Madam President : the secret presidency of Edith Wilson / William Hazelgrove.

Title :

Madam President : the secret presidency of Edith Wilson

Author:

Hazelgrove, William Elliott, 1959-

Format:

Books

Summary:

An up-close look at Edith Wilson, a first lady with unequaled responsibilities during her husband's presidency. After President Woodrow Wilson suffered a paralyzing stroke in the fall of 1919, his wife, First Lady Edith Wilson, began to handle the day-to-day responsibilities of the chief executive. Mrs. Wilson had had little formal education and had only been married to President Wilson for four years, yet in the tenuous peace following the end of World War I, she dedicated herself to managing the office of the president, reading all correspondence intended for her bedridden husband. Though her Oval Office authority was acknowledged in Washington circles at the time--one senator called her "the presidentress who had fulfilled the dream of suffragettes by changing her title from First Lady to Acting First Man"--her legacy as the first woman president is now largely forgotten. William Hazelgrove's Madam President is a vivid, engaging portrait of the woman who became the acting president of the United States in 1919, months before women officially won the right to vote.

Language:

English

ISBN - ISSN:

162157475X

9781621574750

Physical Description:

xi, 324 pages, 8 unnumbered leaves of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Contents:

Prologue -- The cover-up -- A bad day -- The first Mrs. Wilson -- "The President is paralyzed!" -- A modern woman -- Less is more -- Teddy and Woodrow -- Attack from within -- The ardent lover -- "The whole body will become poisoned" -- Christmas on the bottom of the ocean -- "A small-caliber man" -- "We shall be at war with Germany within a month" -- Edith and Major Craufurd-Stuart -- The Garfield precedent -- Cupid's triumph -- The petticoat government -- The other woman -- Mr. and Mrs. President -- The League fight -- Mrs. Edith goes to Washington -- Citizen Kane -- The snows of Sierra Nevada -- A smelling committee -- The shadow of war -- The coal strike and Palmer raids -- The war to end all wars -- Sunset Boulevard -- All quiet on the western front -- Judas -- The suffragettes -- Our own country -- As dead as Marley's ghost -- On the road -- Merciless to the end -- A broken piece of machinery -- Edith at large -- The first woman president.

Subject:

Presidents' spouses -- United States -- Biography.

Political participation.

Politics and government

Presidents' spouses.

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Political.

HISTORY / United States / 20th Century.

HISTORY / Women.

United States -- Politics and government -- 1913-1921.

United States.

Biographies.

Biography.

Wilson, Edith Bolling Galt, 1872-1961 -- Political activity.

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924.

Wilson, Edith Bolling Galt, 1872-1961.

First Title value, for Searching:

Madam President : the secret presidency of Edith Wilson / William Hazelgrove.

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Summary

After President Woodrow Wilson suffered a paralyzing stroke in the fall of 1919, his wife, First Lady Edith Wilson, began to handle the day-to-day responsibilities of the Executive Office. Mrs. Wilson had had little formal education and had only been married to President Wilson for four years; yet, in the tenuous peace following the end of World War I, Mrs. Wilson assumed the authority of the office of the president, reading all correspondence intended for her bedridden husband and assuming his role for seventeen long months. Though her Oval Office presence was acknowledged in Washington, D.C. circles at the time--one senator called her "the Presidentress who had fulfilled the dream of suffragettes by changing her title from First Lady to Acting First Man"--her legacy as "First Woman President" is now largely forgotten.

William Hazelgrove's Madam President is a vivid, engaging portrait of the woman who became the acting President of the United States in 1919, months before women officially won the right to vote.

Author Notes

The list of Regnery authors reads like a "who's who" of conservative thought, action, and history.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Novelist Hazelgrove (Jackpine) turns his attention to nonfiction history with less than stellar results, despite his fascinating choice of topic. In 1919, while President Woodrow Wilson was on an ambitious public relations tour to shore up support for the Versailles Treaty and League of Nations, he collapsed from ill health and exhaustion; a stroke followed. Details of the severity of the stroke were kept from the public as Edith Bolling Wilson, his second wife, strictly controlled access to the president. Hazelgrove posits that Woodrow Wilson's inner circle was "concerned with preserving the status quo" and resisted any talk of a presidential resignation. Instead, Edith took over the reins of government. This is not a novel argument, nor has Hazelgrove unearthed any new information concerning Edith's activities. The story proceeds in short, breathless chapters, and the writing is simplistic and at times graceless. Of one of Wilson's marital indiscretions, Hazelgrove writes, "Mary Peck became Wilson's Bermuda friend, for lack of a better word." Readers who like their history very light-without nuance or new information-might find this book serviceable. Those looking for something more thought-provoking and well-researched can turn to Kristie Miller's Ellen and Edith (2010) and Phyllis Lee Levin's Edith and Wilson (2001). Illus. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Prologue	p. xi
1 The Cover-Up	p. 1
2 A Bad Day	p. 5
3 The First Mrs. Wilson	p. 13
4 "The President is Paralyzed!"	p. 25
5 A Modern Woman	p. 33
6 Less Is More	p. 39
7 Teddy and Woodrow	p. 47
8 Attack From Within	p. 53
9 The Ardent Lover	p. 59
10 "The Whole Body Will Become Poisoned"	p. 65
11 Christmas on the Bottom of the Ocean	p. 71
12 "A Small-Caliber Man"	p. 75
13 "We Shall Be At War With Germany Within a Month"	p. 81
14 Edith and Major Craufurd-Stuart	p. 87
15 The Garfield Precedent	p. 91
16 Cupid's Triumph	p. 97
17 The Petticoat Government	p. 105
18 The Other Woman	p. 117
19 Mr. And Mrs. President	p. 123
20 The League Fight	p. 129
21 Mrs, Edith Goes to Washington	p. 143
22 Citizen Kane	p. 149
23 The Snows of Sierra Nevada	p. 157
24 A Smelling Committee	p. 167
25 The Shadow of War	p. 173
26 The Coal Strike and Palmer Raids	p. 183
27 The War to End All Wars	p. 187
28 Sunset Boulevard	p. 195
29 All Quiet on the Western Front	p. 199
30 Judas	p. 205
31 The Suffragettes	p. 213
32 Our Own Country	p. 221
33 As Dead As Marley's Ghost	p. 231
34 On the Road	p. 241
35 Merciless to the End	p. 249
36 A Broken Piece of Machinery	p. 255
37 Edith at Large	p. 259
38 The First Woman President	p. 267
Acknowledgments	p. 275
Select Bibliography	p. 277
Notes	p. 283
Index	p. 317

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

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