Helen “Nellie” Taft is unknown by most Americans, but her legacy as a First Lady is full of things that still make an impact on our lives. From her support of social causes to her focus on the beautification of Washington, DC through the Japanese cherry blossoms, she is a woman to remember and admire.
Each month, I’ll detail the life of the first lady and their legacy. Then I’ll share what I learned while studying them, along with ways you can travel in their footsteps through historical sites and museums. I’ll also share books, podcasts, TV shows, and websites where you can learn even more about that first lady. Read all of the way through the blog post or click on the links below to go straight to those sections.
Life
Childhood
Helen “Nellie” Louise Herron was born on June 2, 1861 in Cincinnati, Ohio to John and Harriet Herron. Little Nellie was the fourth of eight surviving children born into this highly respected family in Cincinnati society. Her father was friends with two presidents (Benjamin Harrison and Rutherford B. Hayes), and her mother was an intelligent granddaughter and sister of congressmen. They were not wealthy, however, and were always just a bit below the well-to-do society folks in the city.
Little Nellie grew up as the quintessential middle child in this large family (23 years separated the oldest from the youngest child!) where money was always a concern. Her mother didn’t want her husband to pursue his dream of being a judge because she needed him to make money. He was law partners with the future president Hayes and went into debt to keep up appearances.
Nellie was a nervous child whose first real memory was watching a parade to celebrate the end of the Civil War. She received a good education at a fashionable girls school in town where she excelled at reading, writing, math, and languages. She fed her passion for music and studied piano, falling in love with all things musical.
Her mother’s best friend was Lucy Hayes, wife to the future president, and one of Nellie’s sisters was even named Lucy Hayes Herron. President and Mrs. Hayes invited the Herron family to the White House in 1877, and President Hayes said that Nellie made the “house alive with laughter, fun, and music.” 17-year-old Nellie was enamored with the mansion, and she decided she would only marry a “man destined to be president of the United States.”
Nellie graduated in June of 1879 and debuted that fall even though she had asked her mother to spend money on music lessons instead of the party (her mother declined). Even as an adult member of society, Nellie wasn’t happy with the rules of courtship expected of her. She flirted with men but always found a flaw in them.
“I hate boys and college youths and society young men. A man is not endurable until he is twenty-eight or thirty and not always then.”
Instead of pursuing love, she pushed herself academically, taking German and chemistry classes at university. She loved attending the theater and indulged in vices such as gambling, smoking, and drinking. She loved a good German beer!
Unlike most young women her age, she didn’t like church work and saw it as an obligation. She grew up Presbyterian but religion wasn’t a big part of her life. Instead she focused on her career and taught French and other subjects at several schools. She was brilliant, disciplined, but also pushy and intense. It would take a special man to keep her interest.
Courtship
Nellie’s best friends was her neighbor, Anna, who was married to Charley Taft, and they introduced her to his brother at a bobsledding party in 1879. William Howard Taft was a congenial, fun-loving young man whose goal in life was to be a Supreme Court justice. He and Nellie were just friends at first and didn’t keep in touch when he left for Yale in the fall of 1881. She thought he was kind and jolly, but she had other suitors and a budding career to nurture.
Two years later, Nellie saw Will again at the Cincinnati Opera Festival, and they continued their friendship. Will became one of the regular members of Nellie’s “salon” where they discussed literature and politics. Two marriages ended up being made at the salon!
As she got to know Will, she realized that a marriage to him wouldn’t be conventional; he let her be herself and would allow her to continue her pursuits. Their relationship was built on equality and respect which grew into love over time. He proposed in April of 1885, but she turned him down. He kept trying, telling her that “I love you for all that you are. I love you for your noble, consistent character, for sweet womanly disposition, for all that you are, for all that you hope to be…I know I could make you happy.” She finally said yes and started planning a June, 1886 wedding. They were a compatible match. His sunny disposition helped her anxiety and depression. He was sentimental and remembered dates and anniversaries, but she didn’t feel comfortable expressing emotions. He brought out her tender side.
Marriage
Will and Nellie were married on June 19, 1886 at the Herron home on Pike Street. She wore a “satin robe with embroidered front and veil caught with sprays of white lilies” and carried a bouquet of sweet peas and lilies. After their wedding, they honeymooned in Europe where she kept them on a tight budget.
They returned to Cincinnati where they lived with his parents while their own home was being built. Nellie was a good financial manager (Will even said she should serve as Treasury secretary!), and within two years, they had saved enough to pay off debts, furnish the house, and take a second trip to Europe where they explored Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. She loved the German beer halls!
