The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady

In America’s collective consciousness, Pat Nixon has long been perceived as enigmatic. She was voted “Most Admired Woman in the World” in 1972 and made Gallup Poll’s top ten list of most admired women fourteen times. Pat greatly expanded upon preservation efforts in the White House. In the domestic arena, she was progressive on women’s issues, favoring the Equal Rights Amendment and was pro-choice. The real Pat Nixon, however, bore little resemblance to the woman described in the press. Heath Hardage Lee presents readers with the essential nature of this First Lady, an empathetic, adventurous, self-made woman who wanted no power or influence, but who connected warmly with both ordinary Americans and people from different cultures she encountered worldwide.