father. He was the only unmarried lover of the woman and did the gentlemanly thing by supporting the child.

[katerow8]

I am very unhappy that Dolley Madison was not featured prominently in this article. Mrs. Madison not only was an outstanding and gracious First Lady for her own husband, but also served as hostess for President Jefferson. She, in fact, was the firs to do the Wednesday evening socials--a habit that Mrs. Obama has picked up.

Dolley was the first of the great White House hostesses--no article on this subject could be complete without her.

[FearlessFreep]

She also kept her head when the British were marching on Washington.

[lillibelle]

So right. Dolly's D.C. soirees were legendary.

More scoops on Dolly, please!

http://www.nwhm.org/images/bios/dolley_madison.jpg

[TainoBoy]

I am delighted to see that most of those fabulous first ladies were democrats.

[kepary]

all their husbands cheated on them , they are SO fabulous... great role models

[ChrisR]

like you know anything

[We-Are-The-Ones]

Says more about the husband than the women. Shameful men. Gracious women.

[Bafun]

of course republicans never cheat on their wifes and never divorce x times and are not gay....

[mairs]

And if the stories are true about Bush and Condi.... will you excoriate poor Laura?

[mairs]

And if the stories are true about Bush and Condi... will you have as much con/t.e.mpt for Laura?

[Evangeline A]

Spoken like someone who thinks the political parties have always been how they are today. e.e