of speaker of the house, senator and secretary of state henry clay. >> the mansion at ashland is a unique situation. it fell into disrepair and could not be saved. we rebuilt on the original foundation. we have a home that is essentially a federal style home as henry clay had with italian details, architectural elements, etc., and an added layer of aesthetic detail added by henry clay's daughter, great-granddaughter, and so on. >> see all of our programs from lexington saturday evening and sunday afternoon on american history tv on cspan3. announcer: american history tv was live on saturday from marion, ohio, for a modern -- symposium on modern first ladies, from florence harding to

michelle obama. that was the theme of the annual warren g. harding symposium at ohio state university at mary -- marion. it is about four hours. to begin our first session, entitled "paving the way," will you please join me in welcoming the moderator for the session, the director of education and special events lucinda. >> [applause] >> thank you. >> [applause] >> thank you, and thank you, everyone, who is involved with the harding symposium. you have absolutely no idea how thrilled my colleagues and i are all to be here. anytime we get a chance to present first the ladies, we always -- first ladies, we always present our mission, -- you can tell i'm really good today. [laughter] which is to to get the public about the lives and the

activities of the first ladies of this country. and believe me, they were all wonderful. and as i was talking to somebody last night at the reception, we think all the presidents were quite intelligent. everyone of them. because they were smart enough to marry the woman who'd -- who became the lead partner and the first ladies of our country. we want you to be wowed. thank you. [laughter] a re-all right? -- are we all right? and as we are every day, it is a privilege to work with them. so, i would like to introduce friends that we know very well through the years. as a introduce each one in the order of -- of florence harding

followed by grace coolidge followed by hoover, their representatives will give a brief biography to you of how wonderful they really were. first, a good friend of ours, sherry holmes. of the warren g. harding presidential site. this is very unusual. sherry is a former journalist. she is one of the two newspapers, -- [indiscernible] but she also was at the canton repository. [bad audio quality] she is a lector and an author. and has authored several books.

would you please introduce ms. harding? >> i would be happy to. [indiscernible] -- was a native of marion, ohio. born in 1850 -- she and her two younger brothers -- [indiscernible] an industrious and self-made businessman, -- [indiscernible] she attended the cincinnati conservatory of music as a teenager, studying piano. and it shocked her parents when she awoke at the age of 19, literally, with the boy next door. the marriage produced a son, marshall, before imploding in divorce. in 1891, 30-year-old florence married 25-year-old warren harding, editor of the "marion

daily star" newspaper. lawrence -- florence embraced newspapering as a family business and quickly jumped in to revamp the circulation department. she was not a woman to make housekeeping and cooking her life possible. for whatever reason, the harding's did not have children other own. i mention that this life-threatening malady severely impacted her quality of life and her philosophy of how to the for life. as her husband entered and 60 did in national republican politics florence was always his most enthusiastic supporter. the harding's entered the white house in march of 1921, following the presidency of woodrow wilson. they spent just what a nine-month there before his first term was over. president harding died of a heart attack and congestive

heart failure in august of 1923. florence died just 15 months later. she died of kidney disease and heart failure in november of 1924. she was 64 years old. >> cynthia. cynthia is the former executive director of the calvin coolidge memorial foundation. she is a lector and author, as well as we found out a commentator. and you have a column of your own now and then that keeps you very active. cindy has authored the book, "race coolidge," southern star, and when i'm really excited to get a hold of. cynthia, will you please introduce -- grace? >> grace was born 10 we third, 1879 in burlington, vermont. one of vermont's larger cities.

you probably know vermette does not have very many large cities. she was an only child and her very middle-class parents could afford to send her onto the university of vermont. she graduated in 1902 and immediately set out for northampton, massachusetts to be trained to teach deaf children in the oral method. which is a very, very tough way of teaching. she then taught until her marriage to calvin coolidge, a young lawyer in town. her mother had wanted her to stay in burlington so she could find a nice, handsome doctor for her, but grace said you was going to northampton, the home of smith college where there weren't hardly any men. but she found the one guy in town. they lived in a two family house in north hampton and raised two sons there. she stayed at home while her husband commuted by train to boston to the legislature. when calvin was tapped to run

