Item: i95821
 
Authentic Medal of:

United States of America
Official White House Historical Association Sterling Medal
First Lady – Helen Taft
1972 FM Proof Silver Medal 37mm (33.05 grams) 0.925 Silver (1.00 oz. ASW)
HELEN TAFT 1909 1913 FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES, Helen facing.
Helen Taft 1862 – 1943 Initiated Cherry Blossom Festival in Washinton; trees, planted at her request, were a gift from the people of Tokyo.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.

Helen Louise Taft (née Herron; June 2, 1861 – May 22, 1943), known as Nellie, was the wife of President William Howard Taft and the first lady of the United States from 1909 to 1913.

Born to a politically well-connected Ohio family, Nellie was well educated, and taught before marrying William. She supported her husband throughout his career, and was socially keen, greatly helping them when he was in various offices. Their children all went on to successful careers themselves. Nellie had a lasting impact on the position of First Lady; among other things, she introduced some musical traditions, ably handled social affairs, and was key in the planting of Washington’s famous cherry trees. She also supported social causes such as women’s suffrage and workplace safety. She remained socially active past her husband’s death.

Taft married Nellie on June 19, 1886, at the home of the bride’s parents in Cincinnati. The wedding was performed by the Reverend D.N.A. Hoge of Zanesville, Ohio. Taft’s younger brother Horace Taft was the best man. The couple honeymooned one day in New York City and four days at Sea Bright, New Jersey, before setting off on a three-month tour of Europe.

On their return, they settled in Cincinnati. Nellie Taft encouraged her husband’s political career despite his often-stated preference for the judiciary. However, she welcomed each step in his judicial career: state judge, Solicitor General of the United States, and federal circuit court judge. In 1900, Taft agreed to take charge of American civil government in the Philippines as Governor-General (1900–1903). Nellie Taft moved with their children to Manila where she tried to reconcile with the local population by showing respect to the culture of the Philippines by learning the language, wearing a native Filipino costume and inviting Filipinos to social events. Further travel with her husband, who became Secretary of War in 1904, brought a widened interest in world politics and a cosmopolitan circle of friends.

The Tafts had two sons and a daughter. Robert A. Taft (1889–1953) was a politician and statesman, Helen Taft Manning (1891–1987) was an educator, and Charles Phelps Taft II (1897–1983) was a civic leader.

Nellie Taft was the first First Lady to ride in her husband’s inauguration parade, which she did despite adverse weather. She started to receive guests three afternoons a week in the Red Room. At times, she attended the cabinet meetings with the President without speaking on the issues. She introduced musical entertainment after state dinners which became a White House tradition. The Tafts attended symphony, opera, and theater performances in Washington D.C.; she started another summer tradition at West Potomac Park with the United States Marine Band playing for the public.

In May 1909, Nellie Taft suffered a stroke, impairing her speech, right arm and leg. The stroke happened at the beginning of her husband’s presidential term. Assisted by her four sisters, she continued her functions as White House host until she recovered with the help of her husband.

The social highlight of the Taft administration was the Tafts’ silver wedding anniversary gala on June 19, 1911, for some 2,000 guests.

In her most lasting contribution as First Lady, Nellie Taft arranged for the planting of the 3,020 Japanese cherry trees around the Tidal Basin and on Capitol grounds; with Viscountess Iwa Chinda (the wife of the Japanese ambassador), she personally planted the first two saplings in ceremonies on March 27, 1912.

Also in 1912, she donated her inauguration gown to the National Museum of American History to begin the First Ladies’ Gown display, one of the Smithsonian’s most popular exhibits.

The First Lady notably enjoyed the company of Vice President James S. Sherman and his wife Carrie; this encouraged a more harmonious working relationship between the President and Vice President, who had earlier found themselves at odds.

In June 1912, she attended both the Republican National Convention that re-nominated her husband and the Democratic National Convention that nominated his opponent Woodrow Wilson. She took a front-row seat at the latter in order to deter speakers’ criticism of her husband. After losing the election, the Tafts returned to Cincinnati, where William began teaching law. Nellie Taft wrote her memoir, Recollections of Full Years, which was published in 1914. During the Great War, she provided support for the American Red Cross.

With Taft’s appointment to the Supreme Court in 1921, Nellie Taft became the only woman to be both First Lady and wife of a chief justice. She resumed her social activities after returning to Washington D.C.

Prohibition was a major political debate at the time. Nellie Taft was a Wet (an opponent of the Prohibition movement), so White House guests were entertained with alcohol during her time as First Lady. William Howard Taft opposed Prohibition during his presidency and much of his time as Chief Justice, but was himself a teetotaler and during his last years wrote letters in support of Prohibition’s objectives.

Nellie Taft was the first First Lady to publish her memoirs, the first First Lady to own and drive a car, the first First Lady to support women’s suffrage, the first First Lady to smoke cigarettes, and the first First Lady to successfully lobby for safety standards in federal workplaces. She was also the first First Lady to follow her husband in the inauguration parade.

Nellie Taft was widowed on March 8, 1930, and stayed in the city of Washington. She continued to be socially involved serving as an honorary vice president of the Colonial Dames of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA. She died in Washington, D.C. on May 22, 1943, and was buried next to the President at Arlington National Cemetery, which created a precedent later used for Jacqueline Kennedy.

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million km²), the United States is the world’s third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe’s 3.9 million square miles (10.1 million km²). With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital’s federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries.

Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century. The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies following the French and Indian War led to the American Revolution, which began in 1775, and the subsequent Declaration of Independence in 1776. The war ended in 1783 with the United States becoming the first country to gain independence from a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, with the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, being ratified in 1791 to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century, acquiring new territories, displacing Native American tribes, and gradually admitting new states until it spanned the continent by 1848.

During the second half of the 19th century, the Civil War led to the abolition of slavery. By the end of the century, the United States had extended into the Pacific Ocean, and its economy, driven in large part by the Industrial Revolution, began to soar. The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed the country’s status as a global military power. The United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower, the first country to develop nuclear weapons, the only country to use them in warfare, and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The Rights Acts of 1964, 1965 and 1968 outlaws discrimination based on race or color. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in the Space Race, culminating with the 1969 U.S. Moon landing. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the world’s sole superpower.

The United States is the world’s oldest surviving federation. It is a federal republic and a representative democracy. The United States is a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States (OAS), and other international organizations. The United States is a highly developed country, with the world’s largest economy by nominal GDP and second-largest economy by PPP, accounting for approximately a quarter of global GDP. The U.S. economy is largely post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge-based activities, although the manufacturing sector remains the second-largest in the world. The United States is the world’s largest importer and the second largest exporter of goods, by value. Although its population is only 4.3% of the world total, the U.S. holds 31% of the total wealth in the world, the largest share of global wealth concentrated in a single country.

Despite wide income and wealth disparities, the United States continues to rank very high in measures of socioeconomic performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP, and worker productivity. The United States is the foremost military power in the world, making up a third of global military spending, and is a leading political, cultural, and scientific force internationally.