Will was named to the Ohio Supreme Court which didn’t please Nellie as she had her mother’s idea against the financial implications of serving in the judiciary. She resumed her job as a teacher at a charity kindergarten until she discovered she was pregnant with their first child. Robert “Bob” Taft was born on September 8, 1889, and he was soon joined by little Helen on August 1, 1891.
Just before Helen’s birth, Will was made Solicitor General of the United States by President Benjamin Harrison. The Tafts moved to a home on Dupont Circle, and Nellie made public appearances with Will and toured reform schools. She loved living in Washington, especially attending Congressional debates and State dinners at the White House. Money was tight in these years as they kept up appearances in Washington, and she was ashamed they had to borrow money from Will’s brother.
Will resigned in March of 1892 to take an appointment on the sixth judicial circuit which meant they had to move back to Cincinnati. Nellie was not pleased as Will was gone all of the time and because she couldn’t even live in her own home which was rented out.
Her only saving grace was her founding of a ladies music club that eventually turned into the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Association. Nellie was president every year until 1900 and made it a huge success.
Her third and final child was born on September 20, 1897, Charles “Charlie,” who was the only child she showered in true affection. He was the apple of her eye.
Philippines
Will was sent by President McKinley to the newly acquired Philippines in early 1901, so she and the children (ages 10, 8, and 2) moved too. They stopped in Hawaii on the way there and Nellie surfed! They also visited Japan which she grew to love, especially its beautiful yoshino cherry trees.
The Tafts stayed in Manila four years, and while it was a hard time politically, Nellie was a good partner for Will as he navigated the tensions between the United States and the native people. She loved the Filipino culture and always made sure to include local leaders in her receptions and dinners.
On her 40th birthday, Nellie embarked on an ambitious trip to northern Luzon territories where she spent weeks on horseback and camping in primitive tents. She loved learning the dances of the tribes she met and exploring this uncharted place.
During her trip, she learned that Will had been named governor-general of the Philippines, and two days after her return, she hosted over 2,000 people at a reception in their new palace. She held weekly open houses where the local people were welcome and insisted on racial equality at all events.
Nellie won the hearts of the Filipino people with her quest to improve the lives of children by starting a “drop of milk” campaign that provided sterilized milk to thousands of children. The program was such a huge success that it was replicated in many South American countries.
Will created the Philippine constabulary band with Nellie’s input, and numerous musicians from different regions of the Philippines took part, enhancing the public’s understanding of the culture. Her favorite spot in the entire country was Luneta Park on Manila Bay with its bandstands. She attended concerts multiple times a week there.
Nellie enrolled Bob in the public schools and Helen in Catholic school, keeping rambunctious little Charlie at home. She loved her life in the Philippines but trouble began as she learned of her mother’s second stroke and also President McKinley’s assassination. She was not a fan of Theodore Roosevelt, the new president, and had always felt inferior to his aristocratic wife.
“Truly it was as if the foundations of our dear world had crumbled under us.”
In late 1901, Nellie began to fear for their safety as a revolt led her to worry that they’d be murdered in their beds. She felt like she was having a nervous breakdown, so she took a ship to China where she explored. As Will’s health declined, they came back to the United States for a three-month furlough at the end of 1901. Her mother passed away before Nellie could get back to Cincinnati, and she was so exhausted that she couldn’t even attend the funeral. Her father had a stroke and Nellie discovered she had malaria. They decided she and the children would stay in Cincinnati while Will returned to the Philippines.
She was finally better by the summer and spent most of it in Europe before heading back to Manila in the fall of 1902. They spent the next 1.5 years enjoying their time there even as Nellie grew more suspicious of the new US president and his intentions for her husband. She made Will turn down a seat on the Supreme Court, but he finally said yes when President Roosevelt asked him to be his War Secretary. They left the Philippines in early 1904, and Nellie and the children recuperated in Santa Barbara while Will headed to Washington.
Washington
Nellie finally went to Washington in the fall of 1904 and moved into a beautiful home on K Street. Helen was enrolled at the National Cathedral School and Charlie attended a public school with Quentin Roosevelt.
Will became President Roosevelt’s right hand man, but Nellie never trusted Teddy or his wife. She especially disliked Teddy’s spirited daughter, Alice, who knew how to annoy Nellie by degrading Cincinnati. Nellie firmly believed that Teddy saw Will as a political rival, and when he offered Will another spot on the Supreme Court, he and Nellie were at war. In an unprecedented meeting with the sitting president, Nellie held firm against his demands and saw through his insistence that he wasn’t going to run for president again. She knew he was too ambitious, and she wasn’t going to let him stand in her (and Will’s) way. By the end of another meeting that included Will, Nellie had convinced Teddy to name Will as his successor and Will to run for an office he never wanted.
