Pat Nixon, voted “Most Admired Woman in the World” in 1972 and featured on Gallup Poll’s top ten list of admired women 14 times, was often portrayed as elusive by the media. In reality, she was a spirited Western woman, born in 1912 in Ely, Nevada, and raised in Artesia, California. She married Richard Nixon in 1940, becoming his trusted political partner. Serving as Second Lady (1953–1961) and First Lady (1969–1974), she navigated mid-century protocols and the evolving social climate of the Sixties and Seventies with grace.

A progressive advocate for women’s rights, Pat Nixon supported the Equal Rights Amendment, increasing women’s roles in government, and nominating women to the Supreme Court. She also championed a woman’s right to choose and acted as a global diplomat, connecting with ordinary people, especially women and children.

Heath Hardage Lee, an award-winning historian specializing in women’s history, authored The League of Wives: The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the U.S. Government to Bring Their Husbands Home from Vietnam and curated its corresponding museum exhibition. Hardage Lee has written for Time, The Hill, The Atlantic, and White House History Quarterly. Her latest book, The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: Washington’s Most Private First Lady, is the first major biography of Pat Nixon in nearly 40 years.

This program is presented in partnership with Sunnylands Center and Gardens.