for vice president, they relocated to the willard hotel in washington dc. i think we'll hear through our discussions today what happened at the white house next. >> thank you. and another dear friend of ours. an historian, lecturer, and author. her books, one of my favorite because she is a near and dear to my heart, the story of frances wilson cleveland america's youngest first lady. she has also written a book that is very personal to her. the busy ms. dunlap here has a few books to come out very soon. 2016 charles g dodd. the other in 2017, i can't wait to get a hands-on, is --

i'm sorry, i have the right title today. she is working on -- a biography. [a woman among women." -- "a woman among women." >> her middle name, short for louise, was born on march 29 1874 in waterloo, iowa. her parents were charles and florence henry. and, yes, daddy wanted a boy. and so momma allowed her eldest daughter to be named lou. we all think that that is modern. in many ways lou was raised as a boy. she was touched or hunt, shoot, fish, and read a horse, but her mother also major she learned how to sew cook. the fact that she was brought up with those twin threats from both of her parents contributed

to the quite unique woman that she did eventually become. when she was 11, her father took a banking job in california. they moved there in 1885. and lou pretty much consider there to be her home. she entered originally los angeles normal school. then when her family moved, she transferred to san jose college where she got her teaching certificate. she wanted to teach the upper grades because of her love science and because she was so young and a woman, she could not find a position in that field. she was attending lectures that were available there in the area by the recently opened stanford university. and she heard a series of lectures by dr. grammar on matters related to the allergy. stanford, when it was opened,

was coeducational and was one of the first private universities founded in this country that was not affiliated with a religious institution. it is also completely tuition free. and so, lou wrote to dr. brenner and asked if it would be possible that she, as a woman, could come study theology. she was admitted and became the first woman to receive a bachelors degree in geology and that university. it was there that she met hoover, whom she is actually older than, but because she had had her previous -- excuse me, teachers education, she was obviously a freshman when he was a senior. the courtship eventually developed. he graduated and left for australia, where he found a position in mining. and the two of them continued their correspondence and lou eventually agreed to marry him. dr. brenner, who is tying to

find her a job after she graduated from stanford, learned of the engagement and wrote them a letter saying, here i am trying desperately to find you a job and yet you have decided to get married and to leave us. and he signed it, your loving professor in law. >> [laughter] >> the hoovers were married on february 10, 1899. and the left the very next day for china. where bert had a mining job. over the next several years, the couple traveled all over the world. lived in many different places. lou went into the minds with bird. she was kind of like the -- what we see so often with many women of professional men who had the same educational background -- she was sort of the unpaid employee. they lived in london for a number of years. lou was very instrumental and active in helping when world war i broke out, which will get to

later, and then when they return to living full-time in the united states, she was involved with many organizations here until they eventually came to the white house. >> thank you. these ladies were outstanding in their own way and a time when women really were not supposed to succeed on that level, and they did. the first question i would like to pose to the lady of the day mrs. harding, this is the harding symposium, that it is also important. abigail adams, if we can go back to her, she wrote to her husband when he was in philadelphia -- remember the ladies, we have all heard this. however, she was really angry with john because he didn't remember the ladies. he thought she was kidding when she said make sure that you make as part of the laws of this new nation because, you know, we don't have rights like to in

education, really. you don't have rights to our own property. lady washington -- to give you an idea, lady washington did inherit money from an inheritance from her first husband, but lady washington really needed to get married because it had to be in the hands of a man because a woman couldn't. this was the way it was for women. so, when he called her, oh, you are so soft, she wasn't too happy. well, we, many years later to another first lady -- we come many years later to another first lady, florence harding who is the very first first lady to cast a ballot to vote for her own husband as president of the united states. yes, the 19th amendment has passed. and cynthia, we are going to follow it do because they were on the same ticket. and this is -- you have to

forgive us. it is not about the presidents. it is about the ladies. she was the vice president's wife, but she was to secede mrs. harding into the white house. can you please talk about the campaign a little bit and how and a time when women were not supposed to be out in front, and they weren't, mrs. harding was it true that she rather knew that women would kind of be instrumental? is that safe to say to echo> i -- to say? >> i think it is very safe to say. all three of these women were in the same administration. mrs. hoover, the wife of herbert hoover, he is the secretary of commerce in the harding administration. so all three of them knew each other and were linked in that harding administration. mrs. harding, of course, is

