A revealing look at Nellie Taft, one of the most obscure and least understood first ladies of the twentieth century. Examines how she succeeded in making the White House a serious cultural center, despite suffering a stroke ten weeks after the inauguration that permanently affected her speech and made her an invalid for the next two years.

This fascinating study brings a shadowy first lady into the light and restores her to a rightful place as a patron of music. Helen Herron Taft came to the White House intent on establishing Washington, D.C., as the nation's cultural capital. Historians have written her off as a shrewish figure who pushed her portly husband into the presidency. Gould challenges this narrative with new information on Helen Taft's campaign to bring the best of classical music to the White House during her four years.