The volunteers discovered a delightful newspaper article in the collections that is worth sharing. This is from the October 27th edition of the New York American in 1912, just before the election when Woodrow Wilson faced off against two former presidents, Taft and Theodore Roosevelt.

Voters have always been interested in the whole family that would be entering the White House if someone were to be elected president. In this case we can see Ellen Wilson taking on the task of campaigning with the newspapers to become First Lady with the same high level of capability and skill that she brought to most things. This can be shown best by simply quoting the article:

Mrs. Wilson with bright cheeks and brown eyes looking out candidly – almost child-like in their frankness – this little Southern woman who may soon be the “First Lady of the Land,” talked of all sorts of things, from how to boil rice properly to the suffragist movement and matrimony.

But speaking of food, “Yes, Governor Wilson since his marriage has lived on Southern cooking. You see we always had cooks form the South or those who where Southern-born, and they know how to cook chicken better than anybody in the world, the Governor thinks. He would rather have chicken Southern style than a foreign-cooked banquet. The Governor’s idea of a fine dinner includes Chicken Southern-style, rice and candied sweet potatoes, with beans and corn, fruit and a salad.” …

“I studied art at the New York Art School until my marriage and then I gave up my painting for art in a more practical form – the art of housekeeping. It was not until eight years ago when my daughters began to grow up that I again took up painting.” …

One of the most important subjects touched upon by Mrs. Wilson was that of women and suffrage in this country. “While my daughter Jessie is an out-and-out suffragist, I cannot say that I am, though no one in our family is an anti-suffragist. As my husband expresses it, I feel that I am in the ‘middle of the argument.’ If I were to decide the question from my own personal standpoint and from that of women similarly placed, I should say that we do not need suffrage, either for our protection or for influence. But when I hear the arguments of social workers – of my Jessie – I am inclined to believe that it is necessary to the working women. In fact the attitude of these workers who come in direct contact with the working women of our country is the strongest argument I have met for the woman vote.”