Modern First Ladies: Frances Cleveland

First ladies, specifically modern first ladies, undoubtedly comprise a historical group whose achievements demand acknowledgment. For the purposes of this paper, a “modern” first lady can be characterized as those first ladies who served during or after 1885, which is the first year that Frances Cleveland held the position of first lady. Though debatable, Frances Cleveland can be considered the first modern first lady because her time in office coincided with the rise of the newspaper, thereby allowing her to be the first true “celebrity first lady” (First Ladies: Frances Cleveland). Frances Cleveland captures many of the elements that modern citizens think of when they conceptualize the role of the first lady: a public figure, a brand in her

Especially in a nation that is obsessed with the media, a first lady can make use of her appearance, fashion, charm, and the First Family to become extremely popular and admired. If the first lady can effectively use the media to garner support for herself, that support can translate to a more favorable view of the president. Watson writes that “[p]residents and presidential advisers recognize that the first lady affects public perceptions and public opinion about the president, and they value her role as a leading campaigner and spokesperson for the president” (Watson 114). One such example of this method of increasing presidential support can be found in the marriage of Frances and Grover Cleveland. At first, Grover was unmarried, and when he selected the 21-year-old Frances to wed the public was hesitant to embrace a marriage with such a significant age discrepancy. After Frances came into office, however, she used the media to gain public affection and began to lovingly refer to the now-accepted couple as “beauty and the beast” (First Ladies: Frances Cleveland). The public began to approve of Grover simply because they loved his tall, beautiful

Ida McKinley, a first lady who is often reduced to her health issues, helped out her husband’s image by allowing him to take a protector’s role in their relationship. Even when he was only a governor, the public loved William McKinley as he was seen as the loyal caretaker of his perpetually unhealthy wife (First Ladies: Ida McKinley). It is debatable how much of his care was mere political theatrics simply designed to garner support for his presidency, and how much of his affection was legitimate. In any case, the McKinleys’ manipulation of the media resulted in the public opinion that William McKinley was a kind and devoted man--qualities that are certainly valuable in a