Historian, biographer and museum curator Heath Hardage Lee launched The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady at the Nixon Library on August 6.
In this new biography, Lee uses extensive archival research and firsthand interviews to share the story of a self-made woman from America’s frontier who left a legacy of advancing women and unprecedented international diplomacy.
Lee appeared on stage in the Nixon Library’s East Room in-conversation with Bob Bostock, curator of more than a dozen special exhibitions at the Nixon Library including the Pat Nixon Centennial Exhibit in 2012. The two discussed how Mrs. Nixon changed the role of both second and first lady through the many firsts she accomplished. Lee recalled that Mrs. Nixon said, “Everywhere I go, I try to uplift women” while giving many examples of how she embodied that goal without seeking credit or attention.
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Signed copies of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon are available for purchase at the Nixon Library’s Museum store.