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A review by spinnerroweok
Ida McKinley: The Turn-Of-The-Century First Lady Through War, Assassination, and Secret Disability by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
3.0
Ida Saxton is an interesting person. In her youth, she was a very vibrant, active, adventurous woman who bucked the attitudes of gender roles in her day by working in her father's bank. She married Civil War hero and up-and-coming politician William McKinley. They had two children, both of whom died very young. This left Ida devastated. She would often see other people's children and imagine what her own would be like. This gave her a fondness for children.
Along with this wound to her psyche, Mrs. McKinley also began suffering from seizures. This made her somewhat reclusive from time to time as treatments would go from helping to harming her. Add to this, she was married to the very ambitious William McKinley who was very doting and attentive to his wife's needs while being a very public figure whom the public begs for attention. This leads to a very interesting lifestyle as he goes from the House of Representative, to Governor of Ohio, to President.
I found it very interesting how McKinley carefully balanced the use of his wife's invalidism in his campaign for president. He managed to derive sympathy for his wife without evoking pity or even disdain for her condition which was considered unacceptable at the time. There were great efforts to hid what her true condition was.
Also very interesting was how Mrs. McKinley could influence policy and the president's decisions during the White House Years. At times, she became incredibly dependent upon "the Major" as she called him, frequently calling him away from important meetings. Other times, she would help him think about the situations he was dealing with.
Overall, the book was very informative and enjoyable. Mr. Anthony has done a lot of research to put this together. I was very impressed. It did get a little tedious at then end in describing Mrs. McKinley's widowhood as there seems to be a long list of shows and events Mrs. McKinley attends. However, this is very necessary in describing Mrs. McKinley's recovery from grief after the assassination of her husband.
I recommend.
Along with this wound to her psyche, Mrs. McKinley also began suffering from seizures. This made her somewhat reclusive from time to time as treatments would go from helping to harming her. Add to this, she was married to the very ambitious William McKinley who was very doting and attentive to his wife's needs while being a very public figure whom the public begs for attention. This leads to a very interesting lifestyle as he goes from the House of Representative, to Governor of Ohio, to President.
I found it very interesting how McKinley carefully balanced the use of his wife's invalidism in his campaign for president. He managed to derive sympathy for his wife without evoking pity or even disdain for her condition which was considered unacceptable at the time. There were great efforts to hid what her true condition was.
Also very interesting was how Mrs. McKinley could influence policy and the president's decisions during the White House Years. At times, she became incredibly dependent upon "the Major" as she called him, frequently calling him away from important meetings. Other times, she would help him think about the situations he was dealing with.
Overall, the book was very informative and enjoyable. Mr. Anthony has done a lot of research to put this together. I was very impressed. It did get a little tedious at then end in describing Mrs. McKinley's widowhood as there seems to be a long list of shows and events Mrs. McKinley attends. However, this is very necessary in describing Mrs. McKinley's recovery from grief after the assassination of her husband.
I recommend.