Next, first ladys influence taft. Focuses on helen later, Chinese ForeignAffairs Minister talks about the relationship between america and china. Helen taft was more ambitious about getting to the white house than her husband, William Howard taft, and was willing to get personally involved in politics to get him elected. She overcame a serious illness to directly manage the white house. Invited top Classical Musicians to perform there. Helen taft also has one of the most visible legacies of all first ladies. Washington d. C. s famous japanese cherry tree. Bring tens of thousands of visitors to washington every year. Good evening and welcome to first ladies. The life of helen taft. Her husband served in the white house until 1913. Here to speak about her life and legacy is her biographer. The biography of her is helen taft, our musical first lady. You open the book by making the case that she is the most obscure of 20th century first ladies. Why do you think she deserves better than being obscure . She did things that were very constructive. The cherry trees, bringing the Classical Music and musicians to the white house, and, generally, trying to make washington the Cultural Center of the nation. That was her ambition. It did not work out because of medical reasons. She had an agenda that would have made her rank with Eleanor Roosevelt or lady johnson in terms of transforming washington if things had gone the other way. She had an agenda to get her husband to the white house. The story is that she decided when she visited the white house, hey, i want to do that as well. There are a lot of women who wanted to have their husbands be president s. Sometimes, she is portrayed as a cross between Mommy Dearest and lady may have, which is not the case. She was a much more constructive influence. Helen taft has an interesting story. Many of you in the audience will be hearing it for the first time tonight. You can be involved in our conversation in a lot of ways. Send us a comment on facebook. We already have a robust discussion starting there. You can also send us a tweet, firstladies. I want to hear this story. How did she get to the white house at age 16 . Her father in cincinnati was friends with rutherford b. Hayes and lucy hayes and they went to the white house. She went only once but had not yet made her debut and could not yet participate in social activity, but she was there. President hayes said it was wonderful to have them there. In the past family lore, she was supposed to have said, i will come back. It is not clear that is really what she said, but like many people, i want to marry a man who may become president. She came from a political family. Yes. Her father was a friend of benjamin, and involved in politics on her mothers side. She was quite the intellectual. She was reading darwin and had the ability to play the piano, which she studied seriously. I wish there were recordings, and there does not seem to be. In cincinnati, a very culturally rich city in those days. They had seven hills. They thought of themselves as the rome. She was from a political family and the matter how much getting to the white house, how did she choose taft as her mate . They knew of each other in a small community. It was after he had gone to yell and come back for Cincinnati Law School that their lives again to intersect and they began to court. She was in her mid20s, late for marrying in those days, and he was almost 29 by the time he gets married. They started going out to some of the beer halls in cincinnati and gradually fell in love. He was much more smitten with her originally then she was with him. But he proposed, she rejected him, a standard thing in those days. The woman never excepted the proposal right off. They had a rather lengthy courtship i our standards, which sometimes last all weekend. In those days, she made him wait a while, then got married in june 1886. Where did she go to college . She studied a little bit at the university of cincinnati, but almost was self educated. Took courses but did not ever get a degree. Did not have a degree like her husband did. How common was it for women to go to beer halls in those days . It was not a thing. With its German Community and stuff like that, it was where young people went. Young people in the 80s had the same impulses they have today. That is where people went. They did not date quite the way they would later in the 20th century. William howard taft was not intending a career in politics when he proposed. He wanted to be a lawyer and get to the Supreme Court. He would later say, like any good politician, he had his bull turned upward when offices were falling in his lap. He definitely wanted to be chief justice of the United States from the time he learned about the law. William howard taft made good on his wish. He is the only president who also served in the role of chief justice of the United States. We will learn more after the white house progresses. How instrumental was helen in moving him in that direction as a politician . In the initial stages, she had relatively little influence because he becomes a state judge and then he becomes a solicitor general of the United States and is appointed to the court of appeals in ohio. She watched him do that. The big turning point came in early 1900 when president mckinley called him to come to washington and offers him a chance to go and establish a civilian government in the philippines. She says, take it. She says, by all means, this would give my husband a sphere of power and influence he would not have had any other way. That was the decisive moment in their lives when he was in his mid40s, to moving to being in politics in a new way. We have to quote one from each of the test. To give you a sense of how interested the two of them were in politics, you could tell how much this really reflects their overall attitudes, from helen taft, she writes of her husband, mr. Taft was all but impervious