Edith Roosevelt saw through Nellie’s scheming and thought it was distasteful. She never invited Nellie to Oyster Bay, even though Will was invited, and Nellie dreaded attending her teas for cabinet wives.
Nellie continued to travel and went on an extended trip through Japan, China, Philippines, Russia, Germany, and France. She took dirty Siberian trains and didn’t mind roughing it over isolated terrain. She still loved her beautiful gowns and diamonds!
As the 1908 Republican convention loomed, Nellie kept her eyes and ears open for any perceived slights on Will. She was unhappy when the convention clapped longer for the outgoing president than it did for Will. At the end of the day, though, she prevailed. William Howard Taft won the Republican nomination for president.
Will spent the summer campaigning while Nellie was his best advisor even as she recuperated from rheumatism in Hot Springs, Virginia. She joined him for a whistle stop campaign tour and even had a private meeting with President Roosevelt to discuss the race. She released formal pictures for the press, hoping they wouldn’t find out about her vices of gambling and drinking. As soon as Will won the election, she began planning her White House goals.
White House Years
Will’s inauguration was on one of the coldest days in Washington history, but Nellie didn’t let that dissuade her from reveling in his success. She even set a precedent by being the first First Lady to ride from the Capitol to the White House with her husband (it was usually the outgoing president). Dressed in purple with a matching hat, her ride down Pennsylvania Avenue was her “proudest and happiest moment.”
Her inaugural gown was heavy white satin with delicate silvery embroidery trimmed in lace and rhinestones. She would make history by becoming the first First Lady to donate her inaugural gown to a new Smithsonian project on First Ladies (now the amazing First Ladies exhibit!).
Nellie instantly took to being First Lady and didn’t hesitate to make the changes she thought necessary. She replaced Edith’s social secretary and fired the valets, hiring four black men to replace them. She hired a female housekeeper and returned all cooking to the White House kitchens instead of outside caterers. Under her encouragement, the White House purchased four automobiles including one little car for her use.
She instituted the rule of no receiving lines at receptions, instead having her and the president move from one small group to another. She had “absolute authority and can do exactly as she pleases.” The New York Times said her place with the president “smashed all precedents.”
Nellie had no racial or class prejudices, so she equalized the White House staff and guest lists for receptions. She treated the White House as a business of which she was the corporate head. She also treated the White House more like a family home, entertaining friends in the Blue room and dancing around the rug to ragtime music. The West Wing was enlarged during the Taft administration, creating the Oval Office that we still have today. Her bedroom was the first to be decorated by a professional designer and contained twin beds!
Newspapers and magazines loved Nellie, labeling her as independent and pro-suffrage. They gobbled up the images she released of her wearing beautiful gowns and diamonds. She loved fashion and popularized shorter dresses and cartwheel hats.
She was the most worldly First Lady to date, having seen more of the world than a majority of past presidents. She took her love of Manila’s parks and helped turn Potomac Drive into a promenade and park with a bandstand where she loved to attend concerts. She loved the Japanese cherry trees when she was visiting the country, so she decided to plant them around the park. She was thrilled with a gift from Japan of over 3,000 cherry trees which she had planted around the tidal basin. Some of the originals still exist!
Nellie also was one of the most politically active First Ladies, making her an activist First Lady before Eleanor Roosevelt. She aligned herself with national organizations on social welfare, visiting factories and supporting limits on child labor. She even had plans to visit every government department to ensure the employees were safe. After a few months, the New York Times said she had “done more for society than any former mistress of the White House.”
However, on May 17, 1909, just over two months into her tenure as First Lady, Helen Taft suffered a massive stroke on a boat to Mount Vernon. She was rushed back to the White House where she slept for sixteen hours. When she woke up, she could not speak (now we call this aphasia after a stroke). The public wasn’t told of the seriousness of her illness, and poor Will had to act like nothing was wrong.
The proud, strong Nellie was forced to relearn how to speak and walk, making progress slowly. She was mortified at her inability to talk and refrained from even talking to the staff. This affected Will tremendously as Nellie was his confidante, his best political advisor. Without her input, he floundered.
Nellie spent the summer in Beverly, Massachusetts recovering and remaining in seclusion. Will spent his time in Washington with Alice Roosevelt and her husband, Nick Longworth, which irked Nellie. Her hatred of Alice was reciprocated as Alice had buried a voodoo doll of Nellie in the White House grounds before leaving. Whether Nellie knew this or not, she influenced Will to refrain from naming Nick as ambassador to China. The Roosevelts were now her enemy even though Will continued his friendship with Teddy and Alice.
