“The environment after all is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.”
- Lady Bird Johnson, “Speech at Yale University,” (New Haven, Connecticut, October 9, 1967).
As a champion of conservation efforts and environmental causes, Lady Bird Johnson initiated the Beautification Project to improve the quality of life for residents of Washington, D.C. through the renewal and improvement of public spaces. The environmental and aesthetic improvements of Beautification included tree-lined avenues, floral displays, design guidelines, improvements to pedestrian circulation, renovation of historic buildings, and litter clean-up.
Beautification Luncheon. Foreground L-R: Sec. Stewart Udall, Lady Bird Johnson, Laurance Rockefeller looking at an architectural model of the Washington DC Mall area during a Beautification Luncheon in the White House State Dining Room. The 1967 luncheon in part discussed proposed changes to the Mall (Robert Knudsen, LBJ Library, White House Photo Office collection (C5209-33).
Beautification was far more complex than a garden club project.
According to Johnson, “Though the word beautification makes the concept sound merely cosmetic, it involves much more: clean water, clean air, clean roadsides, safe waste disposal and preservation of valued old landmarks as well as great parks and wilderness areas. To me…beautification means our total concern for the physical and human quality we pass on to our children and the future.”
Lady Bird Johnson and two young people standing among blooming white azaleas during a Beautification Tour of Washington, D.C. (Robert Knudsen, LBJ Library, C1754-25).
Lady Bird Johnson selected her adopted hometown of Washington, D.C. as the pilot city to show the nation how Beautification could enhance the overall quality of life. The city afforded Johnson the perfect opportunity to showcase the potential of the program. The prominence of Washington, D.C. garnered national visibility to highlight the progress of the effort.
“The Story of Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson’s Beautification Program” is from the LBJ Library moving picture collection created by the White House Naval Photographic Unit, aka the Navy Films. The films consist of monthly reports on the activities of President and Lady Bird Johnson from 1963-1969. This edited content is from the LBJ Library audiovisual archives.
Lady Bird Johnson formed a coalition of both public and private entities, involving Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, local officials, planners, landscape architects, citizens, and school groups.
Spring brings color to the trees on the East Potomac Golf Course at Hains Point in Washington, D.C. (NPS Photo).
Lady Bird’s legacy is still evident in Washington, D.C. today.
Daffodil drifts soften the hillsides of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, as well as the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Lady Bird Johnson Park. Cherry trees line the road of Hains Point, sprays of blossoms frame views in the monumental core, and the Floral Library near the Washington Monument bursts with color in the springtime. Street trees shade avenues throughout the city, and efforts to clean the city’s waterways have continued into the present.
SIDESHOW: Sometimes there are other ideas that I think would be awesome. So think of these as guest blog entries from other sections of my brain. (See all Sideshows here.)
She was part of the first American delegation to the United Nations. When the UN established a permanent Commission on Human Rights, they unanimously elected Eleanor Roosevelt as chair. She also chaired the subcommittee that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights consists of a preamble and 30 articles that outline the fundamental human rights that must be universally protected.
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home…”
Today’s JFK100 post features President and Jacqueline Kennedy’s trip to Mexico in late June, 1962. About 1.5 million people lined the streets to watch JFK’s motorcade, and a blizzard of confetti showered them as they made their way through the city. In a message sent to President López Mateos after the trip, JFK wrote, “I came to meet a president and statesman, I have left him as a friend. ¡Viva México!”
JFK and Jacqueline Kennedy with Ballet Folklorico dancers at the National Institute of Fine Arts; in Mexico City with the President of Mexico, Adolfo López Mateos, and First Lady of Mexico, Eva Sámano de López Mateos, on the front steps of Los Pinos, the official residence of the President of Mexico; JFK’s motorcade to Los Pinos; Jacqueline Kennedy delivered a speech in Spanish at the Hotel Maria Isabel; Mexico City. 6/30/1962.
“I do not think it altogether inappropriate to introduce myself… I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris, and I have enjoyed it.”
In May of 1961, President and Jacqueline Kennedy traveled to France for a state visit. Jacqueline had previously lived in France for a year and studied at the Sorbonne when she was 20 years old. Her return to France as First Lady drew adoring crowds who were won over by her appreciation of French culture and fluency in the language.
This video from the @JFKLibrary is from the United States Information Service film, “The Task Begun: President Kennedy in Europe, 1961.” Our #JFK100 theme this month is Arts, Culture, and Jacqueline Kennedy. Join us for more about Jackie all month!
