Social Secretaries working for American First Ladies help set the tone of presidential administrations.  Bess Abell, Catherine Fenton and Laurie Firestone served First Ladies from Lady Bird Johnson to Laura Bush. In this conversation at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, they recall their duties and life inside the White House.

More Info »

This is a look at First Ladies Lou Hoover, Bess Truman and Betty Ford through the eyes of their descendants - including a great-granddaughter, a grandson and a daughter.  They recall life as members of a presidential family and the impact on their own lives.  The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library hosted this event.

More Info »

American History TV visited the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History for a look at the newly opened First Ladies exhibit. See inaugural and evening gowns, including those worn by Dolley Madison, Mary Lincoln, Jacqueline Kennedy, Pat Nixon and Michelle Obama. Curator Lisa Kathleen Graddy explains what these gowns have to tell us about the unofficial yet influential role first ladies play in presidential administrations – and about the politics and culture of their times.

More Info »

Three photographers who were on the other side of the lens from Betty Ford, Barbara Bush, and Laura Bush recall their days in the White House—and the images that chronicle the lives and work of these first ladies.

More Info »

Barbara Bush and Laura Bush recently sat down for a conversation with historian Richard Norton Smith and talked about their unique family and historical relationships, the stereotypes perpetuated about the president’s spouse, how they handled political criticism, their experiences as wartime first ladies, and their advice to their successors. Held at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas.

More Info »

First Lady Michelle Obama's onetime chief of staff joined other former senior advisors to Barbara Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush for a wide-ranging conversation on their White House experiences -- and the working bonds between first ladies regardless of political party.

More Info »

The first of three Texas conferences on America’s first ladies was held recently at the George Bush Presidential Library. The George W. Bush and Lyndon B. Johnson presidential libraries will host the next two conferences in 2012.

More Info »

June 10th marks the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s commencement address at American University, when he called for high-level negotiations with the Soviet Union, a nuclear test ban treaty and an end to the Cold War.  This is a conversation with two veteran journalists, Tom Brokaw and Nick Clooney, on the Kennedy presidency and the significance of his “Peace Speech.”  This program is hosted by American University’s School of Communication and the Newseum, which is featuring two new exhibits on the Kennedy presidency – “Three Shots Were Fired” and "Creating Camelot".

More Info »

Presidential historian Richard Norton Smith moderates a panel on the influence of first ladies within the White House and on their fellow Americans. From Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, panelists explore how these women have defined their position and they look at the evolving public perception of their role. This discussion was part of a conference held at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was the fourth in a series of gatherings dedicated to the legacies of America’s first ladies. 

More Info »

Two of Betty Ford's four children -- Susan Ford Bales and Steve Ford -- remember her as a wife, mother and first lady. They offer a family perspective on their parents' marriage and their own upbringing as well as the difficulties of their mother's alcohol and prescription drug addictions -- and their pride in how she overcame those addictions and eventually helped others. This conversation was part of a conference held at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was the fourth such gathering focusing on the legacies of America's first ladies. The previous events were in Texas at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, the George Bush Presidential Library and the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

More Info »