The Mastermind

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The Political machine

There was never a first Lady like Helen Louise Herron "Nellie" Taft. The fourth of six daughters, young Nellie took a unique approach to stand out among her sisters. She vowed at sixteen to marry a man only if he would be elected President of the United States someday - and, if as president, he would consider Nellie his equal. 

After a rocky but victorious courtship, a then-slightly overweight Yale Graduate named William Howard Taft became that man. together, He and Nellie shared a romance that eventually carried them to the White House - at his wife's every wish. A political genius, Nellie plotted her husband's entire rise to power: she pushed him into high office, advised him on issues, reviewed his speeches, and even occasionally vetoed his decisions - To his approval.

President Taft had the fullest faith in his wife, and Nellie had complete confidence in her abilities. As such, when illness nearly Robbed the White House of its First Lady, the entire Taft presidency was swiftly brought to its knees.

Unprecedented

NELLIE Taft EMBRACED NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND SHATTERED SOCIAL NORMS. she SMOKED, SHE DRANK, SHE GAMBLED, and she was the first First-Lady in history to ride alongside her Husband during his inauguration. She explored Philippine jungles and bathed nude in tropical rivers. She SPURNED prejudice and kept friends of every race, religion, and orientation. she redecorated Washington, DC with cherry blossoms from Tokyo, purchased a fleet of automobiles for the White House, and, when given the opportunity on Hawaii's Waikiki Beach, Nellie even surfed.

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