to any friendly advice we have a 1906 quote from William Howard taft. He says, some of that was for public consumption. I think he pursued a political career with more zest than we sometimes realize. What nellie was saying is that he had a way to get people to push them in her direction he wanted to go. I think she is acknowledging he moved her as much as she moved him. A reference to his career and he mentions the two that were in the law. In addition, lets take a look at the political positions that William Howard taft held over his lifetime. In 1890 21892, he served as ansolicitor general. He was governor general of the philippines. An important part in that countrys development and our relationship with it. In 1904 was the secretary of war. They called the secretary of defense today. President from 1909 to 1913. Ilater on, his life switched, think i likebecame the chief justice of the United States. Of the early positions, secretary of war, which was most helpful . I think the governor general of the philippines made him a national figure. Inwhen he goes to Theodore Roosevelts cabinet, he presents himself to roosevelt as the logical choice in 19 eight. Once roosevelt had said, i will not run. Anot run. He looked over the cabinets to see who might be his successor. Eleanor might be too old, but there was will taft from ohio, a state that really mattered to republicans in those years, and he became the logic of the situation. Very briefly, why does the United States have the ability to appoint a governor general of the philippines . As the result of the spanish american war in the treaty of paris in 1898 december, spain aparis in 1898 december, spain ceded the philippines to the United States and they became the possessor and would remain so until 1946. In we have been taking you toa Historic Sites associated with herfirst ladies and their lives. We will be taking you to the William Howard taft nationalis just asites in cincinnati. We hope those of you interested inin this series will visit some of the places we are showing you. Up next, we will meet the super intendant of the site and he will tell us more about the time spent in the philippines by the taft. He got a chance to be the chairman of the philippine commission, and she jumped at the chance to encourage him to take the job. They took the family to the philippines. \she had a chance to travel around the world and also had a chance to introduce her children to this travel. She learned different languages. Before she and the children got there, taft andmrs. Taft liked to have dinners and incorporate aphilippines people. These are programs from the different rank that were there. You a youpeople loved William Howard taft and his family. Athey treated him just like inequals. Mrs. Taft invited them toas adinners. Whatthey attended a lot of the youcelebrations. She liked to see the band play. You areentertainment was a big part of the things she did over there when in part of the philippines. This is where we keep more valuable artifacts as well as a a anon display. A a aas we come in, we see mrs. In a intaft collected a lot of andphilippines items. This is a storage chest theyare abought over there. Youit was one of the items they were able to pick up while arewere able to pick up while youthere. Some photographs from ladies in the philippines. Ahey took some formal isphotographs here. They wrote inscriptions and gave athem to mrs. Taft. A youthis is from december 22, you1983, philippines. Those illustrate the admiration youthe philippine people had for herthe taft family, especially mrs. Taft, as she worked to make hermrs. Taft, as she worked to make them feel integrated in the greater society, make them feel you willequal to the other people, invited them to parties, put on youinvited them to parties, put on andmusicals and those types of things, helped with their athings, helped with their education. They really loved the tafts. Awe still get people coming from andthe philippines and still youhave the connection from the taft family and things they did while there. Joining the onset, a firstyou alady scholar. Jane cook, how important was the in time in the philippines to the anddevelopment of helen taft in adevelopment of helen taft in youher role as first lady aechoplex very important to her anddevelopment. Her you knowwhen she returned to theyou andUnited States, she met ayou and i andmilitary wife in the army youmilitary wife in the army towho had known her in the philippines. She says, you were a clean in philippines. Here, you are a nobody. I do not think helen ever thought of herself as a nobody. When in the philippines, she was not a queen. She served her husband very well by doing those things. How unusual was it in the piece, we heard she treated the philippines equal. We were in their country. Today, we would think, why would she not . The army drew the color line, which meant, they did not associate with philippines. For them to shake hands with the philippines and dance with them was seen as quite radical. There were elements in the military that were not thrilled with what taft was doing. He would not have been able to do this in the United States at the same time. The philippines count in part for his and during popularity. They wanted us out as soon as possible. On twitter, they want to know more about what they thought about the philippine people and their culture when they lived there and how did it shape their view of the population as a whole. It was something she, by reaching out to them, she could see the benefit of bringing the cultures together. She was using her executive social skills and management skills, she would go out horseback riding and taft ordered a band for the filipino people. They would go to a big open space and have concerts. This was really something that meant a lot to her. When she wears the filipino formal gown, she is embracing the culture. She started in the spring what is a a space