Your Favorite First Lady

Posted: Jul 12, 2007

Who is your favorite first lady of all time?

I started thinking about this with the death of Lady Bird Johnson. She was an incredible person who reminded me of a lot of the strong and colorful women I grew up with in Burke County. Lady Bird was an early environmentalist, a courageous supporter of civil rights, and a very bright and compassionate personality who had a powerful influence on the decisions of LBJ. Plus, I absolutely loved her Texas dialect.

Dolley Madison is another one of my favorites. She grew up as a Quaker in the Greensboro area. After the death of her first husband she married James Madison who was 17 years her senior. Dolley Madison was famous for her sassy personality, social graces and passion for snuff. Historians say she slept in Washington with a sabre by her bedside during the British invasion of 1812.

The only first lady I have had the pleasure of spending much time with is Barbara Bush. During a one-on-one interview with her in Houston in 1992 I was impressed with her candor, sincerity, spunk and humor even though I asked her a series of tough questions.

Who, in your opinion is the finest of the first ladies?

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I would have to agree with you Bill about Barbara Bush being a great first lady. What grace and composure she has. She doesn't back down, seems fair and has a spunk about her that just makes you love her. I am sure she can keep George W in line!! (along with her other sons) I am sure she is a wonderful grandmother and I can picture her as a great listener.

luvtoshag
July 12, 2007 9:31 a.m.

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Who can deny that Jackie Kennedy brought glamour to the White House? Her personal style, fashion and taste gave Americans a sense of pride in our Presidency and empressed the world. Her contributions to the restoration of the White House are a lasting legacy.

rah-rah-rita
GOLO member since July 2, 2007
July 12, 2007 9:43 a.m.

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My vote is for Jackie Kennedy. I was a little girl when all the bad things happened with her husband and I can still remember her face and the face of John-John at the funeral. I always thought she had such elegance and grace. I visited her and President Kennedy's graves at Arlington and said a small prayer while I was there. It was sad when she died of the very same cancer as my mother. She was and always will be a beautiful person to me...

fishnett5977
July 12, 2007 9:48 a.m.

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The famous LBJ telephone recordings are interesting, but the ones with Lady Bird are wonderful. How graceful she was.

Brian Shrader
GOLO member since July 3, 2007
July 12, 2007 9:50 a.m.

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I admire Hillary Clinton. She is a strong, smart woman who has ambitions of her own, and is doing quite well.

owlady
GOLO member since July 5, 2007
July 12, 2007 10:12 a.m.

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I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Rosalyn Carter on several occasions and found her to be charming, down-to-earth and very friendly.

mdoodle
GOLO member since March 1, 2008
July 12, 2007 10:29 a.m.

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I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara Bush, Betty Ford and Nancy Reagan over the course of the past 15 years at various events. All were very charming and hospitable. Mrs. Bush went out of her way to personally meet some children I was escorting at a special event where she was the guest speaker. A chance encounter with Mrs. Ford at the mirror in the ladies' room will always be a great memory!!

keberle3
July 12, 2007 12:23 p.m.

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Think that I would have to vote for either Eleanore Roosevelt or Bess Truman.

kitelover110
July 12, 2007 12:50 p.m.

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Mrs Johnson was always my favorite. As quiet and unassuming as she seemed, she had a huge impact on America during her husband's administration and a lot of that impact continues to this day. Beautification, education, civil rights, project head start, environmentalism were all on her agenda and she took a very active role in all of these things. I think, now that she has passed away, more of the true impact of her influence in the Johnson administration can be made public. She was very smart. All of the first ladies do some good, but couple Lady Bird Johnson with Eleanor Roosevelt and you have a bar set so very high that most can not even come close.

And we shouldn't forget Mrs. Wilson ... she practically ran the country when her husband was ill.

thefensk
GOLO member since July 11, 2007
July 12, 2007 1:44 p.m.

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Eleanor Roosevelt. Hillary Clinton. Roslyn Carter.

I've always thought that the Republican first ladies tended to be either very Stepford Wives-ish or too country club and aloof.

lilybell
July 12, 2007 1:56 p.m.

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