My Interest
America’s First Families fascinate me. I collect just about anything published on both branches of the Roosevelt family, but am interested in the others in general. First Ladies are very interestesting. From the almost-never-involved Bess Truman to activist and nagger-in-chief, Eleanor Roosevelt, to the sad Pat Nixon, all have put up with a lot to get there husbands to the White House. Betty Ford nearly drank herself to death but gave us both a better appreciation of what alcoholism really is and the courage to face breast cancer. Her husband is (to) date our only unlected President (George Washington was elected by acclaim) but she is a personal favorite of mine. Rosalyn Carter wrote the pre-database book on how to get a man elected. Eleanor Roosevelt championed the underdog and, (very signifcant given this past week’s new) championed classifiying lynching as a Federal offense. Edith Boling Galt Wilson, however, is in a class by herself for she is often regarded as the first female POTUS.
The Story
Photo found here [click]
Washington, D.C. widow Edith Bolling Galt caught the eye of the recently widowed President, Woodrow Wilson. She was a “full-figure gal” as Jayne Mansfield used to say on the old Playtex longline bra ads, vivacious and independent. Way, way before the Prius, she was tooling around D.C. in an “electric run-about” car. Woodrow, the first president whose use of birth control is documented in a footnote, was… [ahem…let’s use a polite eupamism, shall we?] “lonely.” After the sad death of his first wife, Ellen, he was going crazy in the White House “all alone” [servants and professional staff apparently didn’t figure into this equation]. He met Mrs. Gault and immediately started “woo-ing” her (as it was termed back then). [Sidebar–both Wilson and UK Prime Minister Henry Herbert Asquith were ignoring World War I to woo lady firends–read more about HHA here].
Long story short, Mrs. Galt became the second Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. She of sheep on the White House lawn and much more. She who was not in favor of women’s sufferage. When Woodrow had his debilitating stroke out in Pueblo Colorado trying to force America Firsters to accept membership into the very-European League of Nations, she stepped up to the plate and pinch-hit for her husband. She kept at it until his term ended in 1920 when the USA elected the third most corrupt president in modern USA history–Warren Harding. [Harding #3, Nixon #2 and King Charles’ recent dinner guest way out in front as #1].
My Thoughts
Photo found here
This book set out to fact-check Edith’s autobiography. Well, it did that. I liked even more what it did not do: It did not insert an entire 800 page biography of Woodrow’s entire career with footnotes. While this is certainly “history lite” it is not inconsequential in “heft” of coverage–just in number of pages. The author did a very decent job or writing a bio of this facsinating first lady, using credible sources, without boring us to death with everything Woodrow did in his life. It is also very readable.
Footnote
In college, studying International Relations, Wilson was a near-God. They forgot to mention to students in the early 80’s that Thomas Woodrow Wilson was an unreconstructed Confederate who segregated the Federal government, demoting and people of color who got above the lowest rank of clerks. His diplomacy was our bluerprint for generation, but his domestic policy aided and abetted the [clan]. A very mixed legacy to say the least. He was a devout Christian, the son of a pastor, but a Virginian born after the Civil War. I doubt this bothered Mrs. Galt–a D.C. resident. Yes, of course, he was a man of his own times, but even then there were critics to his removing Blacks from the Civil Service and making Black employees use a different restroom. People get confused because he was best known as President of Princeton [the IVY then most favored by Southern students] and governor of New Jersey. But he was no Yankee.
I inserted this footnote for people who do not know Woodrow Wilson from Warren Harding–they were the Presidents of the USA from 1912- 1920 [Wilson] and 1920 until his death in 1923[Harding–the first POTUS s$x pest].
A few more footnotes from this book: Margaret Wilson, Woodrow and Ellen’s daughter, tried to become a singer just like Margaret Truman, daughter of Harry and Bess. Eleanore (“Nell”) Wilson was married in the White House (just like Lynda Bird Johnson] to her father’s Treasury Secretary, William McAdoo–26 years her senior. McAdoo tried to run for President, but his near-age-mate father-in-law never gave his endorsement, nor did the 2nd Mrs. Woodrow Wilson.
My Verdict
4.0
I listened to the audio version of this book.
Footnote on the author
Rebecca Boggs Roberts is the Granddaughter of House Majority Leader (Democrat, Louisiana) Hale Boggs and Rep Lindy Boggs (Democrat, Lousisia) and daughter of NPR journalist Cokie Roberts.
Hopewell's Public Library of Life 