Nellie TaftNellie Taft

In an era when First Ladies were, for the most part, expected to be neither seen nor heard, Helen "Nellie" Taft let there be no mistake about the political and public role she intended to play. As wife of the twenty-seventh president of the United States, Nellie Taft presided over and embodied the emerging Progressive era that was transforming America - a time of technological advances, racial and class struggles, increased public roles of women, and genuine social reform.

Carl Sferrazza Anthony draws from previously unpublished diaries, a lifetime of love letters between "Will and Nellie," and family correspondence and recollections to create a portrait of this trailblazing woman. From Inauguration Day, when she defied tradition by insisting her rightful place was next to her husband, to her work with the National Civic Federation, Nellie Taft redefined the role of First Lady and cleared the way for other influential presidential spouses, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Hilary Rodham Clinton. Carl Sferrazza Anthony is considered the nation's expert on the subject of presidential wives and families. He has written extensively for numerous national and regional publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Vanity Fair, American Heritage, and Smithsonian. He has served as a consultant for MSNBC, and has appeared on national network, cable and public television programs. From 1985 to 1990, he wrote regularly for the Washington Post. "Long before people alternately praised and reviled Hillary Rodham Clinton for being bold, outspoken and ambitious, Nellie Taft broke the first lady mold." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution