Presidents in Love…
by Tara Kingston
The study of America’s history is often told with
facts and dates and names of places, with little attention paid to the people
behind the events. When we speak of American Presidents, the focus is often on
politics and accomplishments and scandals. But what about the bold, brilliant
women who captured their hearts and stayed by their side throughout the years
in the White House and beyond? What about…Presidents in love…
~ Richard and Pat Nixon
Long before Richard Nixon was dubbed “Tricky Dick”
for his political strategies, it turns out he was a hopeless romantic. When he
met a young teacher named Thelma “Pat” Ryan, it seemed a case of love at first
sight. He courted the woman he called his “Irish gypsy” for two years before
they married, following a proposal during which he’d placed an engagement ring
in a basket filled with flowers.
~ Harry and Bess Truman
Harry Truman courted his childhood crush Bess Wallace
for years after they first met in Sunday School when Harry was six and Bess was
five. During World War I, Bess carried his photo in her pocket while he went
off to war. Harry and his “Dear Bessie” married in 1919. During their
courtship, and the years afterward, they exchanged more than a thousand
letters. In his youth, the man known as “Give ’em Hell, Harry” wrote this to
the woman who would become his wife, “I suppose that I am too crazy about you
anyway. Every time I see you I get more so if it’s possible…”
.jpg/220px-John_Adams_(1766).jpg)
~John and Abigail Adams
John and Abigail Smith Adams corresponded for decades
during their courtship and throughout the long separations they experienced after
their marriage in 1764. In one missive, he refers to Abigail as “Miss
Adorable”, while Abigail refers to John as her “dearest friend”. More than a
thousand letters from their correspondence survive. Their love letters were
commemorated in the 2001 Love series of United States postage stamps.
~Ronald and Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan’s collected love letters from the
President in I Love You, Ronnie
depict a love story that endured for decades. Reagan wrote poetry for his wife
and sent adoring notes through their marriage, even while traveling on Air
Force One, saying in 1983, “I more than love you…” Who was to guess that the
man dubbed “The Great Communicator” was also such a romantic.
~ Lyndon and Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson
Lyndon Johnson was known as a savvy politician, but I
suspect few saw his romantic side. During their whirlwind 1934 courtship, more
than 90 letters were exchanged that provide a look at the love between Johnson
and Lady Bird. In one missive dated October 23, 1934, Johnson wrote, “This
morning, I am ambitious, proud, energetic and very madly in love with you.” Is
it any wonder Lady Bird married Lyndon on November 17, 1934, a little more than
two months after they first met on September 5, 1934?
~George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush
On their forty-ninth anniversary, George wrote to
Barbara, “You give me joy that few men know. I’ve climbed perhaps the highest
mountain in the world, but even that cannot hold a candle to being Barbara’s
husband.” With a love like that, is it any wonder that the Bushes, the longest
married couple in presidential history, celebrated their seventy-first
anniversary on January 6.
~ Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter
The Carters have employed an acronym to express their
love since the 1940s, ILYTG – I Love You The Goodest. Jimmy even had a compact
engraved with the letters. The Carters have been married for sixty-nine years.
The biographies of our nation’s leaders are filled with
wonderful love stories. These are only a few that touched my heart. Presidents
from George Washington through Barack Obama have created their own stories.
Check out the resources listed at this end of this post for more heart-warming
presidential love stories.
Resources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/11-greatest-presidential-love-letters-2012-2
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/nicole-hemmer/2015/02/10/presidential-love-letters-offer-intimate-glimpses-into-first-couples-lives
http://www.history.com/news/romantic-in-chief-presidential-love-letters-from-adams-to-nixon
Dear Bird: The 1934 Courtship Letters, http://archives.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/show/34letters
All photographs are in the public domain.
About The Author:
Award-winning author Tara
Kingston writes historical romance laced with intrigue, danger, and adventures
of the heart. A Southern belle-out-of-water in a quaint Pennsylvania town, she
lives her own love story with her real-life hero in a cozy Victorian. The
mother of two sons, Tara's a former librarian whose love of books is evident in
her popping-at-the-seams bookcases. It goes without saying that Tara's husband
is thankful for the invention of digital books, thereby eliminating the need
for yet another set of shelves. When she's not writing, reading, or burning
dinner, Tara enjoys cycling, hiking, and cheering on her favorite football
team.
Connect with Tara at www.tarakingston.com and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTaraKingston
In a
world where a man’s loyalty doesn’t depend on the color of a uniform, danger,
intrigue, and passion are facts of life for the men and women of Tara’s Secrets & Spies series, historical
romances set against the backdrop of the Civil War.
2 comments:
What a great blog...I didn't know any of this about these men!!!
Tess
I knew about the lasting marriages of the Bushes, Carters, and Reagans, but I was truly surprised to learn that politically driven men like Richard Nixon, LBJ, and Truman were head over heels in love with their wives. I love the human side of history. Truly heartwarming!
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