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Bio
Woodrow Wilson
Like Theodore Roosevelt before him, Woodrow Wilson regarded himself as the personal representative of the people. "No one but the president," he said, "seems to be expected . . . to look out for the general interests of the country." He developed a program of progressive reform and asserted international leadership in building a new world order. In 1917 he proclaimed American entrance into
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Bio
Margaret Taylor
Margaret “Peggy” Smith was born in Calvert County, Maryland, on September 21, 1788 to Ann Mackall and Walter Smith, a major in the Revolutionary War and wealthy tobacco plantation owner. In 1809, visiting a sister in Kentucky, she met young Lieutenant Zachary Taylor. They were married on June 21, 1810, and for a while the young wife stayed on the farm given them as a wedd
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Bio
Florence Harding
On August 15, 1860, Florence Mabel Kling was born in Marion, Ohio, to parents Louisa Bouton Kling and Amos Kling. Kling’s success as a businessman allowed Florence and her brothers to enjoy a comfortable upbringing. Florence had an extensive education and a talent for piano, which culminated in her enrollment at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Afterward, Florence worked as a pi
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Bio
Edith Wilson
“Secret president,” “first woman to the woman to run the government”—some historians have labeled a first lady whose role gained unusual significance when her husband suffered prolonged and disabling illness. A happy, protected childhood and first marriage had prepared Edith Wilson for the duties of helpmate and hostess; widowhood had taught her something of business matters. Descendant of Virginia slave owne
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Bio
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, in New York City. She was the oldest child of Elliot Roosevelt and Anna Hall. She lost both parents by the age of ten.1 Following the death of her mother, she was raised by her maternal grandmother, Mary Hall, and later attended a private London finishing school called Allenswood Academy. In 1902, Eleanor returned
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Bio
Rosalynn Carter
Eleanor Rosalynn Smith was born in Plains, Georgia, on August 18, 1927, to Allethea “Allie” and Wilburn Edgar Smith. As the oldest child, Rosalynn helped her mother manage the household and raise her three siblings following Wilburn’s death when she was thirteen years old.1 In 1944, she graduated from Plains High School as the valedictorian and then graduated from Georgia Southwestern College in 194
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Bio
Donald J. Trump
Donald John Trump was born in Queens, New York, on June 14, 1946. His father, Fred Trump was a successful real estate developer. Trump was educated at the New York Military Academy and the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1971, he took over his father’s real estate company, renaming it the Trump Organization. The business so
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Bio
Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. was born on November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1953, the Biden family moved from Pennsylvania to Delaware. Joe Biden graduated from the University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School and served on the New Castle County Council. In 1972, at the age of 29, he was elected to the United States Senate.Just weeks after the election, tragedy struck
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Bio
Dr. Jill Biden
Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden was born on June 3, 1951, in Hammonton, New Jersey. Growing up in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, she graduated from Upper Moreland High School in 1969. She attended the University of Delaware, receiving a bachelor’s degree in English in 1975. That same year, she met Senator Joseph R. Biden of Delaware. On June 17, 1977, they were married in New York City at
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Bio
Rachel Jackson
Wearing the white dress she had purchased for her husband’s inaugural ceremonies in March 1829, Rachel Donelson Jackson was buried in the garden at the Hermitage, her home near Nashville, Tennessee, on Christmas Eve in 1828. Lines from her epitaph—A being so gentle and so virtuous slander might wound, but could not dishonor—reflected Andrew Jackson’s bitterness at campaign slurs th
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Bio
Emily Donelson
Widower Andrew Jackson asked his niece, Emily Donelson, to serve as White House hostess. Born in Tennessee on June 1, 1807, Emily Donelson was the daughter of John and Mary Donelson.1 She married her cousin, Andrew J. Donelson, on September 16, 1824.2 The couple accompanied Andrew and Rachel Jackson to Washington, D.C. shortly after their marriage. They went on to have four children
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Bio
Martha Johnson Patterson
Martha Johnson was the eldest child of Andrew and Eliza Johnson, born in Tennessee on October 25, 1828. While her father served in Congress, she attended school in Georgetown and occasionally visited the Polk White House.1 On December 13, 1855, she married David Trotter Patterson; together, they had two children, Andrew Johnson and Mary Belle in the years that followed.2 During the Civil War,