Secrets & Scandals Of America’s First Ladies

In Defiance of Moral Conventions

What happened in the White House after the president’s stroke was unprecedented. No one, not even the vice president, was allowed access to the president – and this was per Edith’s orders. The president was convalescent and the whole world had to take Edith Wilson’s word for it. Many historians believe that Edith was essentially the acting commander-in-chief for the remainder of his presidency. According to Wikipedia, Edith justified her role, saying “I studied every paper sent from the different Secretaries or Senators and tried to digest and present in tabloid form the things that, despite my vigilance, had to fo to the President. I, myself, never made a single decision regarding the disposition of public affairs.”

Florence Harding

Florence Harding was First Lady to President Warren Harding from 1921 to 1923. Before her marriage to Harding, she was an unwed mother. She had eloped with a man named Henry DeWolfe when she was just 19 years old and their marriage license was made public in a local newspaper. Shortly after her shotgun wedding, Florence had a child named Marshall Eugene, but she and DeWolfe ended up separating six years later. By the time she married Harding, she was an astrology devotee. It was accurately predicted that he would secure the nomination and that would win Harding the presidency.