First Ladies For Dummies. Marcus A. Stadelmann, PhD
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Название: First Ladies For Dummies
Автор: Marcus A. Stadelmann, PhD
Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited
Жанр: Зарубежная публицистика
isbn: 9781119822219
isbn:
Blazing the trail for future First Ladies
After Dolley Madison became First Lady, she changed some traditions associated with the presidency. She organized the first inaugural ball for her husband, a tradition that lives on to this day. Second, she was able to secure more money from Congress for the presidential mansion. Therefore, she was able to hire a chef, increasing the number of guests invited to the White House for parties and expanding the guest list. Suddenly, not only members of Congress or foreign diplomats could attend but also well-known artists, writers, and even newsmakers were invited.
Because presidents brought their own furniture and took it back with them, the White House was basically empty every time a president left office. Therefore, Dolley spent a quarter of Congress’s money to create and furnish the East Room in the White House to host more social events. In addition, Dolley went out and visited all of the Congressmen’s families who had moved to Washington and invited them to the White House.
Dolley’s get-togethers were informal and nonpartisan; everybody had access to her and the president and could freely talk and discuss the issues of the day. Dolley treated everybody the same, be they political enemies or friends. Through her use of the drawing rooms, Dolley created networks with politicians, foreign dignitaries, and high society in Washington, D.C. Her use of social settings allowed for opposing sides to come together, which in turn helped her husband’s political agenda. As an added benefit, Dolley was able to lower tensions in Congress, because members of Congress could meet in her drawing rooms, discuss issues outside the halls of Congress, and, after good food and wine, settle issues amicably.
Saving a painting
In 1812, war with Great Britain broke out. President Madison fled the city, but Dolley remained in the White House to evacuate it. She remained there until the last possible minute, evacuating many precious items, including a famous painting of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart (see Figure 4-6). She even saved notes on the Constitutional Convention, cabinet papers, and the White House silver. This act saved many irreplaceable items in U.S. history, because as soon as the British arrived in Washington, D.C., they burned down the White House and the Library of Congress. The White House was totally destroyed by the British and had to be rebuilt. The Madison’s never moved back in. Instead, they leased a large house a few blocks away, and Dolley started entertaining right away.
Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Reproduction number LC-DIG-pga-03226 (digital file from original print)LC-USZ62-7585 (b&w film copy neg.)
FIGURE 4-6: The famous George Washington painting, saved by Dolley Madison.
This act turned Dolley into a national heroine. When she returned to Washington, D.C., thousands of people flocked to the streets to greet her.
THE STORY OF A MISSPELLED NAME
The story of Dolley Madison’s first name is a strange one. Everybody referred to her as Dolley Madison until her grand-niece Lucia B. Cutts published a book in 1886 entitled “The Memoirs and Letters of Dolly Madison.” With the book, she set the precedent of spelling her name, Dolly. Nobody questioned her because she was a relative of Dolley’s. Lucia further claimed that Dolly was the abbreviation for Dorothea and that she was named after the granddaughter of the famous Virginia governor Alexander Spotswood.
Many businesses soon began marketing products under the name Dolly Madison. The Dolly Madison Bakery for example was started in 1937. The image the company used to market their products portrays Dolley in her famous turban but obviously her name was changed to just Dolly. The bakery is most famous for their Zingers snack cakes still sold today even though the bakery has been bought out by Hostess Brands.
Then in 1958 it was discovered in some of James Madison’s papers that the name of his wife was spelled Dolley. This discovery made the front page of the New York Times. Already having trademarked their products, American businesses were not about to change the name and so they just stuck with Dolly.
So, yes, the correct spelling of her name was Dolley Madison, but often she is just referred to as Dolly Madison.
Becoming the first lady named First Lady
President Madison decided to abide by the precedent George Washington set of serving only two terms and retired in 1817. He and Dolley moved back to Virginia, and Dolley continued to host her parties for local and state notables. She enjoyed her life in retirement until James Madison died in 1836. A widow for the second time in her life, Dolley returned to Washington, D.C., in 1837 to pay off her son’s debts.
Her son, Payne Todd, had accrued lots of debts and had been in debtor’s prison twice. For this reason, she had to sell her planation in Virginia. With the money from the planation, she paid off his debts and bought a house right across from the White House in Washington, D.C., where she continued to host crowded receptions. As soon as she returned, people flocked to her, and she soon became a hostess and social affairs advisor to President Martin Van Buren, whose wife had died before he became president. She helped him with social events, such as planning White House parties. She would do the same for Letitia Tyler, the wife of President John Tyler, who was disabled, and later on even advised First Lady Sarah Polk, who wasn’t familiar with the process of hosting White House social events.