Presidential Partners

Overview

Presidential scholars have long noted that an important asset to any successful president is the president’s spouse. First Ladies have been extremely active in campaigning for their husbands and their respective parties’ nominees for congressional seats. They have been active in social and charitable causes, either on their own or with the president’s policy agenda.

Perhaps the two most notable social hosts of their times were Dolley Madison and Jacqueline Kennedy. Modern First Ladies such as Lady Bird Johnson, Rosalynn Carter, and Hillary Rodham Clinton contributed to the professionalization of the office of the First Lady and its integration with the White House Office. They also championed their own public policy causes, from the beautification of the United States to mental health care awareness to the protection of children at risk. Modern First Ladies have become so involved in the policy process that they have appeared before congressional committees to testify for legislation sponsored by the White House.

History

When one surveys the various roles and functions that First Ladies perform, it becomes clear that the most important role for any First Lady is that of presidential adviser. While First Ladies have no constitutional role, they often see the president upon arising for the day and retiring at night. No other presidential adviser or lobbyist can hope to match this arrangement. Influence is, in part, conditioned by the type of relationship a First Lady has with the president. This type of relationship has changed as society has changed.

The suffrage, equal rights, civil rights, and women’s movements have all contributed to a new society for women, and First Ladies have strongly influenced these movements and causes. For example, in the twentieth century, both Pat Nixon and Betty Ford actively supported the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. To understand the relationship between a First Lady and the president, one must explore the types of partnerships First Ladies have developed and the impact of changing societal roles concerning women upon this relationship.

Robert P. Watson, in his book The Presidents’ Wives, presents a useful typology for assessing partnership. He develops five categories for First Ladies: full partner, partial partner, behind-the-scenes partner, partner in marriage, and nonpartner. This typology is based upon the relationships and interactions between First Ladies and their presidential spouses.

Full partner First Ladies are very active in politics. They are concerned about public policy issues, presidential appointments, political campaigning, and presidential speeches. Because of these interests, they serve as top presidential advisers, and their level of activism with both public and private (social and charitable) issues is quite high. The public perceives them to be influential publicly and privately. These First Ladies are active in the careers of their husbands, but many achieve influence in their own right.

First Ladies who are partial partners are also interested in their husbands’ careers. They serve as presidential advisers and support the presidents’ political activities, from campaigning to appointments. However, they serve as minor rather than major advisers. This type of First Lady supports her husband but is not a major force in his political career. Her role concerning policy is more private and less visible, but she does participate in charitable and social causes.

A First Lady who acts as a behind-the-scenes partner is almost invisible in the policy process. This type of First Lady shies away from the public arena, yet she is extremely supportive of her husband’s political activities. Her influence is private and personal in nature. Because this type of First Lady is not as visible as the previous two types, she is not a full partner.

First Ladies who serve as partners in marriage are not political partners. They are more traditional in nature, serving as personal rather than political advisers to presidents. Activity on the part of this type of First Lady is more social or personal in nature. Historians view them more as hosts than advisers.

Some First Ladies can be categorized as nonpartners. This type of First Lady is neither active nor supportive of the president. While all other First Ladies participate in the social aspects associated with the position, nonpartners refrain from such activities. As a result, they cannot achieve any significant influence in the realm of politics nor do they wish to. The nonpartner might, however, advise the president on private and personal matters.

In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, there has been a general evolution from the nonpartner and partner in marriage type of First Lady toward the full partner model, a result of the revolution in women’s roles and overall societal changes.

Role and Activities

As women became more educated and active in the private workforce, they simultaneously became more active in the political process. They worked to achieve higher status in society. Writer Gladys Engel Lang presents a few models of women based upon different types of status. A satellite status implies that women are mere appendages of their husbands, with no independent ideas. Sponsored status means that women can achieve notoriety as a result of their relationship with a prominent man. However, they use such a relationship to find or earn their own way. Women who have their own ideas and act independently of their spouses can achieve autonomous status. This type of status resides within them, and their independent accomplishments are examples of this type of status.

Successes, from those of the suffragist movement at the turn of the twentieth century to those of the women’s movement in the 1970s, led directly to the evolution of women from satellite status to autonomous status. Just as the general direction for First Ladies points toward a partnership model, the general direction for modern women remains toward achieving autonomous status. There are enormous implications for modern First Ladies in the way they organize their offices, view public policy activism, enter a partnership with their presidential spouses, and integrate their efforts with the White House office.

