First Ladies I Have Known and What They’ve Taught Us
What is the role of the First Lady? An unelected position without pay, what can a First Lady do when she disagrees with her husband, the President, and his political advisors?
Recently Showtime aired and streamed The First Lady, focusing on three women, Eleanor Roosevelt, who wanted a substantive job in the administration, Betty Ford who did not want or expect her husband to be President, and Michelle Obama, who did not like politics. Yet all three stretched new boundaries in the role. The ten part series spans ninety years, and it is a worthy attempt to show these three First Ladies as representatives of the challenges, victories and defeats of this unique role. This is done by combining historic films with skilled actors portraying each First Lady. All three earned the trust and admiration of the American people.
While we were watching the series, my daughter Mary said to me, “Dad, you and Mom are probably among a very small number of people who knew all three. Did the stories portray them accurately?”
My bottom line assessment is yes. Michelle was portrayed as a woman who did not like politics and wanted her children to grow up with a safe, normal family life. My experience is that is true. But the Michelle I know has a much sweeter personality and a warmer sense of humor than the character on the series. Eleanor was accurately portrayed as a strong woman who determined to serve the American people through the Depression and World War II. My experience with her truly demonstrates her vision, passion and effectiveness in advancing civil rights in the early 60s. Betty was portrayed as a brave, independent thinker with a big heart, and I know that to be true.
First Michelle. Michelle always thanks me for introducing her to Barack, but the truth is that we both met him at the same time when our law firm (Sidley Austin) assigned her to be his mentor when he was a summer associate. By a stroke of wild chance, my wife Jo and I happened to be with them on part of their first date. She was very embarrassed to be seen by us in the movie theater’s popcorn line at Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, but we told them to have a good time. We became friends. It is true that Michelle was not happy with his early political ambitions and absences, but she helped and supported him every day.
Next, Eleanor. Eleanor is known for her eager wish to have an official role in her husband’s administration, which he denied, as shown in the series. I first met Mrs. Roosevelt through my boss, Adlai Stevenson in the 1950s. Eleanor used her platform as former First Lady to push civil rights forward. In 1962, I was the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission when I got an unexpected phone call from Mrs. Roosevelt asking me about the status of television air time for Reverend Smith in Mississippi. I immediately investigated, and as she reported, WLBT refused to sell him time, stating that his opponent, the incumbent, was not seeking time and thus their policy was fair. I asked that WLBT explain how that served the public interest, and the station put a Black candidate on television for the first time in its history. Later, Medgar Evers widow Myrlie Evers said it was like “the lights going on.” Eleanor also invited me on her television program to discuss the future of public television. The show lets us see how she pushed to save more refugees from Hitler than the State Department would allow. I was thrilled when she took the time to meet my three daughters.
Finally, Betty. I knew President Ford from the 1976 televised Presidential debates where I was a co-chairman for the League of Women Voters. After his Presidency, Jo and I were invited to the Ford Library in Grand Rapids Michigan and we had a private lunch with the Fords. Betty and Jo discovered mutual Chicago friends and President Ford urged me to continue the Presidential debates in future elections. I could see that Betty was a woman of strong personal character, and was riveted by her courage as First Lady as shown in the series. The series shows how she educated women on the need for regular mammograms to save them from breast cancer.
Viewers of the series get a sense of their challenges, victories and defeats in the three different eras. All three showed strength of character and moved the country forward. I found all three to be inspirational citizens in our democracy who loved our country.
At some point in the future we will have the first First Gentleman in the White House. Will the role change? How? Will we be as fortunate to have future First Ladies and First Gentlemen as dedicated as Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama?
