New book takes in-depth look at first ladies, how the position has evolved
Beyond biography, "The Cambridge Companion to US First Ladies" takes thematic look at the role, how its holders were portrayed in their time, non-wives who have served and more
LAWRENCE — Volumes have been written about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. And if one wanted to read more about first ladies like Dolley Madison or Nancy Reagan, plenty of biographies are on the market. But a new book about first ladies co-edited by a University of Kansas journalism history researcher takes a more holistic, in-depth look at the position of first lady: the women — not just wives — who have held the office, how they performed their duties, how people perceived them in their time and how the role has evolved.
“The Cambridge Companion to US First Ladies,” edited by Lisa Burns of Quinnipiac University and Teri Finneman, associate professor of journalism & mass communications at KU, collects more than a dozen thematic essays exploring a range of topics regarding a role that has been both obsessed over and seen its holders forgotten.
Burns wrote the book’s introduction detailing why first ladies matter, and Finneman contributed a chapter on first ladies’ performances following a presidential death.
“We’re in a rare group of people who study how first ladies are portrayed by the media,” Finneman said of her co-editor. “Very few works look at the first lady institution and how it has evolved over time. Most discussions focus only on their time in the White House and very little on their lives before or after. We take a look at their lives, legacies and what these women meant and continue to mean for the country.”
Chapters in the book examine first ladies as political assets and liabilities, their performance in wartime, their role in international diplomacy, ties to slavery and civil rights, social advocacy, their roles in women’s suffrage, gender norms’ effects on first ladies’ speeches and even their portrayal in film.
Other chapters point out often overlooked or unknown details about the role, such as when someone other than a president’s wife was a stand-in for the role.
“People in current times tend to think of the first lady as being a female spouse,” Finneman said. “Historically, there have been a number of times when the position wasn’t held by a spouse. There were cases where the wife died, like in Thomas Jefferson’s time. James Buchanan never married. There were times when sisters, nieces or others served in these roles. These women were often very popular, and they’ve been erased.”
Regardless of their era or relationship to the president, “The Cambridge Companion” analyzes those who have held the role through a wide variety of lenses. First lady studies is a relatively new field, taking form in the 1980s, and the book brings together authors who analyze the position through the perspectives of history, journalism, government, communications studies, theater, rhetoric and communications studies.
“To put it in today’s terms, these women could be called the original influencers. People were obsessed with Frances Cleveland. She was Jackie Kennedy before Jackie Kennedy,” Finneman said. “This is a look at how these women were perceived at the time and is also a long-term look at how people think about women throughout American history. We cover gender roles, social advocacy, celebrity, fashion and popular culture. We really have a diverse list of topics.”
For her part, Finneman contributes a chapter on “mourners in chief,” or how first ladies have performed after presidential deaths. The most recent and perhaps most famous case is Jacqueline Kennedy’s performance following John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Eight first ladies have seen their husband die in office, and the chapter examines both how they performed and how media of the time portrayed their roles. Mary Lincoln effectively stayed in seclusion following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, and Lucretia Garfield essentially created the template for Kennedy with her poise and involvement after her husband’s death. Following his shooting, James Garfield lingered for more than two months, and newspapers praised the first lady as a “national symbol of strength and family devotion.” The press publicized what could be considered a 19th century GoFundMe campaign, soliciting donations to ensure the first lady and family would be financially cared for following the president's death.
The book also has a companion podcast exploring its topics. “The First Ladies,” a 14-part podcast hosted by Finneman examining the themes presented in the book, is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify as well as this website.
While history is still being written, “The Cambridge Companion to US First Ladies” provides a fresh look at those who have held the role, how they performed, how they changed the office for the future and what they have meant to the United States.
“This pioneering thematic volume offers an outstanding and highly useful addition to the growing field of first lady scholarship. Featuring riveting, well-researched chapters on first ladies’ close connections with slavery and civil rights, involvement in war and diplomacy, portrayals in film and fashion, as well as activism in social movements — not to mention their legacies on any number of fronts — the work underlines the contributions of these women in a framework which contextualizes them while offering the best kind of comparative history,” said Katherine Sibley of Saint Joseph’s University. “Complemented by its podcasts, this treatment makes an illuminating contribution to our understand of US first ladies.”
