Transcripts For CSPAN3 First Ladies Influence Image - Caroline Harrison 20240712

Consider Caroline Harrison as one of the most underage or to serve in this role. Well learn why in this segment of first ladies, influence and image. Here to tell us more about Caroline Harrison or two guests who know the office well. The first ladys historian, the director meredith of that enormously popular first ladies exhibit at this milled sonia. Its edi i thank you for coming in. And bills seale, white house historian, has spent his professional career understanding the history of that buildings. Among his books is the president s white house. And doctors, were going to start with an illustration tonight. For the government was spending a lot of money. Its she got into it by wanting to create a house, they were crammed in this house. The only lived upstairs. You see, understand on the picture, the middle of the upper picture, the columns and the street side of it the office was on the left. Its the east room was below that, and the other public rooms on the ground floor. Then the other, and the west and on the right side, says that was a bath and a half, she wanted Something Big to live in but also something to entertain in its, because the harrisons entertained all the time. She had this plan done its. You are looking at the back part of the white house with the rand porch where president truman later built a balcony. Its the center part is the old white house, built at the turn of the century. The white house is on a bank, about 17 feet up, on one side, one story, two story house on the back. What do you see here is a quadrangle with the greenhouses the they had some. You see, thats dropped. The windows would still have the beautiful view of the potomac. On the right side was to be the National Gallery or the national museum. And then other public rooms on the other side. Then the second floor they had guest rooms, family quarters, and such as that to make it more livable, as well as the office. Looks like some of the grand houses of europe. Okay this is great to brand me as a traditionalist, but are you happy she was unsuccessful . Its yes it was basically Theodore Roosevelt who insisted it be restored. Its so edi, whats interesting is that this woman came into the white house not being seen as political, but she had an innate sense of how to lobby for this. Yes she did. She was in fact successful in getting passed to the senate. Tell me the story of how she put together that Winning Coalition for the. Senates well she went about lobbying through her entertaining in the first place, its but she also called in the press and got them to sign on that this was a good idea. Of course they were at the white house at the centennial of the presidency. She thought this would a, be a wonderful plan, as a memorial for the 100th anniversary its. The nation had grown in land and foward, and she wanted a residence that reflected the global power of the United States. So this was a perfect opportunity. She called in the press. She got a lot of major people in washington interested. She lobbied the senate, she lobbied the house. I will let bill tell why it failed. Before you do that she also enlisted the help of a former first lady. Its yes, harriet lane. She brought her in, and also use the name of George Washington, and how it would be a fitting memorial. Its he had built the house, she was making it work. Thats right. And hadnt washington also envisioned that it could be added on as he did to mount vernon . , yes in years to come. They thought a lot over bills. And Leland Stanford of california was misses here or sinces great ally. He spent the night speaking sleeping in the cloakroom. Hoping the active appropriation would go through, its but speaker read, he was a very razor ton kind of sharp guy, he cooked up a story that harrison had dear to appoint a postmaster in maine without his approval and he crushed the whole thing. Its so lacking her ability to expand the white house, she turned to restoring which already had. She redecorated, thinking and hoping it was a minor thing to do, and she became interest in the Historic House and began researching antique staff, she had a decorator in boston making things spiffy. Tiffany had been the last one to do the rooms. Its they were very rundown with the special effects that no one could reproduce. When she got to the white house she didnt just find furniture that had been stored. Here is a quote from the white house. The rats, how nearly taken, the rats have nearly taken over the building that its become necessary to gets a man with paris to drive them. Out they have become so numerous and build that theyve gotten up on the table in the upper hall and got one up. They had invested in the white house, in the basement and attic. And so apparently, the man with the fear it was brought in to help reduce the wrath population, its but there was also a man with a gun i think. With a pistol, yeah. , we were shooting the rats when ever he saw them. He would proceed her through the attic. The attic had no access to. Its when the elevator was put into the white house, he had steer access, he had to go up a ladder. She went up there with this guard with a gun, its and they began pulling things out of boxes. The wrath would appear and should it, there were big ones as well. Its shed shoot, hed scream. Wed like to invite you to participate in this series where weve been learning a lot, we hope you are too. This is our next to last for season, one and you can participate by calling, our phone number is in the central and eastern time zones. If you live out west, fast mountain pacific or beyond please use the 202 area code. If you would like you can join our facebook community, we have come its coming, its and if you tweet us please use the hashtag force, ladies will make some of your comments and questions in our discussion tonight. Its as she approached the white house she was criticized by the press for being overly domestic. Thats correct. What was the view of the changing first lady that would be criticize to be domestic . I think they thought that doing actual housework, which was rumored rather than you know, looking for historical treasures and trying to find, trying to salvage the history of the white house and the presidency, she was engaging in housework and maybe cooking their own meals. This was seen as very much beneath the dignity of a first lady. But one of the things that she mirrors in the time is the growing Home Economics movements, which organized itself around 1890. And she was very much a part of her times in anticipating what was thought to be the professionalization of housework. So instead of being praised for what she did, she was criticized. And she couldnt fathom why there was all this, you know, scorn and mocking and so forth in the press of what she was doing in the white house. I dont think people quite understood which was trying to accomplish. But you know, edi, i would have thought that washington was heard on first. Ladies there heard on them until they prove themselves. She was a popular woman in washington socially. But when she got into the house it was different. I think she was very nervous. Its what we learned with cleveland, is that the press went into a frenzy over her. The press was prepared to cover this first levy lady and werent happy with what they were seeing. Heres the quote, again from her diary, she wrote im disgusted with the newspapers and reporters. Truth is characteristic, entirely unknown to them. A sentiment we might hear from a president today . Its sounds very modern doesnt it. Its a very clever woman. Young, with a husband who had no use for pr. Its people flocked around for francis cleveland. She was the sort of a Jacqueline