Mamie, Jackie, Lady Bird & Pat: Thanksgiving & Four First Ladies of the Mid-Century

Thanksgiving reflected public and political issues for the Four First Ladies of the Mid-Twentieth Century: (L-R) Pat Nixon, Mamie Eisenhower, Lady Bird Johnson, and  Jacqueline Kennedy.

Thanksgiving reflected public and political issues for the Four First Ladies of the Mid-Twentieth Century: (L-R) Pat Nixon, Mamie Eisenhower, Lady Bird Johnson, and Jacqueline Kennedy.


From Thursday, November 20 until Sunday November 23, 2014, the National First Ladies Library Blog is running a four-part series pegged to the upcoming holiday, “Thanksgiving and Mid-Century Modern First Ladies.” Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson and Pat Nixon presided over that boom era when everything from packaged ingredients to advertising recipes, two foreign wars, assassination, scandal, protests, energy crisis and rock music affected how these four national role models celebrated one national holiday.

A previously untold story now available exclusively on the NFLL website, new research converges to tell the compelling Thanksgiving tales of this famous quartette, from the humorous to the poignant, all of it lavishly illustrated with fresh visual imagery:

-Why is Pumpkin Pie now part of Mamie Eisenhower’s legacy?

-How did Thanksgiving become both the saddest and happiest time for Jackie Kennedy Onassis?

-Why Lady Bird Johnson spent her last two presidential Thanksgivings more in thought than action?

-Why did Pat Nixon invite a teen rock group to perform at her second White House Thanksgiving?


Categories: First Ladies, Holidays, Thanksgiving, The Eisenhowers, The Kennedys, The LBJs, The Nixons

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4 replies »

  1. I’m so happy I found your website. I love reading about the First Ladies especially Jackie.. I was surprised this year no one made note of the 20th anniversary of her death. She was my role model in high school, and still today.
    Thank you for all you do.

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