reluctantly put in the place of campaigning for her husband. so she says. as she is not enthused about him running for president at first but once he decides that throw his hat in the ring, she is at 110%. and she really demonstrated that through the campaign. she was comfortable with the press. because she considered herself to be a newspaper woman. she wasn't a writer for the newspaper, as her husband was, but she knew all the newspaper editors, she knew the reporters at a lot of different newspapers, she absolutely thought it was her business as much as it was her husband's. she knew all the slang, the lingo of the newsroom. so she could talk they easily with the press. and by 1920, you really have the press stepping up. and we had news we -- reel

footage, newspaper reporters are working out of the press house which was built especially for the press r and to theear of the harding home -- press at the rear of the harding home. wouldn't we like to have that today, a three-month presidential campaign? >> [laughter] >> so she gave interviews, but she didn't call them interviews. she chatted, she says, with the newspaper reporters. saying she did not want to be quoted, but knowing all the time she would be. and that was ok because she knew how to play the game. it would have been unseemly if she had gone out in front and culture own news conference. that would have been undermining her husband. so she goes around the back door a little bit. sure, i will chat with you. her weight until last, she knew how to play the game. she was not someone who is nit

in real knife -- life. she played the game. but at other times, she could play up the other parts of her life. like all of these women, they are complicated, multilayered women. and she could talk the business game. she said i love working women because i did it. she knew what that felt like. during the time between her two marriages with her young son she did try to support herself and giving cano lessons. and it didn't work for a well. she knew about that loneliness. she knew about that heavy responsibility. she could identify with those women and they could identify with her. and with this whole new contingent of voters, the women voters in the 1920's, she felt this a very vital role very adequately in relating to those women voters.

and bringing them into the game. she thought it was important for them to know about politics and government. she is right there, front and center. >> thank you. said the, a very different, very opposite in the way. what was horrible, if any? -- what was her role, if any check of -- any? >> there was no governor's mansion in boston, so even though a friend of calvin coolidge said, i will buy you a brownstone, i will put in 32 servants, i will set to all up can you just moved to boston? and grace should be released to entertain and help you with your will as governor. and calvin coolidge said, no that is beyond her means and we will not do that. so when it came to the vice

presidency, grace did not campaign. again, she stayed home. and calvin did a little campaigning, since the harding's were on their front porch. and then when it came to calvin running in his own right, their son had just that. and i will be telling you about that a little bit later. so, there was not a whole lot of -- [indiscernible] but thomas edison, buyers done, -- byerstone, all came to visit. i don't know how many of you have been to plymouth, vermont. when they came to town they talked and grace coolidge was right there talking with these folks and talking about politics. so she seems to have come into her own a little bit in this time period, and then when they did win and went back to the white house, she had a little bit more of a role. in terms of campaigning, i would say this. william allen white said, when looking at the campaign, one

flag, one country, one conscious, one wife, and never more than three words will do calvin all of his life. >> [laughter] >> and in the "washington post" article said, mrs. coolidge is really dollar smile is the greatest political asset. >> there we go. we would agree with that. and in that, correct me if i'm wrong, but of the panelists here, the hoovers were not political. they do not have a political background. is that truthful to say? yet, these brilliant people -- were running for president. >> the interesting thing is that hoover did attempt to run for the president in 1920. and there was a campaign that was written, if my memory serves me correctly, by vernon kellogg, a friend of the hoovers, and lou

oversaw the writing and editing. so then when the selection of harding was made, being good republicans, and loyal to the party, the hoovers obviously stepped back and supported harding. but the hoovers' loyalty was named because he was named secretary of commerce and the harding administration and held that position through both the harding and the coolidge administrations. their politics was of the covert type. instead of the overt type. so they were working the relationships and the connections behind the scenes. so when -- once quilish announced that he was not going to run bird rose to the top pretty quickly as the top candidate. and once the nomination was secure, as i artie mentioned

