Helen Taft

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Official portrait of Helen Taft

Helen Taft (born June 2, 1861 in Cincinnati as Helen Louise Herron , † May 22, 1943 in Washington, DC ) was an American author, the wife of US President William H. Taft and the First Lady of the United States from March 4, 1909 to March 3, 1913.

Life

Her parents were Harriet Collins and John Williamson Herron. Helen was the fourth of eleven children. Her nickname was "Nellie". She spent her childhood in Cincinnati . At the age of 17 she was a guest at the White House and was so excited that she announced that she would later marry the President to move in there. Helen and Taft first met when Helen was eighteen. The couple married on June 19, 1886 and had three children:

  • Robert Alphonso Taft (September 8, 1889 - July 31, 1953), Senator of the state of Ohio
  • Helen Taft Manning (born August 1, 1891 in Cincinnati - † February 21, 1987), Professor at Bryn Mawr College
  • Charles Phelps Taft II (September 20, 1897 - June 24, 1983), Mayor of Cincinnati

During their time at the White House, Taft and Helen celebrated their silver wedding anniversary in 1911. After her husband's death, Helen lived in Washington, DC. She was the first first lady to be buried in Arlington Cemetery .

Works

  • Helen Taft: Recollections of Full Years

literature

  • Jane Collins Wolford: Helen Herron Taft. San Francisco State University, 1981
  • Judith E. Greenberg: Helen Herron Taft, 1861-1943. Children's Press, New York 2000
  • Carl Sferrazza Anthony: Nellie Taft: The Unconventional First Lady of the Ragtime Era. William Morrow, New York 2005
  • Rafaele Fierro: Helen Herron Taft: The Forgotten Impact of a Memorable First Lady. In Katherine AS Sibley (Ed.): A Companion to First Ladies. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester 2016, ISBN 978-1-118-73222-9 , pp. 320-338.

Web links

Commons : Helen Taft  - Collection of images, videos and audio files