History Question

by Dave Schuler on January 15, 2009

If she decides to stay, will Marian Robinson be the first presidential mother-in-law to live in the White House?

I can’t remember another.

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Callimachus January 15, 2009 at 4:16 pm: According to WaPo: “Laura Bush’s mother, Jenna Welch, often spent weeks at a time living there, especially around holidays, according to a spokeswoman.”

Who knew? Evidently not even the WaPo. A Freudian insight into journalism, I suppose. Some feature of president X’s life is so far outside The Confirmed Narrative that it never registers. Same feature in President Y, core to The Confirmed Narrative (family man? dutiful husband?), is front-page news.

Turns out, it was pretty common up until F.D. Roosevelt’s day. (the good stuff is buried in the article; I don’t recommend the rest of it).
Kelly January 16, 2009 at 9:56 am: Harry Truman’s.