By October, Nellie was well enough to make an appearance at the final concert of the summer in Potomac Park. She took long walks but avoided seeing people, and her first White House Christmas was quiet. They did hold the traditional New Year’s reception, but Nellie sat holding a bouquet so she didn’t have to shake hands.
Her sisters were her rock, staying with Nellie and providing their assistance and friendship along with serving in her stead as White House hostess. Will had a hard time with her diagnosis and began stress eating, ballooning up to almost 400 pounds!
She slowly started getting back out into public and hosted a huge party on her and Will’s 25th wedding anniversary in 1911. 8,000 people were invited, and the Tafts received a huge amount of silver gifts from home and abroad. Even though Nellie had suffered another stroke just a month before, she was able to attend and stayed for hours.
She continued to focus on the arts, having Shakespeare performed on the lawn for the first time and even created the beginnings of what was to become the Presidential Medal of the Arts. She didn’t attend fundraisers but contributed signed White House prints and handkerchiefs to causes she supported. She also loved baseball and was thrilled when Will was the first president to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game!
Her daughter, Helen, took a year off of college to help her mother and debuted at the White House. Helen was an even bigger advocate of labor reform which influenced her mother, especially after the horrific Triangle Shirtwaist fire.
The Tafts suffered more tragedies as her sister’s husband died and her father’s health declined. But nothing prepared them for the international tragedy of the Titanic disaster which took the life of their trusted aide, Archie Butt. The Tafts were a strong family, though, and weathered these storms.
Will’s political life, however, did not fare as well as Theodore Roosvelt began making noise that he wanted the Republican nomination. It was a hard fought fight at the convention, which Nellie attended (another First Lady first!), and Will ultimately prevailed. However Teddy created his own party, the Progressive “Bull Moose” Party, and this cost them the election in 1912. Democrat Woodrow Wilson won without a majority of the popular vote because of the split Republican ticket. Nellie would lose her beloved position.
Post-White House Years
Nellie was such a good manager of money that the Tafts had socked away $100,000 over their four years in the White House. No longer worried about money, Will was offered a professorship at Yale, so they moved to New Haven, Connecticut. Nellie wrote her memoirs which were the first successfully published memoirs of a First Lady. She was often alone as Will was on the speaking circuit and Helen and Charlie were at college. She had Helen’s little dog as her only companion. She enjoyed attending Yale sporting events and going to the theater.
Bob married and had a son while Helen went on to get her doctorate in history. Charlie enlisted as WWI began, and Bob moved to Washington to work in Herbert Hoover’s food administration. Will and Nellie moved back to Washington so he could lead the National War Labor Board. Nellie volunteered at the canteen and knit socks for the soldiers. She met with First Lady Edith Wilson, but there was a strained politeness.
After the war, she supported women’s suffrage and the right of women to work, including her daughter who continued to work while also a mother to two daughters. She was an inspiration to Nellie.
In the fall of 1921, Will finally achieved his dream – appointment to be chief justice of the Supreme Court. They moved to a home in the Kalorama section of Washington on Wyoming Avenue, and Nellie let go of trying to steer his career. She focused on music and theater, attending almost daily! She loved vacationing with her grandchildren in Murrays Bay, Canada and continued traveling to Europe.
Wills health began to fail with several heart attacks, and she made sure he took care of himself and avoided aggravating his weak heart. They were thrilled when their close friends, the Hoovers, were elected to the White House in 1928.
In 1929, Will was in and out of hospitals constantly, leading him to resign from the Supreme Court in early 1930. He died on March 8, 1930 and was buried in Arlington Cemetery. Nellie and the children didn’t participate in the public mourning but were there for the private burial. Nellie’s beloved sister, Jennie, died just days later.
Widowhood
Nellie was now a wealthy widow, and just a few months after his death, she sailed to Europe with her sister, Maria. She continued traveling to Europe every year and wintered in Charleston, South Carolina. When in Washington, she stayed busy attending lectures, films, and theater and was excited to see Bob’s political career grow (he was a Senator and ran for the Republican nomination for president severeal times). She didn’t rely on her children, often not even being with them for holidays, but she remained close with Charlie who was by her side when she died on May 22, 1943 after a long battle with lung issues. She was one week away from her 82nd birthday. Her funeral was at St. John’s Church, just across from her beloved White House, and she was buried beside Will in Arlington Cemetery, the first First Lady to be laid to rest there.
