Slow Blog Day

So on the way home from work last night Rex asked if I had any blog ideas.  Not really I said, but I got up this morning with a thought.....

I recently read a book by Bill Harris.  It is a large book with over 700 pages and it took me 3 months to read, mostly because it has a very small font  and I mostly read it at work on my breaks.  The book is "First Lady Fact Book".  I must say I am amazed at how interesting most of these women are.  I am so glad that I took the time to  learn about these incredible women.  So on slow blog days, I will share with you some of the  things I have learned about our esteemed "First Ladies".

Since I don't have the book here with me today, although I have requested it from the library again, I will tell you a couple of facts I found interesting about Lucy Ware Webb Hayes.

Lucy Hayes, wife of 19th President Ruterford B. Hayes, was known as "Lemonade Lucy".  She got this moniker because during the Hayes administration, alcohol was banned from the White House.  According to this book, that ban was the President's idea not his wife's.  His predecessor, Ulysses S. Grant, had the reputation of having a very corrupt administration which included wild, drunken parties.  President Hayes wanted to distance himself and his White House from that association.  While it is true that Lucy was temperate, she had no problem with other people having a drink.  So the "Lemonade Lucy" title was undeserved.

Another very interesting fact about this lady.  In December of 1877 Lucy and Rutherford had just moved into the White House and were about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversay.  They decided to renew their vows.  This amazed me, I thought vow renewal was a modern idea--guess not.   And the really amazing part of this, Lucy wore her original wedding dress.  This was a woman of the 1800's that had had EIGHT children!!  Her dress still fit!!  That is just  astounding.