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When Helen Herron Taft became the nation’s first lady in March 1909, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore had been vainly struggling for almost a quarter-century to interest Superintendents of the U.S. Army’s Office of Public Buildings and Grounds in planting Japanese flowering cherry trees to beautify the driveway of Potomac Park. Scidmore, an accomplished traveler, author, and reporter who had visi
Frances Cleveland, the bright and beautiful young wife of President Grover Cleveland, was much in demand on the social scene of Washington, D.C., and devised a novel way to set aside several hours a week for her French lessons. Her French teacher would go for a ride with Mrs. Cleveland, driven by Coachman Albert Hawkins, one morning each week.
Family life in the Roosevelt White House was lively and often hectic. In 1933, when FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) moved into the White House, the two youngest Roosevelt sons, Franklin, Jr. (1914-1988) and John (1916-1981) were still in college. The three eldest children Anna, (1906-1975) James (1907-1991) and Elliott (1910-1990) were married and had started families of their own. (A
Ceremony and ceremonial occasions played vital roles in the Roosevelt White House. Whether presiding over state receptions, entertaining heads of state or hosting diplomatic ceremonies, the Roosevelts used these events and their own personal magnetism to project an image of American democracy that was both substantive and personal.Many of the ceremonies in the Roosevelt White House followed elaborate rules
Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) believed that the White House "staff and the ushers and the housekeeper deserve all the credit that we can give them." The mansion staff, led by housekeeper Henrietta Nesbitt and a succession of chief ushers, numbered about thirty people during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration.Nesbitt, a Hyde Park neighbor of the Roosevelts who had worked with
The Roosevelts loved to entertain. During their thirteen-year stay in the White House, they used the mansion's grand setting to host receptions for congressmen, senators, governors, justices of the Supreme Court, foreign dignitaries, and even royalty. Less formal affairs included simple lunches or dinners with family and friends, intimate cocktail parties, teas, and game nights, as well as impromptu skits
In 1949, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt sat for her portrait in Douglas Chandor’s New York studio. Seventeen years later, The White House Historical Association purchased the portrait for the White House Collection. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson invited more than 250 guests to the February 4, 1966, presentation of the portrait, including friends, family, and former associates of Mrs. Roosevelt. Enjoy the flickr sl
Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) considered herself a resident of Washington, D.C. and took an active part in the city's life during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. Her activism stemmed from her conviction that the nation's capital belonged "to every citizen of the United States" and should be a place where "people . . . [who] have an interest in certain social questions . . ." could "
The Roosevelts celebrated Christmas with a flurry of public and private activities. The non-stop action began the week before Christmas as children, grandchildren and other family members began arriving at the White House. "I think this old house likes the sound of children's voices," Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) wrote in one of her December columns. "It certainly is an ideal place