Kennedy of her age. She was ten years younger than jackie was when she entered the white house. She was very popular and there was this whole thing about this may december romance that took place with the president. There was speculation that maybe he was courting her mother, there was the bombshell when it was announced he was scoring the young and beautiful its frances so you have the beautiful Frances Cleveland, and the harrisons. She was a matronly woman by that age. She was beautiful but its Frances Cleveland, franky as she was known in the press, just to tell a story about how clever she was. The prince of spain was the first state, same age as cleveland, there was a reception at the white house and cleveland was a beautiful, woman she wore diamonds, bracelets, perfect royalty. And she wore a offwhite silk dress with a Little Antique lace at the top, white, camellia and her wedding band. It was a coup. She stole the show. Its so benjamin, harrison ours 23rd president , he was a republican. Cleveland was a democrat. Were going to learn a bit about the politics and some of the policies of his administration. Were going to talk about the fact that will be hearing quotes or reading quotes from her diary throughout this 90 minutes, and dave murdoch on the twitter says knowing how important the presidency had become, did caroline expect her diary to be made public someday . Were going to visit there for the first time in indianapolis and get to notes the diaries. So you have the Caroline Harrison white house diary. She kept the diary, its very fragile. Shes written in the front here keeping the diary and dates, 1880 1991 for this. Once in the diary she mentions several different things. She mentions going to Arlington Cemetery and decorating the soldiers grave site at arlington. She mentions riding with benjamin to the soldiers home and hospital. You know, some of the things that were very near and dear to her here were working with the orphan asylum and with the hospitals, she continued to some of that while she was in washington as well visiting the hospitals and whatnot there as well. She also mentioned some of the other events and things that are going on in her diary. Her artistic abilities i think come through eventually, her love flowers is mentioned, she mentions having a floral arrangement for different banquets and dinners. As well as the pan american conference of all the north and south american countries coming together meeting there. She mentions doing the decorations there for that. She mentions the dinner at the arlington in washington d. C. We have Vice President , the president s, where the delegations were sitting at that particular dinner. She also talks about the centennial celebration in new york forts the George Washington inauguration from 1789 of course to her son in 1889, so things from the banquet and whatnot here. Its and then also very personal and family related things matched in the diary. Its she mentions what the weather is like. One of the things that she mentions is the christening of their young granddaughter, mary lodge mickey, she says that they use water from the river jordan that her sister brought back from a trip over there. We actually have some of that water in our collection here, today so a little container here, actually have, some water in there as well. A bottle from the river jordan that her sister brought back. And Mary Lodge Mckee was christened there, she mentions christmas at the white house, having the tree put up for the grandchildren. Harrisons actually had the first decorated Christmas Tree in the white house. Opera glasses as well, we have her little opera glasses that were given to her as a Christmas Gift that she mentions in the diary as well. So the answer to the viewers question is it looks like she very much intended for these to be public documents. You never know, if she had started earlier a person can become so absorbed in a diary, it almost becomes like a confidant or a friend to write. I dont know whether she did or not. She didnt do other self promotional things. She and the president both suffered from depression. Eventually had an impact on her health. But they fought that together very hard. But keeping busy. Bethany johnson on twitter asked the question, how many children did benjamin and Caroline Harrison have . So the white house in their time were filled with children but they were grandchildren. They were grandchildren, and their children. The sun was in and out. He lived out in alina, montana, but his wife and children were there. Its this little boy baby mckee became famous for doing nothing just being a baby at the white house. So it was crowded, and there was lots of entertaining. The evening was absolutely absorbed with that. And remember, the office was in the house at the other end of the hall from the family quarters. Most employees were called, they were paid from the agencies. All these children and the routine of the private, house plays the public activities, it was a busy place. We mentioned at the outset the first lady was an artist, and were going to learn a little bit more about the kind of art she particularly, loved but lets do a few calls. Im going to talk to horrific, whos watching us in philadelphia. Would you mind needing the volume on your tv . Were getting feedback. Sure. Thank you for taking my call, im enjoying the series. Can you tell us a little bit about her background, who were her . Parents where was she raised . Was she educated . Long before she met her husband, can you tell us a little bit about that . Sure. She was brought up and born in oxford, ohio. Her father had been a minister, but at the time, he was a professor at the university, miami university, and then went on to found the oxford womens institutes, which was a college for women. And so her parents were both extremely well educated, and her father was a supporter of womens education. So he made certain that his daughter had a good one. And i think that sort of interest into her for the future in womens accomplishments, and you know, the progress of women. Laura is watching in clerks, phil indiana. Youre on. Why are the first ladies called the first ladies . Good question. Where they called the first ladies . I think that started when Zachary Taylor use that term for dolly medicine for her Memorial Service in 1849, he said she was actually the first lady of our land. She was a connection to the revolutionary time period, and she keeps coming back to the white house. She was the first in social standing probably for 16, years first as jeffersons see and in first lady, then as first lady on her own. But she continued to have great influence, and so i think thats how it started that she was the first in stature, and that knee carried on, it wasnt picked up until after the civil war. I was going to say mrs. Hayes. Yes, but i think a hurry lean had that under some of her photographs in harpers, and so anyway, it just means the first among everyone. Linda, wilmington, minnesota, youre on. Good evening. I have a question that relates to my own family. I had a grandmother whose name was kate harrison, and then she married, and her name was thomas. She grew up, i believe in missouri. There was a story that her mother had been married in the white house. I dont know if theres any truth to this, but i thought perhaps you might know if there was a wedding in the white house during benjamin in her since term there. It would not be surprising, but i dont know that by name. The local newspapers would probably carry, it both in washington and wherever they were from. Thats where i would look for, it if i were looking for. It i know in lincolns time there were marriages in the white house, john adams and some others but i dont know