From Private to Political Partners: Two Influential First Ladies of the Early 20th Century

I concentrate on Helen “Nellie” Taft and Edith Roosevelt, two early 20th century first ladies. I will analyze how they began to institutionalize their role through each first lady’s rising participation in the public sphere of politics. Previously, first ladies, like the rest of American women in this time, were expected to remain in the private and domestic sphere. Helen Taft was involved in politics and policy. She created a political dynamic to the presidential marriage by inserting herself into her husband’s presidency. As the press became more commercialized and with her husband’s vibrant presidency, Edith Roosevelt was forced into the public sphere of politics, so she had to expand her role as first lady to manage the press coverage of the first family. These two first ladies were from the same political party but had little in common beyond that, except they both were influential in expanding the political role of the first lady for succeeding first ladies