The Road to the White House

“Well, Warren Harding, I have got you the Presidency. What are you going to do with it?” —Florence Harding

The Capitol Rotunda in Washington DC is a pantheon to presidential leadership in America. Immortalizations in bronze and marble affirm, and rightly so, the courage and intelligence of men who have devoted their lives for the betterment of America. It is worth remembering, though, that these individuals were not entirely self-reliant. There have been myriad official advisors and salaried assistants, some of them women.

In the capacity of First Lady, wives, daughters, sisters, and nieces have aided the presidents. Females, who by their particular talent and intelligence, have also vied for the office of the presidency for themselves, or in some other way touched on the lives of the men holding the office. Recent books on these noteworthy individuals range from picture books for elementary school students to full-length biographies.

Throughout our history, there have been women who have garnered enough interest to inspire biographical treatments. One woman whose story continues to fascinate students and history buffs alike is the remarkable Dolley Madison. As Don Brown so capably illuminates in Dolley Madison Saves George Washington (Houghton, 2007), her courage and actions left an indelible imprint on Americana.

Brown’s breezy narrative recounts how this spirited woman saved the celebrated Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington when the British burned Washington, DC, in 1814. With the city under attack, and the President’s home deserted by the very soldiers who were supposed to guard it, Dolley scrambled to salvage important government papers and other valuables along with the painting, fleeing the city disguised as a farm woman.

Fluid watercolor illustrations complement the text and add touches of humor. In contrast to the depictions of Dolley and other figures, who are dressed in somber colors and whose features are indistinct, Washington’s portrait is rendered in clear detail, conveying the importance of the historic painting.

Middle school and high school students researching the prominent hostess will appreciate Myra Weatherly’s Dolley Madison: America’s First Lady (Morgan Reynolds, 2003). Through short chapters and lively writing, the author vividly re-creates Madison’s long and distinguished life. She describes the First Lady’s youth, marriage, motherhood, political activism, and widowhood in the context of the dramatically changing United States of that time. And whether discussing Madison’s conversations about politics with friends, her charitable projects, or flamboyant fashions, Weatherly’s book makes good reading.

Teens will find much to pore over in Candace Fleming’s Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s Remarkable Life (S & S, 2005), a glimpse at an effective champion for social reform during her husband’s terms in office (and indeed, afterward as well). Enlightening details, documented first-person accounts, and amusing anecdotes add depth to the text. This audience will also appreciate Fleming’s captivating, evenhanded exploration of Roosevelt’s private self and her public persona.

The hundreds of images in this volume include clear, archival photographs and reproductions of handwritten letters, diary entries, and illuminating newspaper clippings. The attractive scrapbook format lends an air of intimacy to the subject.

In the 19th century, one woman was so dissatisfied with the status quo that she decided to run for president. Kathleen Krull offers an engaging picture book examination of that controversial figure in A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull (Walker, 2004). This appealing title covers major events in Woodhull’s colorful life, including her 1870 bid for the presidency. The author captures the woman’s fiery determination as Jane Dyer’s soft-focus illustrations, awash in a butter-yellow glow, add warmth to the story. The serene, almost ethereal aspect of the peripheral figures contrasts effectively with the acrid persona of Woodhull.

Nearly 100 years passed before another woman sought the presidency. In Margaret Chase Smith: A Woman for President (Charlesbridge, 2008), Lynn Plourde describes this New Englander’s childhood, formal and informal education, married life, and long political career, including her famous “Declaration of Conscience” speech in Congress at the height of the Red Scare. In 1964, Smith ran for President. A time line marking rates, dates, and milestones in U.S. history (graduation rates, female congressional members, women working outside the home) runs along the bottom of each page.

David McPhail’s watercolor-and-pencil illustrations complement the author’s straightforward prose and fascinating detail. The fact that Smith’s parents chaperoned all of her dates with her future husband, even though at the time Smith was an adult and he was 20 years her senior, offers an amusing contrast to the information that the woman had a penchant for adventure: as a senator, she flew in an F-100F Super Sabre jet as it broke the sound barrier.

Alice Roosevelt did not run for president, but she did give her father, Theodore, a run for his money. Barbara Kerley introduces youngsters to this irrepressible child and young woman in What to Do About Alice? (Scholastic, 2008). Kerley explains that fast driving, betting on horses, and late-night dancing earned Alice the reputation of an uncontrollable spitfire, and that her father urged her to avoid publicity for both their sakes. This account of the loving father trying to corral his daughter’s shenanigans is presidential history at its liveliest.