of any in the harrison tenor. One more question and then will learn more about the first ladies artistic, artistic endeavors. Hi i just wanted to mention that i had a fortune of going through the indianapolis home and i got to visit the harrison home. Its beautiful. The people that are very friendly, if anyone happens to be going through indianapolis please stop its a wonderful home. I think they will appreciate the endorsement, they were very helpful to us in allowing us to record so much video for you to see tonight. By the way, when we talk about the white house diaries, every week on our first ladys website, all the video from the programs we are doing so far is contained there and also some special video you havent seen during the program. If you really want to dig into her observations and what her days were like, you can read it all there at suspended or such first ladies. Well ellen wilson has a comment on facebook about her artistic endeavors. Mrs. Harrison she writes was an avid china painter and moved her china painting teacher when she went to washington. Were learning about how to keep her love of art alive here in indiana. Lets go to the white house for our next video. Youll learn more from the white house curator bill almond about the white house china collection for. When she came to the white house she was very interested in how the place worked. She came down here and this was still the ground floor but it was considered to be the basement because the kitchen was down here, laundry facilities, storage for food and tableware she found that it was and. Dirty. It was ominous. She tried to spruce it up by going through the cabinet and funding or pieces of china. She asked servants if they remembered how all the pieces were. She started the process of cataloguing and finding out with the chinese were. She put it out in the china room. She is credited as being a collector in the white house. She was interested in designing a, china she wanted it to be american. They discovered there wasnt a strong porcelain Manufacturing Industry in america, she said she would provide the design. It wasnt a full service. She tried to order 15 to 20 places for a place setting. It was designed with the lincoln era shape. This is a breakfast and soup plate. It represents the great still of the United States. What she specifically designed was the border which was a combination of years of corn and gordon, golden rod which she believed represented the United States. There were breakfast plates and soup plates made in the blue, there were also breakfast plates and tea plates made with the white border. Also a series of deadly cups and saucers. There werent many different shapes that went with it. We credit her today with establishing this very popular spot in the white house. Yes, and of course Table Service through the years is very important to the white house, but the state dinners, paid by the state, planned by the family more or less. It would be reduced to three, and poured generously, there was a lot of one. Guests would often have scotch instead of one. You have numerous plates, numerous things on each plate serving about 64 state dinner at each place. I want to say that the cups and saucers ordered for the Harrison Chan it didnt arrive at the white house for until after carolines death. Said she did get to see them. The china was ordered periodically in subsequent administrations, ordered by mckinley, roosevelt, even as late as kennedy and clinton. In addition to the official design she was a avid picture of china as a hobby. She gave classes in the white house. Which could have been a political move. Politics in the white house. She was a musician, painter, fluent in french, i think she spoke. Spanish she had little classes. She studied language and try to. Painting it smooth the feathers of some of the people in washington, they silence themselves about it because they want to be part of the classes. Next is a phone call from fill in north california. Hi, thank you so much for the series. Im wonderfully addicted to all of you. You mentioned that we would learn about the first families, it was like the first pop culture, now we dont know about them but i was wondering if you could elaborate more about the story of baby mckee, and how he became a big sensation for all of america. Im curious about any observations you have about this. We have a photograph. I think he was a cute little kid that the press had access to. In the Cleveland Administration they had baby ruth. Also the candy bar was named after baby ruth, not the baseball player candy ruth. At any rate, this is the period when photographic studio began taking enormous numbers of pictures of the furnishings, occupants, and the children became very popular. It was a pop culture sensation, and fixated on baby mckees, heres the lot of the white house. The baby on the south lawn, it was kept closed until the greenhouse was behind it, that coat is a special kind of goat. I forget the name, prominent got razors raise the g. O. A. T. The harrisons were big edible people. How did all kinds of animals. Miss cleveland had 29 pets, per had pets, fair cart became very famous. Theres another court addition to that one. In addition to the china collection, she also brought the First White House Christmas Tree, which we now think of as part of the christmas elaboration. What was it like in the Harrison Administration . I dont know. I know she brought in the Christmas Tree. Its in the family corridors. Now its a display for everyone coming in. The president played as santa claus. Can you imagine that in the modern day . I can. When i read that i thought photographs. Speaking of photographs and the donkey card, caroline i think was very savvy in knowing that people would demand photographs of the grandchildren and family. Its so instead of letting them descend on her willynillys she called on another president and had the children photographed, and he gave her and the family more control over how the photographs would be taken, when, where, and how the children were pictured in the press. And i think that she was very smart about doing that. The one with the tea party, the mayonnaise, and the thing over their head. It seems very modern. Yes. That was one of the things that Frances Cleveland complained about in the second administration. She was afraid that people would kidnapped the children. They found ways to get back into the white house grounds and she was constantly fearful, so i think what caroline did was very smart. Another thing she did for the white house was brink electricity into it. We have a illustration of what is called the great illumination of the white house in 1891. Its how important was it to bring electricity into the mansion . Very important. The harrisons were terrified. They didnt turn it on or off. They had an employee turn the lights off. They were scared to death of it. Used to gas. It was installed by the Edison Company itself. Was the entire mansion eliminated at that point . They threaded the old gas pictures, and helped bolts through the chandeliers. It was that way through 62. There were big old filament bulbs hanging around. It wasnt lit the same way today. It was innovation and considered less dangerous, because the gas went off at a certain time at night, 11 30 at night, and if you dont have all the cox to turn the gas off, people were expecting is fixated, for they were seeing lights. This wasnt as dangerous, but it seems dangerous to them. Celebrating getting shocked. They definitely could have been shocked. Prior to this one president s bring them in that oil its because of this. Dan is in big timber, ohio, whats your question . Its one of the president s you mentioned, russell, its did they stay an eleanor . I