Watson characterizes both Letitia Tyler and Jane Pierce as nonpartners. President John Tyler inherited the presidency after the death of William Henry Harrison. Tyler’s wife Letitia had suffered a stroke two years earlier and either did not wish to or simply could not assume the duties of First Lady. Her daughter-in-law Priscilla Cooper Tyler assumed the duties of a social hostess in Letitia’s place. Letitia died during her husband’s tenure as president.

Jane Pierce never accepted the Washington, DC, lifestyle. She disliked being the wife of a congressman. She would avoid her official responsibilities by feigning illness, and these behaviors continued while she served as First Lady. She often was depressed and remained secluded. This was especially the case after the death of her son Bennie in 1853. Nonpartner category First Ladies are few, and most had special circumstances. In Letitia Tyler’s case, her health was a major concern. For Jane Pierce, failure to cope with the Washington scene and her husband’s chosen profession played a major role in her nonpartnership.

Partners in Marriage

Watson characterizes Elizabeth Monroe, Anna Harrison, Margaret Taylor, Julia Grant, Grace Coolidge, Mamie Eisenhower, and Pat Nixon as partners in marriage. These First Ladies have one thing in common: They preferred privacy, and they remained distant from politics. For example, Elizabeth Monroe secured privacy for her youngest daughter’s wedding, and this resulted in a strained relationship with the Washington establishment. She refused to court the public’s favor, and her obsession with protecting the family’s privacy only deepened over time. She left the daily operation of the White House to her husband. Her actions place her at the extreme fringes of this category. Anna Harrison resented William Henry Harrison’s election to the presidency. She refused to attend his inauguration, but her tenure as First Lady ended with the death of her husband one month after his inauguration. Margaret Taylor also preferred privacy. She did not participate in the Washington social life and became a bit of a recluse by confining herself to her room for long stretches of time.

Other partner in marriage First Ladies participated in their husbands’ careers and were active on the social side of White House events. Grace Coolidge always separated politics from social functions. President Calvin Coolidge did not allow her to participate in political decisions, and he did not ask for her advice on matters of policy. He controlled her schedule and dictated her behavior. Grace, however, was an asset to her husband because of her great sense of humor, charm, and outgoing personality.

Julia Grant was also extremely supportive of her husband’s career and active on the social side of the ledger. She represents somewhat of a transitional figure because she lobbied President Ulysses Grant for a specific piece of legislation, and she accompanied him on a trip around the world.

Mamie Eisenhower simply did not seek the glare of publicity. She had no social causes to advance. She suffered from a chronic illness that contributed to her desire for privacy. On the other hand, Mamie was responsible for expanding the staff attached to the office of the First Lady to six secretaries and a staff director, demonstrating that even traditional First Ladies have had some impact on staffing.

Pat Nixon served as First Lady during the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. Her relationship with her husband appeared warm but traditional. She did not like politics or campaigning, although she reluctantly participated in both. She tended to shun publicity yet traveled widely and acted as an ambassador for the Nixon administration on her various trips abroad. Her main interest lay in increasing volunteerism throughout the United States. She also expanded the fine arts and furniture collection in the White House. Unlike others in this category, Pat served as an effective spokeswoman for President Richard Nixon’s agenda.

The category of partner in marriage consists of various degrees along a continuum. It ranges from a strict separation of domestic and social life from politics, as with First Ladies Monroe, Harrison, Taylor, and Coolidge, to a more fluid relationship between social affairs and politics, as with First Ladies Grant, Eisenhower, and Nixon.

Behind-the-Scenes Partners

Watson has characterized a few modern First Ladies as behind-the-scenes partners. Perhaps Bess Truman represents a weak example in this category. Bess refused to hold press conferences and never developed a working relationship with the press. She had an aversion to publicity and photographs. After President Franklin Roosevelt’s funeral, Bess told his secretary of labor, Frances Perkins, “I don’t know what I am going to do. I’m not used to this awful public life.” Despite this, Mrs. Truman achieved influence with President Harry Truman by the very nature of her role as wife and trusted confidante.

Jackie Kennedy’s primary emphasis was on the White House restoration and a dedication to the arts in the United States. She insisted on privacy concerning family matters. However, it is no secret that she supported President John Kennedy’s agenda and monitored his legislation as it passed through Congress. She was not shy about lobbying Congress for her initiatives, as she did to obtain money to save the temple complex at Abu Simbel in Egypt from submersion during the building of the Aswan High Dam.

Nancy Reagan was perhaps the ultimate, and strongest, example of the modern behind-the-scenes partner. She and her husband, President Ronald Reagan, were very close. Nancy was a tenacious supporter of her husband, both socially and politically. While other First Ladies worked as active partners in both marriage and politics, Nancy stands apart from the others in her intense activity in support of President Reagan, the person. She was extremely protective of him and was influential in controlling the president’s appointment schedule, especially after a 1981 assassination attempt. She played a role in the firing of White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan and the moving of National Security Advisor William Clark to the Interior Department. Nancy also influenced President Reagan concerning the pursuit of arms control and the de-emphasis of various divisive social issues. While there can be no doubt about Nancy’s influence, it was a type of influence exercised for the good and well-being of the president. The marital relationship that the Reagans forged over many years contributed to Nancy becoming the ultimate behind-the-scenes player.

Partial Partnership

According to Watson, Dolley Madison, Edith Wilson, and Lady Bird Johnson exemplify the partial partners category. Dolley Madison was the first and perhaps the greatest social host of the new republic. She was extremely active in social affairs, but she also played a role in politics. She oversaw the refurnishing and restructuring of the White House. She served as the outgoing counterweight to President James Madison’s shy and inconspicuous nature. There was a political side to her social maneuverings. Dolley used social gatherings to soften the way for political choices. Many of her dinners and other social gatherings served to solidify congressional support for President Madison’s agenda. The Madison marital relationship was warm and cordial. Dolley served as an informal adviser. Historians generally treat her with respect and view her as a pre-modern First Lady.

Edith Galt was a widow who married President Woodrow Wilson after the death of his first wife, Ellen Wilson. Edith was an independent, confident woman devoted to her husband. Their marital relationship was a warm and loving one. World War I politicized Edith. She was active in support of the war effort and accompanied President Wilson on his European trip to present his peace plan, the Fourteen Points. Edith also accompanied him on his train tour of the United States to generate support for this plan. He suffered a stroke during this trip, and she subsequently acted as his chief of staff. All presidential requests went through her. This arrangement, which she termed a “stewardship,” gave her a historic opportunity to influence policy. The object of her concern was the health of President Wilson. She shares this characteristic with Nancy Reagan, but Mrs. Reagan was a behind-the-scenes influence, whereas Mrs. Wilson was more overtly active and perhaps even signed presidential orders. There was public concern about this arrangement, as expressed in the newspapers of the day.

Lady Bird Johnson was extremely active in the policy process. Whereas Jackie Kennedy shied away from formal duties as First Lady, Lady Bird embraced the role as the wife of then vice president Lyndon Johnson. Lady Bird had managed Johnson’s congressional office and their Texas radio station. Because of these efforts, she acquired experience in the world of business and the world of political spousehood. She was active not only in social affairs but also in political campaigning during the 1960s. She supported her husband’s Great Society agenda.

Her marriage to Johnson was difficult because of his dominating nature and extramarital relationships, but the two formed a professional partnership based upon mutual political respect. Lady Bird gave her husband advice on his speeches, appointments, and campaigns. She served as his trusted political adviser. Lady Bird was interested in the progress made in the president’s Head Start program, illiteracy, poverty, civil rights, and beautification. She reinforced the president’s natural proclivities toward conservation. President Johnson, in turn, supported her goal of beautification.

Lady Bird worked closely with Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall on beautification issues. She received briefings from the White House staff on various issues, and she assembled a network of influential women to help in her beautification campaign. During her fight for highway beautification, she participated in legislative and lobbying strategy sessions with the White House staff, the first presidential spouse to do so. Lady Bird Johnson was, perhaps, the strongest example in the category of partial partner.

Full Partnership

The full partner First Lady is active in politics, social issues, and social affairs. These First Ladies serve as top presidential advisers and are influential publicly and privately. Sarah Polk, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Rosalynn Carter are examples in this category.

Sarah Polk always considered housekeeping duties as secondary to her marital relationship. President James K. Polk accepted this arrangement, which was quite novel in the 1840’s. The couple remained childless, and this fostered Sarah’s devotion to Polk’s political career. She established an influential network of women and men not only to further her husband’s political career but also for her own support. This network of supporters valued Sarah’s judgment and insight. First Lady Polk openly noted that she would not concentrate solely upon domestic chores. She served as an informal presidential assistant and often read papers and advised her husband on important issues of the day. The Polks’ marital relationship reflected the deep friendship the two had forged. Yet they did not agree on all issues, for Sarah had an independent nature. Clearly, she was testing the social and moral boundaries of her day and setting the stage for future First Ladies to continue her efforts in the next century.

Most historians credit Eleanor Roosevelt with changing the role of First Lady. More than any other White House occupant up to her time, she defined the role of a modern, activist First Lady. She became the first presidential spouse to speak at a national convention, author a newspaper column, serve as a radio commentator, and hold regular press conferences. While Eleanor did not particularly like to campaign, she did so for her husband. She served as an informal presidential adviser and became the first First Lady to testify before Congress. She was also involved in many issues, such as miners’ rights, the plight of the unemployed, women’s rights, youth issues, civil rights, and war relief. She exercised a considerable amount of independence from her husband on many of these issues, making her a political force in her own right.

