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

own right, a symbol for what women in the nation should strive to emulate. Modern first ladies not only have to grapple with their rising celebrity status and media portrayal, but additionally must work within the political realm and set a standard for domestic morality. The modern first lady does not have the ability to mold the Office of the First Lady to her own interpretation of the position, but rather, must work under the precedents sent by the early first ladies. While these constraints limit the modern first lady’s freedom to define her responsibilities, the celebrity first lady has a newfound power to influence that her predecessors never wielded.
Although modern first ladies have a variety of responsibilities and powers, one of the most important ways in which a first lady makes use of her cultural capital is through influencing the public’s opinion of the president.

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

wife.
Not only can first ladies directly influence how the public perceives a president, but the public will even make judgments of the president’s character based on how well they feel he treats his wife.

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

president.
Beyond shaping public opinion on the president, modern first ladies exert influence in the American political scene. It is somewhat surprising that first ladies do have so much political power, given that they (typically) are not elected politicians themselves. Historian Lewis L. Gould notes that “a growing emphasis on activism has marked the role of the First Lady” (American First Ladies: Their Lives and Their Legacy xii). Although early presidents frowned upon women taking political stances, it is increasingly accepted and expected that first ladies have political agendas. Indeed, early first ladies like Dolley Madison (in office 1809-1817) were appreciated because of their compromising nature and diplomatic value; Madison’s ability to see both sides of a political issue without being firmly entrenched in any political opinion was what was expected of first ladies (First Ladies: Martha Jefferson and Dolley Madison). It was only less than half a century later, however, that First Lady Frances Cleveland made the move beyond parlor politics and began working with matters relating to copyright legislation and attending political rallies without her husband present (First Ladies: Frances Cleveland). Shortly thereafter, First Lady Caroline Harrison became actively involved in trying to pass a bill in Congress, setting a new precedent for first ladies (First Ladies: Caroline Harrison).