think that their house still stands. Wow. I remember Justice Harrison dispatched years ago, i wonder if he was related. I dont know. He had branching interests and copper interests. He was a successful man and he wasnt going to give that up to stay in the white house. Well, beside the baby mckee and the things celebrated she also received criticism in the press. This came when she accepted a gift from a successful man in a house in new jersey. Can either of you tell the story of how that blew up in her face and what happened as a result . People look at it as though it was broad, it was a Little Cottage with 20 rooms. At any rate, it was looked upon as a bribe from a winemaker to the gerson administration. Finally, the outcry became so heated that they had to pay 10,000 dollars, a lot of money in those days, to make it look like while the president said he would buy anyway. It was one of those things, a list of subscribers got together and give grant a home. It wasnt unheard of, but for some reason, the press spun it as if this is possibly a bribe. They had to pay for the house. It was a tumultuous time politically. Grant had a lot of houses, fully furnished. He had no trouble for it. It was a hot, time tense time for from across the republicans. The motivations were drawn. Republicans wanted high tariffs, the democrats didnt. Harrison was the man that was conservative votive in nature, he didnt want a lot of spending paradoxically because it was a time of great spending early in the administration. These were the tensions of the time and how cleveland got back in. I also heard that no less than 15 deaths during the fouryear period of people in the washington circle, supreme justices, Navy Secretary and his family were burnt alive at their house. You mentioned that there are labor strikes in the east, the homestead strike incarnate he was a terrible thing, 20 men were shot dead, American Public, while it seemed justified to the plant, it was horrifying for the American Public they can believe it. This chipped away and harrison got a lot of blame for the. Did this contribute to his depression . I think it went back, back to the civil war when he was a private general and was in, atlanta, though he was a little man he was quite a leader. The whole prospect of war was horrifying to him, and married what . Five years from . Both were gripped by that period, as many people were. He must have witnessed terrible things on the battlefield. Before we we leave this period, can you expand on some of the things that misses harrison found inside the attic beside the rats . Curtains, different furniture items, not specifically. Was the resolute desk brought down . Recently. It was used in the upstairs hall. She furnished the lobsters hall, the coroner that runs the full length of the second floor was a long haul, it served as a waiting room. If you went up in the elevator in the family quarters you could see it as a big its sitting room to fight by doors, she furnished that with things she found in the attic. She was trying to make room for the family, the family quarters had become so cramped and overrun by the president ial offices that she was looking for space anywhere she could find, it so she turned the hallway into a large living area with to find spaces for seeding and conversation. Sheldon cooper on twitter, did the Prime Minister harrison president harrison bring any other ladies to the white house . Harriet lane. We talked about the fact that she was seen as a domestic partner but in fact Caroline Harrison was also a great political partner to her husband president harrison, were going to learn more about that in this visit to the carolina house. Its caroline was very active in political life. As i stepped out the door as Benjamin Harris antibody times to address the crowds to hear him speak when he was campaigning for the presidency. There were over 300,000 people that came to minneapolis, in fact the year it became so crowded that they had to move some of the speeches downtown to the university park. Harry was always beside him preparing for the gust to come into the house, give refreshments to the guests and greet them. Terry was devoted to harrison and his ideals. She planned her inaugural address, she wanted it to be designed in the United States. She wanted the silk to be spun in the United States. She wanted the dress to be decide and made in the United States, because Benjamin Harrisons campaign advocated that we become an independent nation, and she was willing to do her part to see that happen. Its this probably was one of carolines favorite rooms in the house, she loved to entertain. Many many different groups came to hear harris speak. Caroline was his righthand person, not always on the stoop with him but certainly behind the scenes, and eager to invite people in for hospitality. One group that came was a group that harrison greatly admired, and very much encouraged, the black community in this area. Its when he finished speaking to them he invited them to come to his home which they did, they shook hands with benjamin and Caroline Harrison as they walked into the house. This was Benjamin Harrisons favorite room, the library, how interesting that in his favorite place to be we have Caroline Harrisons beautiful little desk. I think that in this room probably, benjamin drew a lot of strength and comfort from having caroline close by. Maybe she didnt talk to him about what paper hes writing and what bill says hes working on, but jeff looking up and seeing his partner was a source of encouragement. He knew she was there if he needed her, i think that caroline was the kind of wait and powered her husbands. So, we learned that she was very much instrumental in hosting these events where he publicly campaign for public office. There were two Campaign Techniques that came in at the end of the 19th century, its the whistle stop was the other. They were at opposite ends of the spectrum. Whistle stop you got on a train and go all around the country, this way you stay home on the french front porch campaign, greeted the neighbors and anyone who came by by train. This brought the wife of the candidate at the forefront of the campaigning, without violating the norms of womens places in the home. It was perfect for her, as far as a campaign technique. Did caroline like campaigning or did she have safety concerns for her husband . We already lost president s as a nation. Was there a concern for the security of president ial candidates at this time . I dont think so. Even president truman when he left office had no protection. One thing that i would like to add to what edi said is that it was considered inappropriate for a man to campaign for himself. Very different from today. Sitting on the front porch was another way of standing on a stage. Youre being called to office. They are coming to call you to be the president. They sell postcards and they are entrepreneurs of special drinks at the drugstore. This was repeated when you get two mckinley who is famous for this. He would sit on the porch in a rocking chair and thousands would come to look at him. Welcome to the conversation. I am a big fan of your guys series. I know all about the president s, the agent stuff. My question is was Caroline Harrison older than her husband . Yes. When youre older. Well were talking about her husband see here are some of the important things that happened politically during the harrison rain. There were a number of states added to the union, north dakota, south dakota, montana, washington, also indiana, and wyoming in 1890. The Sherman Anti Trust act, sherman silver purchase act. Two raging debates during this era were about silver policy, and the whole tariff policy. What happened to the economy . The economy, the sulfur act led the economy into a depression. Harrison was lucky because the economy crashed when president cleveland returned to office, by that time mrs. Harrison had died. Did caroline provide political guidance . The answer is yes she was much more a turn attuned. Frances wasnt at all. No this woman was very interested in the position of women. She wasnt and activist in this street like the suffrage is more who won the vote later on. But she believed in the power of women. She believed in women getting out there and getting involved. Speaking on her influence, with respect to change in society heres another item from her theory. She writes my mail, consisting of request to use mys influence for some office, asking for money, and a woman asking that i would use my influence to get her husband out of jail. I think that was part of being first lady. Miss fdr had cards, a catalog of letters, fact from hanging, or whatever. Duncan from roots town, ohio. Youre on. So there was a family at the turn of the century, do the harrisons have any experience with that family by any chance . We dont have the kind of detail. I hope you can find sources in your own state to answer that. Laura in michigan. Hi laura. Im so excited, i cant believe youre talking about the harrisons. For 30 years its, i received an inaugural invitations. Im wondering if you could tell me about thes inaugural ball. Thats fascinating. The inaugural ball. It was a ferociously rainy time. It was decorated inside. The harrisons danced. They hadnt done so in a while. The dust dancing custom was brought from the white house, the marine band would play and people would dance, it was a spinoff of the inaugural. Since it was a rainstorm, but it was a very glamorous and happy event. Lucky to have that artifact. Its nice. Halfway through the program, we had a earlier question about this, about the couples early life. They were both attendees of miami and oxford ohio, he was a native. She came from somewhere else . I think he was from cincinnati. He was definitely from ohio. They met in college. I think he was taking a course from her father in mathematics. Its then he began to visit the harrison home, under the pretense of creating a relationship with his professor, its but in actuality because he wanted to see more of carrie. After the moved they went to india indianapolis. Its where the politics of indianapolis easier to get into . Its smaller place, she was also from a similar place. Doctor scott was a prominent educator as you said, and very wellknown. Harrison quickly rose. After the civil war his long practice flourished in business law and divorce. Its indianapolis was the renault of this day. Lots of people went there to get a divorce. He was the best divorce lawyer in town. He made a lot, made a lot of moneys. You dont have to leave home. They had children by the time the civil war was started. It was a big decision in the family as to whether or not he would serve. What does she do during the civil war . She worked with several womens patriotic associations. She visited hospitals, attended wounded shows, soldiers. She helped with the womens lead, its patriotic organizations, the lemons sanitary commissions, which were helping with nurse booted soldiers. Show, she handled the womens aspect of the war. Im sure her fathers a widow were living with her in the white house encouraged all of this. It was part of their ethical background. They were deeply religious people. How did harrisons luck career lead him into politics . Its just the way a law career does. He was thought well of, and he was persuaded to run for office and just did it. Since then he became the secretary of the rubble republican state committee. Through that he made all his contacts for the states, and campaigned for other republicans who put him in Good Standing in his own right as far as a possible candidate. And then he was elected as president. He first tried for governor and wasnt successful. We have another video. Were going to return to the harrison home, and learn more about carolines interests and causes. This is part of the master bedroom suite. Its a beautiful. Room a room where we love to think of caroline. This would be the sitting room where caroline might have entertained her friends. She belong to a number of literary clubs. They talked here about the others that they liked. Its caroline particularly loved dickens and shakespeare. That could have been going on in this room. I think to that this might have been the room that inspired some of her art because it has a beautiful view at the window onto the yard, where her gardens were and where her flowers were. Its theirs at wonderful easel which is a display easel, its one she pena its, finished a picture she could put the picture on the easel. There was a beautiful fan that was given to her as a gift, she thought it was so beautiful that she put it into a frame so that no one could hurt him. Its she also probably would have done some work in here, she loved to do embroidery, and beating, its that was very popular. I think this would have been the room where she worked in as well as entertained in. She did Many Community things. For example she was in the orphan asylum, served on their board, went to the orphans settled at least once a, week she often made clothes or took clothes to them, she did cooking and took cooking to the orphan asylum. She cared very much about these little children. She made sure their lives were better than they might have been. I was one of her causes. She also played the piano of course. For her church. Every single sunday. That was a talent that she put to use for other people. I think caroline had confidence, but i also think she had purpose. She was always looking for an opportunity to use her skills, to help her fellow man and to serve her community. It is an interesting line, that she had purpose. Well talk about how she was the purpose when she came to the white house. A couple of other questions. Was it common for first lady used to go to school, let alone hold a College Degree like mrs. Harrison . That was something that was relatively new. Mrs. Hayes was the First College graduate among first ladies. Francis cleveland also graduated from college. I think he waited to pop the question while sending flowers to her the whole time she was there. Caroline harrison also had a College Degree. It was something that was coming into vogue for women at a later part of the century. They were all well educated, whether it was home education, which was the communist of all, but some of these girls, as young girls went to female academies sponsored by the churches like the bats, and methodists. They would lift their. They learned languages. They learned the classics. Some of them college was a leader idea, for women. But they were very well read. All of them. Mrs. Harrison was so progressive on womens issues, what about her views on race . Was she influenced that all by the abolitionists in her early adult years . Very much so. His whole administration fought for African American votes everywhere. Remember i, it was for the African American vote, he was very vocal about it. Then from omaha, hi dan. When you showed the office and the personal home, i think i saw a picture of the ninth president. The grandfather of william henri. Arent did William Harrison on this property . Did William Henry harrison on that property . No. He lived in ohio. His home was in ohio. Its open to the public as well. William Henri Harrison is another matter. He died after 30 days at the white house. Harrison saw him as a little boy of maybe nine years old. Loyola they were from a very distinguished family and virginia. They lived in the Berkeley Plantation on the james river. President harrison, Benjamin