Ladies

First Ladies

You probably know a decent amount about Hillary Clinton and Jackie Kennedy. But how much do you know about the scandalous marriage between Andrew Jackson and his wife Rachel?

Or the First Lady who never even moved into the White House?

Listen to my series on America's First Ladies, to hear the stories you haven't heard about the women behind the presidency.

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The Nomadic Life of Army Wife Margaret Taylor

We’re moving from Sarah Polk to our next first lady: a frontierswoman who was more comfortable roughing it in the wild with Army soldiers than throwing a society ball in D.C. Come meet Margaret “Peggy” Taylor, and learn about her unusual life traveling to the most remote areas of the nation.

The Wealthy & Powerful Sarah Polk

Today you’ll learn five reasons why Sarah Polk is unique in the constellation of America’s First Ladies. Sarah Childress Polk was a political force because she was so good at seeming not to be. Men and women alike found her intelligent and ambitious, but not threatening.

Women Vs. Whiskey: The Rise of the American Temperance Movement

Let's talk about a president who had three women perform the official duties of the White House Hostess. John Tyler stepped in when William Henry Harrison died a month into his first term. He did enter the White House with one wife… only to leave it four years later with a different wife.

First Lady of the Month, Anna Harrison

We're talking about another First Lady. This time, it was our first lady’s husband - the newly elected President William Henry Harrison - who died a month into his presidency, giving her no reason to leave her Ohio home and travel to D.C.

Cookies, Corsets, and a Legacy of Learning from Hannah Van Buren

Before we get to this infamous scandal in Washington that I’ve been teasing you about, we need to learn about another one of our first ladies who never made it to the White House. Our next President’s wife actually passed away almost two decades before she would have been First Lady.

The Catastrophic Marriage Scandal of Rachel Jackson

A First Lady who never got to step foot inside the White House. Even so, her life had an undeniably major impact on her husband’s two-term presidency. During this episode, we'll

The Networking Strategy of Louisa Adams

By the time today’s First Lady entered the White House, the era of the Founding Fathers had come to an end and the country’s economy was prospering. But politics was another story and becoming more divisive by the day.

Elizabeth Monroe’s Journey from Parisian Prison to White House

As the reserved wife of 5th President, James Monroe, First Lady Elizabeth Monroe added a more formal feel to entertaining in the White House. She was raven-haired and regal, and kept the public at arms length, which wasn’t always a popular decision.

Hello, Dolley!: How to Become the Icon of a Nation

Dolley Madison’s effervescence came in handy as she executed countless social events for the well-connected and wealthy inhabitants of Washington DC. She relied on the art of entertaining to play the game of politics, which furthered her husband’s influence and career.

The Widower Jefferson and the Women He Loved

Did you know the wife of Thomas Jefferson, Martha, is listed as an official First Lady, but passed away nearly twenty years before Jefferson’s presidency? Thomas Jefferson never remarried, but he did rely on two very important women to support him through the years as a widower.

From Paris With Love: Abigail Adams Travels Abroad

Follow along as Abigail travels across the Atlantic, adventuring in Paris and France with her husband, John Adams. The power couple ultimately lands back in Boston only to move again into new roles, as President and First Lady of the United States.

A Tale of Two Theodosias and a Well-Kept Secret

Sharon takes us deep into the lives of the women who greatly influenced the same man: Aaron Burr. Theirs are stories of great minds, insatiable appetites for knowledge, grief in motherhood, and untimely tragedy.