Tag Archives: White House history

Calvin Coolidge Jr.: A Life Cut Short

The death of any child before his time is a devastating blow to the parents. Mortality Even into the 20th century, infant and child mortality were extremely high. With primitive pre-natal, obstetric or pediatric care and little attention to basic … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Calvin Coolidge, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The White House New Year’s Day Reception

After two years in New York and ten years in Philadelphia, the capital of the country was moved to Washington at the very end of 1800. The Dismal Days Washington DC was just opening for business in late 1800, after … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Presidential Sites | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mrs. Grant and Mrs. Davis: A Healing Friendship

Two Civil war icons, one North, one South, finally met in old age, and became friends. Varina Davis: The Confederate Queen Varina Davis (1826-1905) first appeared on a national stage when she was eighteen and recently married to Congressional widower … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Nifty History People, Ulysses S. Grant | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Road to Val-Kill

  Eleanor Roosevelt was nearly forty before she had a life, and place of her own. FDR, Eleanor and Polio The marriage between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, fifth cousins by birth, had never been a joyful one. Their personalities were … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Franklin D. Roosevelt | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ellen Wilson’s Great Sadness

Ellen Axson came from a family prone to severe melancholy. Ellen Axson: Family Caretaker Ellen Axson (1860-1914), was born in Georgia, just as the Civil War was beginning. From earliest childhood, she showed a decided talent for art, but family … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Woodrow Wilson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dolley Madison’s Wednesday Squeezes

It did not start out to be a major event – but it became the benchmark of Washington society for nearly two decades. Washington 1801: Martha Washington and Abigail Adams, were both in their late fifties when they became First … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, James Madison | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The White House Nellie Weddings

White House Weddings Before Ulysses S. Grant was even born, there had been weddings in the White House. During James Madison’s administration, Dolley Madison’s widowed sister married her second husband, Thomas Todd. Some years later, James Monroe’s daughter Maria Hester … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Nifty History People, Ulysses S. Grant, Woodrow Wilson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Death of Warren Harding

With the possible exception of John F. Kennedy, no president’s death generated more  speculation and controversies than that of Warren G. Harding. The President Dies On August 2, 1923, the country was stunned when the news came over the telegraph … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Warren G. Harding | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

James Buchanan and the Prince of Wales

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales had always been a concern to his parents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Prince and his Parents Prince Bertie, as his family called him, was a genial, warm-hearted and pleasure-loving fellow, and would remain … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, James Buchanan, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

First Lady Nellie Taft and the CSO

Helen Herron Taft had two passions in her life. First and foremost was politics. Then came music. Nellie Taft: Musician and Politician Piano lessons was practically a given in most nineteenth century middle-class families. Of course, then as now, not … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, William Howard Taft | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment