Synopses & Reviews
From critically acclaimed presidential-family historian
Carl Sferrazza Anthony comes the first biography of Helen Herron Taft, the unconventional wife of the twenty-seventh President of the United States who, in an era before Eleanor Roosevelt, was overt about her power and saw to it that her husband both aspired to, and won, the highest office in the land.
On the morning of William Howard Taft's inauguration, Nellie Taft publicly expressed that theirs would be a joint administration by shattering precedent and demanding that she ride alongside her husband down Pennsylvania Avenue, a seat previously held for the outgoing President. In addition to her passion for entertaining, this progressive First Lady was an advocate for higher education and partial suffrage for women, initiated legislation to improve working conditions for federal employees, and created Washington's famous grove of blossoming cherry trees. She smoked, drank, and gambled without regard to societal judgment. During Taft's time as the governor general of the Philippines, she broke racial and class boundaries. Nellie Taft's fate was ultimately bound to larger events, including the Titanic sinking and Teddy Roosevelt's creation of the Bull Moose Party.
Drawn from previously unpublished diaries, a lifetime of love letters between Will and Nellie, and detailed family correspondence and recollections, Anthony develops a riveting portrait of Nellie Taft as one of the strongest links in the series of women -- from Abigail Adams to Hillary Rodham Clinton -- often critically declared "co-Presidents."
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“A much needed examination of the ways presidential wives influenced husbands, domestic politics, and foreign policy.” San Francisco Chronicle on First Ladies
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“A pleasing biography. . . . Anthony paints a vivid portrait.” Kirkus Reviews
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“Staggeringly well researched, richly sympathetic, and teeming with human interest.” Kirkus Reviews on First Ladies
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“Nellie Taft cut a bold swath through the remnants of Victorian sensibility.” Dayton Daily News
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“Florence Hardings story is absorbing, poignant and dramatic.” Washington Post Book World on Florence Harding
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“[A] riveting, novelistic bio.” Entertainment Weekly on Florence Harding
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“A titillatingand unquestioningly entertaininglook at an early 20th century political marriage devoid of a mundane moment.” Time on Florence Harding
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“Biographer gives credit to lesser-known first lady, Nellie Taft.” Columbus Dispatch
Synopsis
In an era when First Ladies were, for the most part, expected to be neither seen nor heard, Helen "Nellie" Taft let there be no mistake about the political and public role she intended to play. As wife of the twenty-seventh president of the United States, Nellie Taft presided over and embodied the emerging Progressive era that was transforming America - a time of technological advances, racial and class struggles, increased public roles of women, and genuine social reform.
Carl Sferrazza Anthony draws from previously unpublished diaries, a lifetime of love letters between "Will and Nellie," and family correspondence and recollections to create a portrait of this trailblazing woman. From Inauguration Day, when she defied tradition by insisting her rightful place was next to her husband, to her work with the National Civic Federation, Nellie Taft redefined the role of First Lady and cleared the way for other influential presidential spouses, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Hilary Rodham Clinton.
Carl Sferrazza Anthony is considered the nation's expert on the subject of presidential wives and families. He has written extensively for numerous national and regional publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Vanity Fair, American Heritage, and Smithsonian. He has served as a consultant for MSNBC, and has appeared on national network, cable and public television programs. From 1985 to 1990, he wrote regularly for the Washington Post.
"Long before people alternately praised and reviled Hillary Rodham Clinton for being bold, outspoken and ambitious, Nellie Taft broke the first lady mold." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
About the Author
Carl Sferrazza Anthony, the author of nine books, is considered the nation's expert on the subject of presidential wives and families. He has written extensively for publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, American Heritage, Smithsonian, and Town & Country, and also writes screenplays. He currently lives in Los Angeles.