Excerpts from the girl’s memoirs add spark: at the prospect of going to boarding school to learn to be a proper young lady, Alice recalls how the very idea just “shriveled” her. In adulthood, the woman maintained a fondness for exuberant, mild mischief even as she became a savvy confidante and adviser to her father. Edwin Fotheringham’s digitally rendered illustrations display are colored primarily in subdued blues, browns, and greens; the child’s poppy-red hair ribbons and stockings offer vibrant contrast.

One young woman, Vinnie Ream, did not influence the president or the presidency unduly but her brief friendship with Abraham Lincoln offers an affecting historical note. Dawn FitzGerald presents a dramatized account of true events in Vinnie and Abraham (Charlesbridge, 2007).

Ream was already a gifted sculptress by the time she was a teenager. At 16, she begged several congressmen to persuade President Lincoln to sit for her. He did, and over the course of weeks, the president and this young woman enjoyed a mutual, platonic admiration. Later, after Lincoln’s death, Ream, then in her twenties, vied with other sculptors and won the commission to sculpt the life-size statue of Lincoln that stands today in the rotunda of the Capitol.

Catherine Stock’s appreciation for period detail is evident in the watercolor illustrations, especially in the people’s clothing as they bustle about 19th-century Washington, DC.

Collective biographies are also indispensable introductions to women who have and continue to wield power in political spheres, and are often the primary resources for information on lesser-known individuals.

Ann Bausum’s elegant Our Country’s First Ladies (National Geographic, 2007) is an exceptional collection of profiles of significant females in White House history. Bausum describes in brief each First Lady’s life and her influence on her husband’s political career and in her own fields of interest. For example, Lady Bird Johnson helped advance Lyndon B. Johnson’s political career as “his partner, his financial backer, and an unpaid office manager….She established her own professional life, too, as the owner of a growing radio broadcasting company.”

Sidebars give vital statistics. “Did You Know?” sections highlight interesting tidbits such as “Eliza Johnson was better educated than her new husband [Andrew Johnson] and taught him how to write his letters and do arithmetic.” The straightforward language makes this an accessible choice for elementary school children, while still maintaining appeal and use for older students.

For thumbnail biographies, students and teachers can turn to James Barber and Amy Pastan’s Presidents and First Ladies (DK, 2002). Divided into chronological eras (“The Young Republic” and “Becoming a World Power”), the book presents sketches of presidential couples from George and Martha Washington to George W. and Laura Bush.

The profiles are brief, but tantalizing: was Edith Wilson truly running the country after her husband’s stroke in 1919? This title is an ideal starting point for students interested in the subject, and might encourage further exploration and research. In DK’s eye-catching, signature style, dozens of colorful images of period ephemera illustrate the text and will draw readers into this attractive volume.

Catherine Thimmesh presents lively portraits in Madam President: The Extraordinary True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics, rev. ed. (Houghton, 2008). With updates on Hillary Clinton and other contemporary figures, this overview offers concise, engaging accounts of women whose ambitions and careers continue to influence the course of politics in America. Geraldine Ferraro and Sandra Day O’Connor receive attention, as do Condoleezza Rice and Nancy Pelosi.

International politicians are included as well: Benazir Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, and Vigdis Finnbogadottir (president of Iceland for many years) to name a few, suggesting that women in leadership positions are not a worldwide anomaly. Douglas B. Jones’s pencil drawings, incorporating colors with a sepia-tint overlay, lend an appealing vintage look to the book. The short entries and distinctive illustrations in a picture-book format make this an ideal introduction to the topic.

Lynne E. Ford’s expansive Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics (Facts On File, 2008) is a fascinating volume about powerful females and women’s issues in America’s political history. There are entries for most of the First Ladies and scores of others who have influenced the presidency.

Frances Perkins, secretary of labor under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was “one of Roosevelt’s most trusted lieutenants and a key force in pushing FDR to protect the rights of American workers.” Also included in Ford’s volume is Madeleine Albright, whose role as a senior foreign policy advisor in Bill Clinton’s campaign for the presidency “catapulted her to the position of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations,” and later during Clinton’s second term in office, to secretary of state. Ease of use and the phenomenal breadth of this resource make it a great choice for middle and high school students.

While the office of president is a position unparalleled in honor and influence, it’s not a position any person has reached on his own. Indeed, as some of the above books show, a few of these men obtained the office in spite of themselves, and despite the fact that we have yet to elect a female president, women have always played an important role in presidential politics.