Harrison was the son except for the bushes, was the only son that was president. Grandfather and son. The grandfather he had signed the declaration of independence. One of the virginia signers. You could still see it open to the public on the james river. They were distinguished as a virginia family. In politics for years and years. When William Henry harrison went to be inaugurated, he went to berkeley where he had been born. I dont know whether Benjamin Harrison ever went but he was very conscious of being the grandson of a founder. The great great son of the founder and the grandson of a president. That is to summarize that, there wouldve been two father son combination such as the adams in the bushes. This was the only grandfather grandson in the white house history. The campaign Benjamin Harrisons campaign was all about little chippy canoe, young to be canoe. You saw the log cabin in the picture. That had been his grandfathers campaign slogan. Also, he fits his grandfathers hat. You saw lots of hats as a campaign device, during harrisons campaign. Gary robinson asks on twitter, it carolines interest in history and the presidency fuel desires to be the g. A. R. President or vice versa . To answer that question it is interesting that she took on the role as the president general of the d. A. R. There is a story there. The da ours always misunderstood. They were supporting themselves. There were four major wins and many others down in the fall of 1890 for in some, way Caroline Harrison became involved because of all the 1789 centennial in washingtons inauguration. They persuaded her to be first president , and she made theorm first recorded address ever made by first lady to their convention. The d. A. R. Had a lot to do with working women who were in the field and not being treated like ladies. Particularly in the Government Agencies in washington. They showed that the sun from the revolution. Gerson saw political promise in it. She talked d. A. R. Into being political. They had never intended that. They met in the blue room at the first meeting and she told him how to do it. But it was a working job. It was busy. It required a lot of energy on her part. She had a lot of support. The founders themselves. Can we imagine the first lady today taking on a role like this . Yes. I could. She was too busy for one thing. It would depend on how overtly political would think it was. I can certainly imagine somebody doing Something Like that today. James asked, did not Caroline Carson start the d. A. R. . The answer is no. A group of working women. But she agreed to run it. She gave it visibility, legitimacy, a place to meet. She helped sort of smooth over the political differences within the group. People wanting different offices and so forth. By taking the president general position, shes sort of quelled a lot of that, i want that position. What was happening overall with the Womens Movement . Women still dont have the right to vote in this country. The Suffrage Movement was finally coming together in 1890 after having been split since the end of the civil war. One group wanted to go the constitutional route, the other group wanted to have it done state by state, in other words a states rights approach. They fought each other for a generation and finally in 1890, they had a meeting in washington in 1888 and decided to unify the Suffrage Movement. That was going on at the national level. As i mentioned before, the Home Economics Movement Began in 1890. The Club Movement had progressed from local and state groups to National Groups in 1890. You have the white clubs, the black clubs, the jewish womens clubs. They all get started in early 1890. The women are really beginning to organize and lobby struck very loudly for womens progress. A question from connecticut. Thank you for this wonderful series. I was just wondering if your guests know anything you were discussing about the China Services at the white house. Do you know anything about the silver collections . The flatware and the hala where were being developed at the white house. Lastly, when did lennox china begin its first production for the white house, if you know . Thank you so much and thank you for a great series. I can answer the question about the lennox china. That was the Wilson Administration. Up until that time, there had been no ceramic manufacturer that could equal the quality of european ceramics, and so almost all of the 19th century and even some of the early 20th century, china where that was ordered for the white house was from france except for that of theodore and edith roosevelt. They used wedge wood but it was not until the Wilson Administration that lennox was produced producing the kind of ceramic ware that they felt was proper for the white house and that was the first order from lennox. On the silver front, it is a strange story. Silver, big orders of silver such as the white house and the earliest as jameson monroes, came in trunks with trays and you had a little depressions in there where a knife would fit exactly here. So if you had a dozen knives they would be aligned. So many spoons and these trees would come out. When it was all washed after dinner, you could look at the trades, and if there was not a whole, loyola it was all there. It lasted all those years through the 19th century. They had all the trunks. Mrs. William howard went on one of those tours she saw those dirty old trunks. She had the silver taken out and put indoors. She had the trunks thrown away and the silver decimated. It began to go out with the garbage. A lot of it remains, but you begin to lose it. You cannot count it. That is painful. It is sort of like the decade furnishing sales at the white house for years and years. All these things that were thought to be out of date were sold at auctions. Huge auctions. All of this marvelous stuff sort of migrated out of the white house. Sam from cherry hill. You are on, sam. Hi. I had a question about mrs. Harrisons ill health. Let me begin by saying i am a huge harrison fan. She is one of my absolute first favorite first ladies. Did her itll help have any effect on the amount of work she was able to do in the administration . Do you think it prevented her from taking on a more active role in the administration . She was a beautiful woman in every sense of the word and i believe she could have had she had tuberculosis. She fought it and stayed busy. Tuberculosis and depression has to be added to it. Finally, she could not anymore. It was just the last two months of her life that she really ailed. She died in october. Everything in her life happened in october. She was born in october, married in october and died in october. We will learn a little bit more about her death and the effect on the campaign. But before we leave her influences, there is a story about her support for Johns Hopkins. You need to tell it. The back story is that Johns Hopkins had built a hospital a medical school with a graduate education. They built the hospital, but they ran out of money for the medical school. So a young woman whose name was Mary Elizabeth garrett who is the daughter of the owner of the baltimore and ohio railroad, had a group of women, all of whom had their fathers on the board at Johns Hopkins university. They would meet regularly in a group they called the friday, not the friday club, the friday. They referred to themselves and their memos and so forth as girls. The girls decided to take on this product project. Merry Elizabeth Garrett had been her fathers righthand person. She traveled with him and watched him make, as donald trump would say, the art of the be the deal. She was very aware that this was the time that they should tell Johns Hopkins that they would raise the money that was needed