Mary Todd Lincoln was the wife of Abraham Lincoln, and was a large believer in the occult. (Adam Mintzer/MNS)
WASHINGTON- Superstition and spiritualism have intrigued as many as a dozen first ladies dating back to the early 19th century, often as tools to protect their families while in the White House.
Psychics, horoscopes and ghosts were part of a number of first ladies’ lives during their time in Washington; among those named as believers by an authority on first ladies were Mary Todd Lincoln, Florence Mabel Harding and Nancy Reagan. All of them were well educated and politically astute, but were worried about the health of their family members.
Patricia Krider, executive director of the First Ladies Library in Canton, Ohio, told a small crowd at the National Press Club on Wednesday that all three of those first ladies experienced deaths or near deaths of their spouse, drawing them to spiritualism in different ways,
At the discussion hosted by the American Women Writers National Museum, Krider noted that Lincoln was traumatized the death of her son Willie at a young age to typhoid fever, but did not get much sympathy because many families were losing sons in the Civil War. In response, Lincoln met with psychics that attempted to help her contact her dead son. Then when her husband was assassinated, she relied even more on occult practices.
“He comes to me every night and stands at the foot of my bed with the same, sweet adorable smile he has always had,” Mary Lincoln wrote about her son in a letter to her sister.
Harding moved into the White House about 60 years after Lincoln and was fearful for the safety of her husband. Harding was the daughter of German immigrants who passed down old beliefs in spirits and curses. She claimed that astrologers foretold her husband’s death due to illness.
Sixty years later, mood rings and rabbits feet became commonplace, and Reagan fell into the superstitious inclinations. She was concerned for her husband’s life after a failed assassination attempt, so she used astrology as a tool to plan President Ronald Reagan’s schedule to navigate his safety.
With the large media presence that surrounded the Reagan administration, Nancy Reagan’s fascination with horoscopes became public. In fact, on May 16, 1988, Time Magazine’s cover featured the title “Astrology in the White House” above a small image of Nancy Reagan.
“While astrology was a factor in determining Ronnie’s schedule, it was never the only one, and no political decision was ever based on it,” wrote Reagan in her book, My Turn.
However, while the trend of consulting the stars comes in and out of fashion for first ladies, a desire to keep their family’s lives private has been a constant. This is especially true for first families raising children in the White House. Present first lady Michelle Obama has worked to keep press out of her daughter’s daily lives.
“I think it is a maternal instinct, it does not matter if it is a first lady or a stay at home mom, you want to protect your loved ones,” Krider said.