Today, July 18, marks the international celebration and 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela. This day of service was created in 2009 by the United States along with 192 United Nations member states to commemorate the life and legacy of the former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
In 2011, First Lady Michelle Obama met Nelson Mandela at his home during an official visit to South Africa and later shared her experience with a group of attendees at the Young African Women’s Leaders Forum in Soweto, South Africa.
“What is important in our lives is not so much what we have in the way of intelligence or talent, but what we do with these gifts.”
Betty Ford shared these words of wisdom with the newest graduates of Grand Rapids’ Central High School at their commencement ceremony on June 7, 1976. Her remarks touched upon her experiences since she herself had graduated from Central 40 years earlier. "You begin with your own hopes and talents and what happens is not always what you plan,” she told the Class of 1976, “but if you follow your heart and discipline yourself to be the very best you can, I believe you will find many rewards.“
Image: Betty Ford congratulates members of Central High School’s Class of 1976 at their commencement ceremony at George Welsh Civic Auditorium in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 6/7/1976 (White House photograph B0138-06)
Cool off while watching this fun video of Eleanor Roosevelt and close friend Marion Dickerman ice skating. This film was donated to the FDR Library by the family of Marguerite LeHand.
Betty Ford * First Momma * 1970s * First Lady * What tags do you see?
We’re continuing our celebration of Betty Ford’s Centennial by tagging photos of her in the National Archives Catalog. Tagging photos is a fun and easy way to help make records more searchable and discoverable. By adding keywords, terms, and labels to photographs, you help identify and categorize records of Betty Ford based on different topics about her life.
New to the National Archives Citizen Archivist program? It’s easy to register and get started. Check out our Resources page where you can learn How to Tag and Transcribe Records, and What Makes A Good Tag. Already have a National Archives Catalog account? Start Tagging! http://bit.ly/BettyFordTagging
Image: On a Campaign Trip in Texas First Lady Betty Ford, aka “First Momma,” Greets the Crowd Gathered at San Jacinto Battlefield Park for a Bicentennial Celebration, 4/21/1976. @fordlibrarymuseum
Betty’s life changed dramatically once she became Mrs. Gerald Ford. They married on October 15, 1948, and her husband was elected to Congress 18 days later.
Within weeks they moved to Washington, DC. Betty immersed herself into understanding Capitol Hill. “I saw that I would have to grow with Jerry or be left behind. And I had no intention of being left behind,” she recalled. She met with other Congressional wives, attended sessions of Congress, studied how bills became law, and gave tours to visiting constituents. Betty also did work to benefit various charitable causes such as the Red Cross and the Hospital for Sick Children.
During the 1950s the Ford family grew and Betty devoted much of her time their four children, Michael, John, Steven, and Susan. She became a Den Mother, Sunday School teacher, PTA member, and managed their household with help from Clara Powell, who worked for the Fords for 20 years. She also remained involved in her husband’s career – attending White House and Congressional events, appearing in newspaper and magazine articles, and occasionally traveling abroad with Jerry.
All of these activities took a toll. In 1964, a pinched nerve in her neck sent Betty to the hospital. Arthritis soon set in. These health problems combined with the stress of a husband increasingly pulled away from home by his job caused her to seek psychiatric help. “I could talk out my feelings of frustration,” she later wrote. “I no longer believe in suffering in silence over something that’s really bothering you. I think you have to get it out and on the table and discuss it, no matter what it is.”
Together the family rallied around her and Betty resumed her active schedule. In 1972 Jerry raised the possibility of retiring at the end of his 1974 term. Betty was elated at the prospect of a life not driven by politics, but their lives would go in a much different direction than expected before they left Washington.
Betty Bloomer had a passion for dance from an early age. Every day after school she went to class at the Calla Travis School of Dance, and learned every type of dance that she could.
After graduating from Central High School in 1936, she attended the Bennington School of Dance in Vermont for two summers. While studying there she met choreographer Martha Graham, who would be one of the most influential people in her life. Betty continued her studies with Ms. Graham in New York City, becoming a member of her Auxiliary Performance Troupe and performing at Carnegie Hall.
In 1940 she returned to Michigan and formed her own performance group. She also worked with children with disabilities, helping them experience the joy of rhythm and movement in dance. During the summer she worked as a dance instructor at Camp Bryn Afon in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
Many years later as First Lady, Betty Ford continued to promote programs for children with disabilities and brought public attention to the importance of the performing arts. She encouraged her husband’s decision to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to her mentor Martha Graham, the first dancer so honored. State dinners often ended with dancing that lasted late into the night. Betty never missed an opportunity to learn new steps, even kicking off her shoes to join ballet students in their rehearsal while visiting China!
