On March 11, 2025, the Richard Nixon Foundation partnered with the National Archives and Records Administration for First Ladies & The White House: Initiatives and Impacts. This second annual symposium gathered historians, authors and Nixon Administration officials to explore the importance of the First Lady’s role and the White House in American culture.
Secretary Barbara Franklin, 29th U.S. Secretary of Commerce, delivered remarks to open the symposium stating, “It is fitting that this event takes place just five days before the 113th anniversary of the birth of First Lady Pat Nixon. Mrs. Nixon did so much during her years in the White House both in terms of initiatives and impact.”
Panel 1: The Changing Role of the First Lady
Dr. Diana B. Carlin, Professor Emerita of Communication at Saint Louis University
Heath Hardage Lee, Author of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady (St. Martin’s Press, 2024)
Nancy Kegan Smith, Retired director of the Presidential Materials Division at the National Archives and Records Administration and author
Anita McBride, Director of the First Ladies Initiative at American University, School of Public Affairs
Alan Lowe, (moderator) Host and producer of American POTUS and FLOTUS podcasts; Executive Director of the American Museum of Science and Energy and K-25 Atomic History Center
Highlighting the First Ladies’ own words from speeches, letters and diary entries, this panel explored how the modern role of First Lady continues to evolve. The panelists discussed how National Archives records can be utilized to compare the initiatives and contributions of twentieth-century First Ladies with a focus on Eleanor Roosevelt, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter and Laura Bush.
Panel 2: The People’s House
Bob Bostock, Curator, Pat Nixon Centennial Exhibit
Dr. Matthew Costello, Chief Education Officer and Director of the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History
Robert Klara, Journalist and author of three critically acclaimed books, including The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence
Patrick Phillips-Schrock, Author of The White House: An Illustration Architectural History (2013) and The Nixon White House Acquisition and Redecoration Program: An Illustrated History (2016)
Lina Mann, (moderator) Historian at the White House Historical Association
This panel explored the extensive White House renovation and restoration projects starting in the nineteenth century and continuing with the major changes during the Truman and Nixon administrations. First Lady Pat Nixon’s efforts to make the White House the People’s House were highlighted in addition to her extensive renovation project that added more than 600 pieces to the White House Collection.
Remarks from Kara Blond, Executive for Presidential Libraries, provided an overview of the history and purpose of the presidential libraries administered by the National Archives.
The programming concluded with a moderated Q&A between White House Curator Donna Hayashi Smith and Tamara Martin, Director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. Hayashi Smith spoke about what it is like to work in the White House and highlighted some special pieces of the White House collection while sharing that over forty items acquired by First Lady Pat Nixon are still displayed in the Green Room today.
Throughout the symposium, participants shared how they utilized primary source documents found in the National Archives and other repositories. View highlights of these primary sources on the resource page for the event here.