About this item
Publishers Weekly11/18/2013 Drawing extensively on newly available letters, historian Chadwick (Lincoln for President) sketches a colorful portrait of an often neglected presidential couple. Ostensibly a dual biography, Chadwick's clear focus is Dolley, who, in the eyes of her contemporaries, was a good-natured and attractive woman. Widowed in 1793 at the age of 25, Dolley gained Madison's attention, and he requested a meeting with her. Always savvy, she engaged some friends to do a thorough background check on him before the meeting. Though Madison was 18 years older, shorter, and reportedly morose, she found him to be quite the opposite, and the couple married on September 15, 1794. While Madison served under Jefferson, Dolley became the White House hostess, helping Jefferson arrange his presidential parties; once ensconced as First Lady, she "raised the level of elegance at the President's mansion," and "was seen as a literary light," though was also very protective of her husband, keeping tabs on those who were "causing unnecessary trouble.
About the Author
Joshua Zeitz is a contributing editor at Politico Magazine and has taught American history and politics at Cambridge University, Harvard University, and Princeton University. He is the author of several books on American political and social history and has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, The New Republic, The Atlantic, Dissent, and American Heritage. A former congressional campaign aide and gubernatorial policy advisor and speechwriter, Zeitz lives with his wife and two daughters in Hoboken, NJ. Follow him on twitter @joshuamzeitz and his personal webpage joshuamzeitz.com