this was a very well-traveled couple and very comfortable traveling. so they hopped a train. and many times, it would stop and they would come out of the back and wave to people. lou would say a few words, birds would give his speech, and they would go on. she was an advisor, monitoring with the press was saying about him and keeping the two sons abreast of what was going on. so she was active and likely more active than her two immediate predecessors. i would just piggyback on what we have said about florence harding being the first -- first lady to be able to cast a vote. we have to realize we are just now to the third election. where women are given the opportunity to vote. and we are just beginning to see changes in the role that women are playing in candidate

selection and being delegates to the national convention. so there is a lot going on under the radar that we sort of need to keep in mind when we look at the political involvement of these women. >> they really are paving the way. >> very much. >> ok, ladies, we have to talk about it fashion. let me get right now to the campaign because actually and truthfully, let's be honest, the first impression we sometimes get of a candidate cost wife is -- candidate's wife is at the convention or on the campaign trail and it kind of sets the tone. mrs. kennedy once said, in private, referring to her gorgeous ensembles as her state clothes. it was much more casual in private life than anyone ever realized it these ladies had to have -- and these ladies had to

have it. i think i'm going to start with cynthia because mrs. coolidge, she was younger, 40 some years old, a fashion plate. a beautiful woman. and was of wonderful -- kind of like dolly madison. she was the foil for calvin. how much did that physiology play for her? >> well, the fashions of the day were quite something. this was the boring 1920's, folks. we have lepers and shorter skirts -- flappers and shorter skirts, and your arms show. i know we are all hearing about michelle obama letting her arms show, but grace did a little bit of that. her husband was very concerned -- with being -- >> her are not cool -- her official portrait -- >> that is right.

and i have just been back to plymouth vermont and looked at some of her gowns and some of her purses and so on. and i did know from reading her letters that she made her own dresses at the white house. but calvin did not like this. he said that his two frumpy -- too frumpy. as grace said, i think it is the happy secret to married life, you have to dress good to please one's husband. and the social secretary said i have never known any man more interested in his wife's clothes than mr. cool it. and the more elaborate her dresses were, the better he liked it. so, i have just seen to magnificent gowns. one is all gold. and these were ordered from garfinkel's. of course, stern was a great

friend. maybe he gave them a discount. and then she had a beautiful code. on the back of it as a peacock in gold and blue, all the way down the back. these are very, very nice. but she didn't worry too much about her clothing. but since she didn't give interviews, they did take a lot of pictures of her. she was happy to pose and that is how the nation knew a lot about her. and calvin wanted her to wear something different every day. i don't know how they could do that, but he said that is what -- where we are going to spend our money. >> i like that kind of guy. >> [laughter] >> well, fortunately or unfortunately, this photograph of lou in her girl scout uniform, there is a quote by someone unattributed that says that this is the only way he has

ever remembered lou and that is she always wore her girl scout uniform. and that is fortunate in one respect because it was great promotion for the girl scouts. not so great because he was quite a fashion plate. if any of you particularly you women, have ever noticed the magazines, you will notice there was always a cover of a first lady at least in all of our lifetimes. the first lady to be photographed for "folk" magazine -- "vogue" magazine was lou hoover. so she was actually quite fashion conscious. she designed a lot of her own clothing. she loved color, she loved fabrics. there are some gorgeous gowns that are in storage at the hoover library with gold metallic and silver metallic spreads -- threads woven in to

bouquets and other very expensive fabrics. and i contacted a fashion historian and ask about that, and she said these were highly fashionable garments and designs at the time. lou wore a lot of velvet for the gowns that she wore for state dinners. but when the price of cotton dropped, in 1931, she ordered a gallon of calico -- gown of calico made for the state dinner for the officials from the department of agriculture and the department of labor in february of 1932. do her best to try to promote the cotton industry. and she was assessed by the society editor for not wearing either velvet or satin. >> -- [indiscernible]

>> well, florence comes into the white house at age 62. she is well aware that she is a lot older than grace. and she dresses what is described as very appropriate for her age. she wears a lot of great, lilac -- grey, lilac. she likes clothes. when warren was in the senate she spent quite a bit of money on clothes. but when she entered the white house, her -- she -- she has a contradiction here. she still knows she needs to dress like a first lady and she says, even in letters to her daughter in law, that the public expects her to change her clothes several times during the day or she would get criticism she knows, if she had the same thing on in the morning as she did at a function later in the afternoon. so she has to have this wardrobe. by this