where, on sundays, aristocracy would gather with carriages and go around and have it was the social setting for high society in the philippines. She wanted this to be a place in washington to do that. It was very popular for the first couple of times. After the stroke, she could not personally manage it, but it was one of those false starts that characterizes her career. Those of you watching us along the way know our goal this year is to teach you more, help you learn about each of the americas first ladies. In the series throughout this year, 20thcentury ladies. Earlier in the year, we did the first ladies beginning with martha washington. Our goal goal is to present the biography of them to help you understand more about the president S Administration and also about our country and how it changed and how the role of women changed. There is a lot to talk about. We will give you the telephone number so you can join into the conversation. We will love having your calls and questions. They have been a hallmark of the program. Also, we developed a website for this series. At each week, there is one special item attached to the first lady we do not talk about during the program. Today, if you go to the site, you will learn more about a chair she really cherished that she acquired in the philippines. Back from the philippines, talk to me about a very important relationship, maybe the most important other than William Howard taft with nellie, and that is the relationship with Theodore Roosevelt. Will taft and t. R. Know each other in the early 1890s. Almost in the beginning, there was not still the same rapport between edith and nellie. Nellie would say later she did not like Edith Roosevelt. There was a competition between them through the 1890s. She said, i wish i knew more about what exactly happened, but they struck odds when they started out. You had these two men who were very close, but their intimate families, not so much. There was not a strong underpinning of the male relationship once the two women were in close proximity. It had something to do with cincinnati versus new york, with Edith Roosevelt coming from an aristocratic family. Helen taft wanting to be upwardly mobile. We learned that mrs. Roosevelt had regular sessions with all the cabinet wise, which required attendance. What was the effect of those on helen taft and her own thinking about how she might approach the job as first ladies . They had weekly meetings in the White House Library once a week. Helen did attend. I think she thought they were too gossipy or the topic of conversation just aboard her and was not something she really enjoyed. She made it known to the press that she would not be continuing them because they had not been successful. That was quite a slam to edith to say that publicly. She could have been more genteel on how she transitioned. If you were with somebody who is not your husband, you heard from the white house that you better stop your there was a certain amount of gossiping that helen taft was not as hoity toity as Edith Roosevelt. That was another source of tension. Helen taft wanted to set a standard. Edith wanted a higher moral standard. Caller hello. I wanted to know if you are familiar with the miniseries that aired in 1979. I want to ask mr. Gold, if you are familiar that was really my first awareness of mrs. Taft. Was that an accurate depiction of her . I thank you. I think it was generally accurate. It had some fictional elements in it. I do not think most historians regard it as something you should take to the bank and be very reliable. It was dramatized for television purposes. It is a useful source, but use it with caution. Theodore roosevelt asked him to be his secretary of war. How does that affect them . Taft and nellie both loved to travel. He was on the road constantly. He became a troubleshooter diplomatically for t. R. When he would go off hunting, he would say he left taft on the lid in washington, but he and mrs. Taft traveled a lot, a story that illustrates her ambiguity about this, when she was traveling and verily garish very nearly missed the train and said, you have got to help me out. I am mrs. William howard taft, no response. I am traveling with alex roosevelt, instantaneously, they got her baggage and got her on the train. It had to be painful given the friction between the two. How common would it have been for senior Public Officials to see that much of the world . Was there a lot of traveling going on in that time . At this point, with trains and steamships, yes, it was more common. Secretary of war was but he was also called secretary of peace in the newspapers. He was really more of a peacemaker than he was focusing so much on dissent. There is a really great story about his time as secretary of war when helen is given a tapestry and she really wants to keep it. Taft says, legally, we need to give it back to the smithsonian. She said, i am a private citizen. She takes it to roosevelt and wants it that badly. Roosevelt says, you are a private it is in. That shows the difference between taft and roosevelt. Taft very much wanted to honor the law and roosevelt would push the envelope a little bit. That is a good way to illustrate the difference between them. That became a fundamental difference between them and the way they view the presidency. Roosevelt said if it was not forbidden, we can do it. Taft said it had to be explicitly allowed before we can do it. The two views of the presidency were very different that they had. A real study in leadership. On to facebook, holly wants to know how mrs. Taft got the nickname, nellie. Good question. A number of brothers and sisters. It was a family name. Her husband refers to her as his dearest nellie. Did she call him will or mr. Taft . Will. Once people knew him well, he was called will. He was not bill or Something Like that. Almost nobody called Theodore Teddy who knew him well. Hello. What is your question . Caller i lo