for this medical school if the medical school would admit women on the same equal bases as man. It took the men on the board a little aback and took them a while to sort of come around to the idea. There were all these incredible women that she had contact with, and i will read you some of their names. They were mrs. Stanford of stanford university. Mrs. Palmer whose husband had built the palmer house in chicago. Julia, elizabeth blackwell, who was the first female doctor in the country. Louisa Catherine Adams who i think was a granddaughter of the first louisa catherine, the first lady. Carrie thermos anyway, these women decided that this was going to be their mission and that they were going to raise 100,000 dollars to help Johns Hopkins put up this medical school. The man acquiesced and the women divided the country into 15 geographical regions and invited Caroline Harrison to be the person in charge of washington d. C. With all her connections and so forth. She had several receptions in the white house and of course, this was wonderful publicity and legitimacy for this group of women. As well as their mission to get women into the medical school. She also went to baltimore several times. She was the guest of honor at the receptions that Mary Elizabeth garrett held. It was a very successful kind of lobbying if you will. The women came through and raised the money. Caroline harrison used the white house to advance the causes. Our next video will teach us more about that as we visit the house in indianapolis. Caroline harrison was one of the first ladies to have our own project and go to congress to try and get money to renovate renovate the white house. We have fabrics here that she used in her redecorating of the white house. This particular one was used in the east room. There are just lots of different fabrics here. Nice velvet, different colors. We have the pale green that she used in her bedroom, i believe. We have gold and green here. All the different fabrics that were used when she was the degree decorating the white house as well. We have a little book that francis john, the photographer of the white house at the time she took a lot of photographs and this little book is a compiling of those. It also has a description of the rooms and the colors that were used by mrs. Gerson along with the photographs of the rooms wednesday were decorated. Then we have lots of things that we saved from those dinners. Things like the ribbons. It actually has the white house image on there and the date of the event. This is mrs. Harrison, january 19 1892. Different colors, different ribbons that they would use. This is from a february dinner from 1892. We have the nice image of the white house on one end and the name of the event on the other end. We also have several place cards in our collection as well. The card would be eagle. Mrs. Harrison, january 20th, 1891. Another one, the executive mansion on one side, and the event, may 29th 1891 on the other. And here for the president. January 20th, 1891. Also, just below this section, the ribbons again. Red white and blue. These were all from the same event but different colors. You have the eagle on one end and the date, april 23rd, 1890 on the other end as well. That is how they entertained. Also some of the Historic Preservations of the events in the white house is interesting to see. Telephone calls. Margins watching us in south carolina. Hello, what a wonderful program. I am so thrilled. My question might be a little bit premature as the first lady, can you and your opinion, tell us which may have been the most despised . The most loved . My second question is, is it true nancy reagan bribed the designers to give her her dresses for free . Wow. Well, the most despised. I dont know that i would use that term. There were people who greatly disliked eleanor roosevelt. I do not think they despised. Her they did not despise her. They respected her they loved to hate her. I think mary lincoln was also very much hated. That had to do with the civil war as much as any time. Most loved . Dolly madison or Jacqueline Kennedy in the modern time. Highs and howard was very well loved. What was the last part of her question . About the dresses for nancy reagan. Nancy reagan did receive dresses for free as a form of advertising for the different designers who gave them to her. In the age that we are in right now. What people have to sign dresses and giving them to the first ladies . After nancy reagan got into problems the days we are in right now . The nineties and onward. People were getting interested in fashion. I dont think so. They did it in europe. The same way movie stars are today. In europe, nobility and people like that war close and that is how paris got its name. I am not familiar with anything that went on like this in this particular period. Maybe we did not know. Sharon in sacramento. Hello. We were talking a little while ago about i am wondering about benjamins father. Did he live to see benjamin become president . That is one for bill. He was in politics. I think he was a congressman. Whether he had died before harrison went to office, i dont know. The answer is yes. His father was also in politics although he did not make it to the level of its own father or his son, but we do not know the answer. Sorry about whether or not he was there for the inauguration of his son. Thank you for asking. Next up is marie in georgia. Hi marie. Hi. I love you and your intelligent guests. My question is, what was 25,000 dollars a year had been the salary. It went up to 75 for grant. It stayed there forever and ever. It was good money in those days. It was. What they usually we do, they would spend it because they had two in the first term and pay their debts. Second term, they probably squared it away for retirement. All lincoln was doing that, and jefferson did it. Jefferson was no businessman. Anyway, they had that but then, for every term we had 20,000 dollars that you would never count for. That finally got up to 50 and more. The first person that the president they made account for was president truman. I mean spirited act from congress. They made him account for every penny. Normally, it was something that, realizing there were extra expenses that they had to do. Next is gayle in florida. Hi gayle. Hi. I was wondering, since Jacqueline Kennedy our first ladies was Caroline Harrison the same way . She was such a beautiful lady. I do not think so. I think it was francis cleveland, and certainly not caroline at that point in her life. Miss cleveland was into style. People would borrow her name. Without permission. It infuriated the president. They would put her image on every kind of conceivable tchotchke that anybody wanted to sell. In fact, he was so upset that he tried to get a bill through congress to prevent it, but he did not succeed. And talking about from Jacqueline Kennedy on actually, Mimi Eisenhower was the one who in modern times who started the whole thing. She would buy fashionable clothes and she was approached by designers to wear their clothing and their hats. She was on the best dressed list for many years in thegor  white house. Benjamin harrison was the candidate for reelection although the economy was in tough shape. He is once again, rematched with former president cleveland as he goes into the election, and Caroline Harrison becomes more and more ill. Can you tell the story of her death . She had just declined and declined, and he could have been reelected, but he was so devastated by her illness and did he not sent her up to the adirondacks to try and recover . Yes. They tried to get her to go to montana but she wouldnt do it. Royal family went up with her to the adirondacks. She died in the white house. In 1892. The second and only