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On June 19, 1911, President William Howard Taft and First Lady Helen Taft celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary at the White House.
Image Credit: Library of Congress
Image Credit: Library of Congress
Mrs. Taft welcomed the duties of the first lady with enthusiasm, hoping to make the White House the center of Washington society. Despite suffering a stroke in May 1909, Mrs. Taft was back planning and running White House events within a year.
Image Credit: Library of Congress
Image Credit: Library of Congress
The Tafts’ silver anniversary was a memorable celebration of their quarter century of marriage. Over five thousand guests attended the evening garden party, which was considered Helen Taft’s “greatest event” of their years in the White House.
Image Credit: Library of Congress
Image Credit: Library of Congress
#OTD in 1789, George Washington took the oath of office in New York City and became the first president of the United States. Later, he said of this new presidential role, "I walk on untrodden ground." 1/14
Since that day, inaugural ceremonies have evolved considerably. In today’s gallery, review a few images of presidential inaugurations that have culminated in the events we recognize today. 2/14
The first presidential inauguration took place at Federal Hall, New York. 3/14
Library of Congress
Library of Congress
This painting by Herbert E. Abrams is President George H. W. Bush's official White House portrait. Bush served as president from January 20, 1989, until January 20, 1993. 1/6
There is also another famous painting in the background—George P.A. Healy’s The Peacemakers. Completed in 1868, it depicts Generals William Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, President Abraham Lincoln, and Rear Admiral David D. Porter onboard the steamer River Queen. 2/6
The meeting took place in March 1865 on the James River near City Point, Virginia, less than a week before the fall of Petersburg. 3/6
#OTD 75 years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s funeral took place at the White House. The photograph shows members of the honor guard standing watch near Roosevelt’s casket in the East Room on April 14. 1/9
Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
He had died in Warm Springs, Georgia, two days earlier. Roosevelt was sitting for a portrait when suddenly he complained that he had a terrible headache—later diagnosed as a cerebral hemorrhage. 2/9
Image Credit: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum / NARA
Image Credit: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum / NARA
The news of his death shocked the country and the world, yet those close to the president knew that his health had been in decline. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt stayed in Washington until Vice President Harry Truman took the oath of office before leaving for Georgia. 3/9
The president and first lady often host guests at the White House. In honor of the Diplomatic Corps Members’ Children’s Christmas Party in December 1970, First Lady Patricia Nixon welcomed Sesame Street’s Big Bird! 1/6
Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
It was a joyous occasion with singing and dancing. Big Bird and his friends, including Oscar the Grouch, performed a skit for the children in the East Room of the White House. 2/6
Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
Newspapers reported that “they made a darling couple, standing there . . . holding hands—Mrs. Nixon and Big Bird.” The children also met clowns and Santa Claus and ate as many cookies as they could stomach. 3/6
In celebration of spring, scroll through today’s thread of photographs highlighting the first 25 years of the renewed Rose Garden.
The Rose Garden is the crown jewel of the White House Grounds and underwent a significant renovation during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. 1/7
The Rose Garden is the crown jewel of the White House Grounds and underwent a significant renovation during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. 1/7
While the name suggests a homogeneity of plants, the Rose Garden is actually home to a variety of species of flowers that bloom in a spectrum of hues for first families and their guests. 2/7
The Kennedys commissioned the renewal of the West Garden in 1961. The inspiration came from their travels in Europe. It became an attraction for the public and a useful space where the first family could host guests. 3/7
Image Credit: White House Historical Association
Image Credit: White House Historical Association
On April 29, 1865, Mary Lincoln received correspondence from Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom. The letter came weeks after the assassination of President Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre, when Mary suddenly became a widow and single mother. 1/9
Image Credit: Library of Congress
Image Credit: Library of Congress
Queen Victoria’s letter was an unexpected condolence, as the two had never met nor corresponded. 2/9
“Though a stranger to you,” she wrote, “I cannot remain silent when so terrible a calamity has fallen upon you and your country, and must personally express my deep and heartfelt sympathy with you under the shocking circumstance of your present, dreadful misfortune.” 3/9
The story of the White House orangery—where orange trees were grown—touches on a broad history of architectural and horticultural tastes at the White House across the nineteenth century. 1/13
President Thomas Jefferson’s plan to join the White House with the neighboring executive buildings contained the origins of the orangery. Part of that plan included a fireproof vault connected to the Treasury building, which was left empty on the South Lawn after 1814. 2/13
White House gardener John Ousley put the old vault to use as a tool shed during the presidency of John Quincy Adams, and the president’s lime and persimmon trees may have spent the winters in the vault. 3/13
On November 17, 1965, Princess Margaret of England and her husband, the Earl of Snowdon, attended a dinner and dancing party at the White House at the invitation of President Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson. 1/10
Just before the dessert course, the president’s daughter, Lynda Johnson, stood and asked the guests to join her in a toast to her parents’ thirty-first wedding anniversary, which happened to be the same night. 2/10
President Johnson’s toast to Princess Margaret also mentioned his anniversary: “I am personally very glad that you could be here on the evening that marks the beginning of my 32d year with the most wonderful woman in the world. . . . 3/10
On April 4, 1970, President Richard Nixon and First Lady Patricia Nixon hosted a white-tie dinner in honor of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, former King of England Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. 1/9
Image Credit: Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum / NARA
Image Credit: Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum / NARA
The Duke had visited the White House many times before—in fact, during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, he visited five times alone. He also visited President Woodrow Wilson and President Harry S. Truman at the White House. 2/9
A number of famous guests attended the dinner, including the eldest daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, dancer and singer Fred Astaire, and pilot Charles Lindbergh. 3/9
#OTD in 2009, three former presidents, one current president, and one president-elect gathered in the Oval Office for a historic moment in White House history. 1/7
Image Credit: White House Photo by Eric Draper
Image Credit: White House Photo by Eric Draper
Just days before leaving office, President George W. Bush extended a warm welcome to Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and President-elect Barack Obama. 2/7
The meeting came at the suggestion of President-elect Obama, who had visited President Bush shortly after his election in November 2008. The occasion marked the first time since 1981 that all the living presidents gathered at the White House. 3/7
One notable “first” for President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the introduction of the televised press conference. 1/4
Even though presidential press conferences began in March 1913 with President Woodrow Wilson, on January 18, 1955, President Eisenhower held the first televised, on-the-record press conference in the Old Executive Office Building, setting a precedent for his successors. 2/4
This and subsequent televised press conferences allowed the public to watch the president describe his policies and goals personally, creating a deeper connection between White House leadership and the nation. 3/4
The parade on Inauguration day is a tradition dating back to the earliest presidents, with arguably the first Inaugural Parade occurring in 1801 when a company of Virginia militia escorted President-elect Thomas Jefferson to the Capitol Building to take the Oath of Office. 1/10
The distinction for longest Inaugural Parade, however, belongs to President Dwight Eisenhower’s first Inauguration on Tuesday, January 20, 1953. 2/10
The day began in a rather traditional manner, with President-elect Eisenhower attending service at the National Presbyterian Church before meeting President Harry Truman at the White House. 3/10