The marriage of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt was strained by President Roosevelt’s affair with Eleanor’s secretary Lucy Mercer. Eleanor was deeply pained by this, but she did not let it interfere with her own political agenda. However, the affair did contribute to her independence on various issues. Thus, the partnership displayed by Eleanor and Franklin was largely professional in nature. Clearly, Eleanor was testing the boundaries between sponsorship status for women and outright autonomy.

The relationship between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter was a personal and professional partnership. The Carters were best friends and marriage partners. When President Carter announced Rosalynn’s trip to Latin America, he noted that she had “long been his partner.” The relationship was one of mutual respect and admiration. Rosalynn was a full and essential partner in the Carters’ peanut business. As First Lady, she made sure that she was taken seriously by other policy makers. She was active in President Carter’s campaigns and served as an influential adviser. She formally lunched with the president once a week. Rosalynn was active in giving her opinions, and she championed various women’s issues and causes. She attended formal cabinet meetings and even took notes during negotiations at Camp David, the presidential retreat.

Rosalynn displayed independence from the president on a few issues, such as capital punishment, abortion rights, and the timing of the Panama Canal Treaty. She used her influence and her working relationship with President Carter to help pass the Mental Health Systems Act, becoming the first presidential spouse to testify before Congress since Eleanor Roosevelt. Rosalynn’s work involved interactions with the White House staff. The personal relationship of full partnership between the Carters, as well as Rosalynn’s experiences as an independent businessperson and advocate of mental health legislation, aided such work.

Significance

These examples demonstrate the importance of First Ladies operating within the partial partner and full partner categories. First Ladies who did so pushed the social and moral boundaries of their times. First Ladies such as Dolley Madison and Sarah Polk set the stage for their modern successors. Modern First Ladies, such as Lady Bird Johnson, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Rosalynn Carter, achieved partnerships with their husbands that allowed them to have a significant impact upon public policy. When comparing the First Ladies of the nineteenth century to those of the latter half of the twentieth century, the movement from satellite to sponsorship to autonomous status becomes apparent. Modern First Ladies who have established good working relationships with the presidents and have significant job experience dealing with issues and are active in the public policy arena are most likely to operate out of the partial partner or full partner categories. They are most likely to achieve sponsorship or autonomous status.

The partnerships of these modern First Ladies have had an impact not only upon public policy but also upon the office of the First Lady. The activism of the partial and full partner First Ladies has led directly to the increased professionalization in the office of the First Lady. For example, within the office of the First Lady, the number of staff members has increased, and specific office functions are now highly integrated with the White House Office. Staff and assistant pay has increased to professional levels, and staffers are better educated about their responsibilities. Many current staff members have presidential adviser status. All of this has led to a closer working relationship with the White House Office. This relationship will continue as long as future First Ladies have close working relationships with their spouses and a desire to be active campaigners, advisers, and participants in the formulation of public policy with their own support networks.

First Lady Michelle Obama stood out as a further example of the modern First Lady. She actively campaigned for her husband, President Barack Obama, beginning with his first presidential bid in the 2008 election. This included delivering a keynote address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. An accomplished lawyer, Obama immediately began advocating for causes she was passionate about and made frequent public appearances both with the president and individually. In addition to hosting events promoting President Obama's policies, over the eight years of the Obama administration, she made appearances to advocate for the poor, military families, and the arts. Her largest contribution came in the form of the Lets Move! program that she created and championed to fight the epidemic of childhood obesity.

With the election of Donald Trump in 2016, Melania Trump at first eschewed Washington, opting to stay in New York with her son until he finished school. After relocating to Washington, Trump used her position as First Lady to advocate for a variety of issues affecting children. In particular, she worked to spread awareness on the opioid crisis affects infants. In October 2018, she launched the Be Best public awareness campaign, which promoted the social, emotional, and physical wellbeing of children and advocated against cyberbullying and drug use. Trump was noted for her independence when promoting her agendas, and frequently contradicted her husband's messages on social media.

Jill Biden, wife of President Joe Biden, was no stranger to the world of Washington politics, as she had served as Second Lady when her husband was vice president under Barack Obama. Jill Biden was an educator and continued to teach at Northern Virginia Community College even after Joe Biden was elected president in 2020. As First Lady, Jill Biden supported causes that were important to her. These causes included education, women’s health, cancer research, and support for military families.

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