two first ladies who died in the white house. What was the effect on the nation, first of all . Mr. Great state funeral, once of are one of our viewers want to know. It was in the east room. I think it was not of a state nature. If you had to invite people from the government from the cabinet, the wives and so forth. In the east room there is a photograph of her coffin covered in pink roses. She died, and he worked harder. He could have won in that campaign, because what he was saying was flavored with reform. What cleveland was doing was bringing back the past and it did not happen. Cleveland one. The other thing that is notable about that is that neither of them, out of respect for caroline and her health and subsequently her death, actually did much campaigning. He did not make speeches. Nordic cleveland. Cleveland never did make campaign speeches. It would be interesting to see what happened today if there was a great death whether we would abstain from campaigning in the society as they did back then. What happened to the official white house in the days after her death . Its someone step into at this first lady . Mary mickey until the end of the administration. There are lot of stories about Benjamin Harrisons personal life. He went on to remarry. Can you tell us about who he married . He remarried carolines niece, who had been her social secretary and also an aide to him as the president. She had lost both her parents when she was very young. So they brought her into the family sort of thats another daughter into the family. She looked at both of them for most of the time, i think, as parents. Substitute parents. Whether there was elizabeth her mother had died in the white house. In 89. Carolines sister. Yes. This lady was a widow. The niece was a widow. And without parents. They had brought her into the family. Benjamin harrison after the death of his wife, wrote this, for me, there is no sting in losing the election. Indeed, after the heavy blow, the death of my wife dealt me. I do not think i could have stood the strain of reelection would have brought. How many years after the defeat did he actually marry . They married and 96. There was a great shuffle about it. It was considered the wrong thing to do. And certainly by the children. They were furious. She had been there with him almost like a sister. It was shocking to them. They had a child. Halle asks, having read that benjamin remarried after caroline died, was there evidence of them having an affair when caroline was still alive . Its interesting. One of the articles i read, it talks about memorandum written by george who was mckinleys and then later Theodore Roosevelt chief of staff, in which he says he had a conversation with robert mickey, the father baby mickey, who lived in the white house the entire time. The story was that mckee caroline was so distressed because she thought she was losing him to the younger needs but she was going to move out of the white house. That he personally talked her out of it because of the scandal that would come down on the family and the presidency. Who knows . He worked for harrison. He worked for harrison as well . In the high position that he was leader to have. People at the harrison home were very skeptical, i should add as well. She was a child like a child to them. But then he married her and had a baby. They had a little girl. The public from los angeles, we have a question. Ive joined the series. Keep it up. I have two questions. You said you had recorded caroline was the first lady to have had her voice recorded. Do we wont have one of the president . My second question is, what was the president president harrisons view on civil rights at the time . Thank you. I dont know where that recording is. I assume it must be in the washington library. The harrisons were both committed to civil rights. I said earlier, he fought his whole time in different ways and he had a very legal estate mind, of course. For ways of assuring the vote to the African American male, of course. Rights for women or not voting either. They were committed to it. And public about. It they were saying that one of the favorite groups of people that visited the front porch during the campaign or African American voters. A question about Benjamin Harrison or his wife. This question is about mrs. Gerson. About African Americans. I know that mrs. Lincoln had an African American seamstress who was also a friend of hers. I thought i rich was the confidant of lincoln. My question is, mrs. Harrison did she have a special relationship with her African American help . And what was her relationship to them . I dont know. They were always African American exit for one brief period in 1859 and 60. The butlers and people like that sort of ran things. She perhaps had a maid or somebody, but i do not know. I do not know whether there was a personal friendship of any kind. Here are the not quite four years of Caroline Harrisons tenure as a first lady. Some of the things that she is noted for. Serving as the first president general of the National Society of the daughters of the american revolution. Raising funds for the Johns Hopkins University Medical school. Also campaigning for them to open a medical school to women. First sitting first lady to deliver a speech. That was in conjunction with the d. A. R. , and the establishment of the china warehouse collection. Where did she fit . Unfortunately, she is very little known she her vision of the historic nature of the white house and the fact that it should be reflecting the United States as this up and coming power in the world. I think those were motivating factors in trying to get the white house renovated and reconstructed. It was her grand vision for what the white house could become. I think she also is probably the first who correctly understood that the white house was the historic repository of the american people, and of the presidency. The white house china collection was one of the things she did. The fact that she used antiques that she kind of resurrected from the attic in the basement. I think she was a predecessor for people like mrs. Coolidge and mrs. Hoover who tried to do inventories of the white house. She did the first inventory that i am aware of. I think, just her vision, both about the historic nature of the white house and its collections, and her campaigns for the betterment of women, were very important, but not picked up on in her own calvin wants to know what modernday first lady with caroline compare most to . Did i say carter . She was a woman who was very busy at trying to do worthy things. The thing with miss carter like Betty Ford Betty Ford was awfully public. Miss carter was not. She was a much quieter, but more behind the scenes. I also want to say, Jacqueline Kennedy. In the sense of her sense of the white house and the Historic Preservation and why that was important to the presidency. We began with the thesis that Caroline Harrison was more one of the most decorated first ladies. We hope that weve been able to underline some of the ways she should be better known than she is. I want to say thanks to our two guests for being here during the series. We will see them as a serious progressive. Next week, item uncannily will be the final first lady and our first season of first ladies and taking us into the new centuries. We look forward to seeing you then. Thank you. The story of item and can we convince beetle through a relationship with her husband, president william mckinley. Married in 1871, there 30 years together bringing happiness earlier on, the tragedies Tragedy Strikes and changes the relationship into a life of illness and devotion that shapes the presidency of the turn of the century. Joining us tonight to help us tell the story