Legacy
Nellie is virtually unknown by the American public today, but she was an influential First Lady who made a huge impact. Her most visible and lasting legacy is the beautiful cherry blossoms that we still see bloom every spring around the Tidal Basin (this year’s peak will be March 28-31). They draw thousands of tourists to Washington every year, all thanks to Nellie’s idea.
She was a First Lady of many firsts which I think she must have loved. She seemed to be desperate to make an impact, to be remembered. She made the impact but unfortunately, her husband’s lack of popularity in presidential history keeps her legacy from shining. If she had been born a century later, we might have seen her sitting around a cabinet table or giving a speech on the House floor.
She was a formidable woman who introduced America to a more equitable society. She improved the lives of millions in the Philippines through her hard work, and she brought attention to the plight of some of the most vulnerable people in the workforce. She was an activist First Lady before there was such a thing!
My Time with Helen
I enjoyed getting to know Helen and was impressed with her work. I wouldn’t say that I grew to like her as the manipulation of Will’s political future was a bit much. She practically forced him to be president to fulfill her desires, keeping him from the job he truly wanted.
I feel for Helen as she dealt with a health crisis right as she reached the pinnacle of her career. It seemed so cruel for a woman in the prime of her life with so much to give to be struck down like that. I empathize with her desire to get back to her former self and hope I can push myself in the same way if faced with something similar.
I admire her tenacity and the way she took charge of a problem. I wouldn’t have wanted to get on her bad side – like Edith Roosevelt! I loved learning about Edith last month, so it was hard for me to agree with Nellie’s hatred of all things Roosevelt.
While I didn’t love Nellie, I respected her. Maybe that’s better than love!
Travels with Helen
Helen is another First Lady from Ohio – our fifth of six!
Ohio
Cincinnati – Helen’s hometown
This building was designed by Hoban who also designed White House – it even looks like a smaller version! William Taft’s wealthy brother, Charley, lived here at his wife’s family home. This is where many important events in William and Nellie’s life happened including where they learned of his presidential nomination.
William Howard Taft National Historic Site
While Nellie only lived here briefly after their honeymoon, its education center has information on her and the children. There is also a Japanese cherry tree planted here in her memory.
The home Will and Nellie built right after their marriage still exists as a private residence.
Massachusetts
Stetson Hall and Parramatta, Beverly
The Stetson Hall “summer White House” of the Tafts was moved after their residence. You can still see vestiges of it in Randolph. Their second “summer White House” doesn’t seem to still exist.
Connecticut
Taft Mansion, New Haven
Nellie’s home while Will worked at Yale is now a part of the university.
Virginia
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington
Visit William and Nellie’s final resting place. She was the only First Lady to be buried at Arlington until Jackie Kennedy Onassiss’ death in 1994.
Washington, DC
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
While Nellie’s inaugural gown started the First Ladies exhibit, it’s currently not on display. The museum also has her Chinese Manchu robe that is so unusual!
Former Taft home where Helen lived after Will’s death and where they both died. It used to be the Syrian Embassy!
See the “Church of Presidents” where Helen’s funeral was held.
Canada
Murray Bay, Quebec
You can golf at the Murray Bay Golf Club just like President Taft!
To Learn More
Books to Read:
For such an accomplished First Lady, there are not many books about Helen Taft.
Links are Amazon affiliate links. Be sure to see my Bookshop.org list for all of the books related to my Booking It Through History: First Ladies project.
Nonfiction:
Nellie Taft: The Unconventional First Lady of the Ragtime Era by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
The definitive biography of Nellie, this is the most detailed look at her extraordinary life.
Recollections of Full Years by Helen Herron Taft
Nellie’s own autobiography. I love hearing the stories written in her own words.
My Dearest Nellie: The Letters of William Howard Taft to Helen Herron Taft, 1909-1912, edited by Lewis L Gould
I didn’t get a chance to read this, but I imagine it’s very sweet as Will seemed like an affectionate husband.
Fiction:
American Princess by Stephanie Marie Thornton
While focused on Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Nellie makes several appearances, including in the story about Alice burying the voodoo doll.
Taft 2012 by Jason Heller
William Howard Taft wakes up in 2012 with a great-granddaughter in Congress and a country clamoring for him to run again. It’s a surreal yet entertaining book!
TV Shows
C-SPAN First Ladies Influence and Image
Podcasts
Websites
White House Historical Association
- Ornament – Helen appears with Will in the White House’s first automobile (turn over to see her face on the back!). The Tafts loved their cars!
Helen “Nellie” Taft was an admirable woman who overcame adversity to reach her goals in life and to better the lives of others. She is an inspiration!
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