Today in History: Eleanor Roosevelt Resigns from the DAR in Support of Marian Anderson
Eleanor Roosevelt first met African American contralto opera singer Marian Anderson in 1935 when the singer was invited to perform at the White House.
Ms. Anderson had performed throughout Europe to great praise, and after the White House concert the singer focused her attentions on a lengthy concert tour of the United States. Beginning in 1936, Anderson sang an annual concert to benefit the Howard University School of Music in Washington, DC. These benefit concerts were so successful, that each year larger and larger venues had to be found.
In January 1939, Howard University petitioned the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to use its Washington, DC auditorium called Constitution Hall for a concert to be scheduled over Easter weekend that year. Constitution Hall was built in the late 1920s to house the DAR’s national headquarters and host its annual conventions. It seated 4,000 people, and was the largest auditorium in the capital. As such, it was the center of the city’s fine arts and music events universe.
However, in 1939, Washington, DC was still a racially segregated city. As part of the original funding arrangements for Constitution Hall, major donors had insisted that only whites could perform on stage.This unwritten white-performers-only policy was enforced against African American singer/actor Paul Robeson in 1930. Additionally, blacks who attended events there were seated in a segregated section of the Hall.
The organizers of Marian Anderson’s 1939 concert hoped that Anderson’s fame and reputation would encourage the DAR to make an exception to its restrictive policy. But the request was denied anyway, and despite pressure from the press, other great artists, politicians, and a new organization called the Marian Anderson Citizens Committee (MACC), the DAR held fast and continued to deny Anderson use of the Hall.
On February 26, 1939, Mrs. Roosevelt submitted her letter of resignation to the DAR president, declaring that the organization had “set an example which seems to me unfortunate” and that the DAR had “an opportunity to lead in an enlightened way” but had “failed to do so.” That same day, she sent a telegram to an officer of the Marian Anderson Citizens Committee publicly expressing for the first time her disappointment that Anderson was being denied a concert venue. Read More
Images:
Eleanor Roosevelt’s DAR resignation letter, 2/26/39.
Eleanor Roosevelt to John Lovell, Jr. of Howard University. February 26, 1939.
On Wednesday, June 5, 1929, a courier from the White House, who was sworn to the utmost secrecy, delivered a handwritten invitation to the home of Congressman and Mrs. Oscar DePriest, inviting Mrs. DePriest to a tea the following week, on June 12. We do not know if Jessie L. DePriest had advance notice to expect the messenger, but the invitation certainly must have given her a sense of satisfaction. She was the wife of the only African American member of Congress, and she was being formally invited to socialize with the new First Lady, Lou Henry Hoover. Read More
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was born on July 28, 1929. This is her first official White House photograph. As First Lady, Jackie would restore the White House and revitalize the American cultural scene.
1. As First Lady, Dolley Madison founded an orphanage for girls in Washington, D.C., and redecorated the White House to give it a more stately look. Check out our website on Mrs. Madison.
2.Eleanor Roosevelt was an early civil rights activist, insisting that New Deal benefits be extended to African Americans in an equal manner. Check out our website on Mrs. Roosevelt.
3.Jacqueline Kennedy renovated and refurbished the White House, while also extending support for the arts in America. Check out bios of Kennedy women here.
4. National beautification became Lady Bird Johnson’s cause of choice. She led efforts in improving physical conditions in Washington, D.C., in particular. Check out our website on Mrs. Johnson.
5.Rosalynn Carter sat in on Cabinet meetings (which was then unprecedented) and supported reform for mental health legislation and aiding senior citizens. Learn more about Mrs. Carter here.
6.Hillary Clinton headed the Task Force on National Health Care Reform and traveled to over 75 countries during her time as First Lady. Read our biography of Mrs. Clinton here.
Betty Ford planted a tree on the North Lawn of the White House in commemoration of the American Bicentennial on October 20, 1975. The seedling had been specially cultivated from an American Elm tree planted by President John Quincy Adams, which was the oldest and tallest tree on the White House grounds.
Image: First Lady Betty Ford Planting a Seedling from the John Quincy Adams American Elm Tree on the North Lawn of the White House, 10/20/1975 (National Archives Identifier 30805907)
