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Helen Taft
 Helen
Taft was born on June 2, 1861, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and went on to work
as a schoolteacher before marrying William Howard Taft, the 27th
President of the United States, in 1886. An independent thinker, she
became her husband’s primary political adviser and organized his
presidential campaign. As First Lady, she was the first wife of a
president to ride alongside her husband down Pennsylvania Avenue on
Inauguration Day. After only two months in the White House, Helen
suffered a stroke that left her temporarily unable to speak. With
amazing will, she worked her way back to health. Upon her return, she
concentrated on the social image of the administration, organizing
lavish dinners and functions. She also continued her interest in
politics, opposing prohibition, and promoting women's suffrage and
rights for factory workers. Helen Taft's greatest legacy may be
arranging for the planting of 3,000 Japanese cherry blossom trees along
the Tidal Basin, south and west of Independence Mall, in Washington,
D.C. Along with the wife of the Japanese ambassador, she personally
planted the first two saplings in ceremonies on March 27, 1912.
As First Lady she established new traditions. She
enthusiastically supported the establishment of the first ladies
collection at the Smithsonian. When asked to contribute a dress to the
exhibition, she chose the gown she wore to her husband’s 1909
inauguration. Her choice established a precedent for future first ladies
and each one since who attended an inaugural ball has donated the gown
she wore to that event. Taft was also the first presidential partner to
have her memoirs published.
Helen Taft died on May 22, 1943, in Washington, D.C.
She is buried next to her husband at the Arlington National Cemetery.
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