Madam President by William Hazelgrove
An up-close look at Edith Wilson, a first lady with unequaled responsibilities during her husband's presidency.After President Woodrow Wilson suffered a paralyzing stroke in the fall of 1919, his wife, First Lady Edith Wilson, began to handle the day-to-day responsibilities of the chief executive. Mrs. Wilson had had little formal education and had only been married to President Wilson for four years, yet in the tenuous peace following the end of World War I, she dedicated herself to managing the office of the president, reading all correspondence intended for her bedridden husband. Though her Oval Office authority was acknowledged in Washington circles at the time--one senator called her the presidentress who had fulfilled the dream of suffragettes by changing her title from First Lady to Acting First Man--her legacy as the first woman president is now largely forgotten.William Hazelgrove's Madam President is a vivid, engaging portrait of the woman who became the acting president of the United States in 1919, months before women officially won the right to vote.
Review in Foreword: "Women have assumed presidential power before, as this compelling portrait of Edith Wilson showsHas America already had a woman president? William Hazelgrove's Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson makes a compelling case to that effect, detailing how First Lady Edith Wilson assumed many of her husband's responsibilities after Woodrow Wilson suffered a crippling stroke. Pairing historical facts with a lively, engaging narrative, Hazelgrove sets the scene leading to the President's health crisis. Wilson came to office with preexisting hypertension and arteriosclerosis. World War I and the unsuccessful fight to join the League of Nations took a further toll on his well-being. Following the October 1919 stroke, Wilson was left partially paralyzed and blind in one eye. He was also physically weak, psychologically overwhelmed, and hardly fit to serve. Hazelgrove's portrait of Edith reveals a capable, devoted woman, unexpectedly forced to play a major part in governing the United States. The pressure placed upon Mrs. Wilson was intense. The President's post-stroke condition had to be kept confidential so as not to alarm an already anxious nation. Wilson's political rivals needed to be subdued as well, particularly "venomous serpent" Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, as Edith called him, and the pugnacious Theodore Roosevelt, both men portrayed vividly by Hazelgrove. Despite his health issues, Wilson did not concede to Vice President Thomas Marshall. Therefore, until the end of Wilson's term in 1921, Edith quietly handled a triage of Oval Office matters while acting as her husband's confidante and caretaker. Gesturing to Edith Wilson as "Madam President" is shown to be deserved, though her role was never officially acknowledged. For a woman who had little formal education or prior political experience, Edith Wilson's efforts to keep the White House afloat are shown to have been extraordinary. Madam President brings Edith Wilson's so-called petticoat government to its rightful light, and offers a poignant look at Woodrow Wilson, as a lover, a husband, and a leader."
William Hazelgrove is the author of ten novels, including Jackpine (2015) and The Pitcher (2013), a Junior Guild Selection. His books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist, Book of the Month Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections, and ALA Editor's Choice Awards. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer-in-Residence, where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway's birthplace. He has been the subject of interviews in NPR's All Things Considered along with features in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Richmond Times Dispatch, USA Today, People, Channel 11, NBC, WBEZ, and WGN. Hazelgrove also runs a political cultural blog, The View from Hemingway's Attic.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781621574750 |
| ISBN 10 | 162157475X |
| Title | Madam President |
| Author | William Hazelgrove |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Regnery Publishing Inc |
| Year published | 2016-11-03 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |