Jessie Woodrow Wilson, middle daughter of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, married Francis Bowes Sayre, an attorney, on November 25, 1913.
Eleanor Randolph Wilson, youngest daughter of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, married William Gibbs McAdoo, Secretary of the Treasury, on May 7, 1914.
Lynda Bird Johnson, elder daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady Claudia Taylor “Lady Bird” Johnson, married Charles Spittal “Chuck” Robb, a U.S. Marine Corps Captain, on December 9, 1967.
Tricia Nixon, elder daughter of President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, married Edward “Ed” Finch Cox, a Harvard law student, on June 12, 1971.
On November 22, 1963, about two hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon Banes Johnson took the Oath of Office, becoming the thirty-sixth president of the United States. As president, LBJ immediately set out to heal a mourning nation while advancing legislation to bolster Kennedy’s legacy. On July 2, 1964, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in th
Abbie Rowe's photographs captured the drama of the interior space as floors were removed to reveal levels above and below. Beginning in November 1950 when the weight of the empty exterior shell of the White House was transferred to a new skeleton of steel, Rowe, recorded in a little more than fifteen months, the rapid construction of a new White House
Abbie Rowe's photographs of the Truman renovation of the White House form a unique and invaluable visual record of one of the nation's most important architectural and engineering challenges of the time. A Virginia native, Rowe spent his career in government service and was a noted photographer for the National Capital Parks of the National Park Service.First hired by
"The damned place is haunted, sure as shootin. . . . You and Margie had better come back and protect me before some of these ghosts carry me off." Harry Truman, in a letter to his wife Bess, September 9, 1946Shortly after moving into the White House, President Truman noticed the telltale signs of a building under serious physical stress. He frequently complained of
To provide solid support for the interior walls, crews poured 126 new reinforced concrete support columns to a depth of 25 feet. This would eventually provide space for two newly excavated sub-basement levels. By autumn 1950, interior demolition had left the White House a cavernous hollow space 165 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 70 to 80 feet high.Abbie Rowe visited the construction site frequently. His
By the summer of 1951 most interior partitions were complete. Service areas were modern and functional, bearing no visible similarity to their historical counterparts. Public spaces and family quarters were generally rebuilt to resemble the original rooms. Work proceeded at a rapid pace six days a week. In February 1952, furniture began arriving as workers finished sanding floors, painting walls, and installing