Secrets & Scandals Of America’s First Ladies

Selling White House Manure for Cash

Mary already knew how Abraham would react to her spending habits. When he learned about her previous debt, he was fuming! Overspending the congressional appropriation for White House furnishings within months of moving into the mansion was unheard of. So, instead of being honest about her spending problem, Mary resorted to more creative tactics. First, she fired some of the White House staff. Then she decided to sell off excess manure purchased for the fertilization of the grounds. Talk about a time of desperation! Perhaps Lincoln should have done something about Mary’s incredible spending problem before he entered the Oval Office.

Edith Wilson

Edith always held an important presence within the White House during her time as First Lady between 1915 and 1921. She would regularly sit in on Oval Office meetings and screen the president’s visitors. In 1919 when President Wilson suffered a stroke, her role only expanded. After his stroke, Edith fought to keep the Wilson administration intact. She did not want Vice President Thomas Marshall taking control of the oval office. As a result, she was the first First Lady to assume a position with presidential power, since she de facto ran the executive branch due to her overprotectiveness over her husband.