Eleanor Roosevelt to Melania Trump: How first ladies impact national party conventions with a unique personal touch
First Lady Melania Trump's speech on the second day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Tuesday, August 25, was well-received as many noted that her address added an unconventional soft, humanizing touch to an otherwise passion-filled string of speeches at the event. When some of her step-children's speeches before her were considered relatively aggressive, Melania presented compassion in her speech as she talked about coronavirus victims and appealed for racial harmony by recalling her own immigrant story.
The tradition of first ladies speaking at national party conventions may appear a norm to many, however, the practice is relatively new. No first lady had the opportunity of speaking at national party conventions until 1940 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt's wife Eleanor Roosevelt — a political power in her own right – became the pioneering first lady to address the Democratic National Convention that year. Eleanor, at the time, spoke on behalf of her husband who was absent from the event.
Although the tradition began first with Eleanor, no first lady spoke at a national party convention for nearly 32 years after her. The next first lady to address a party convention was President Richard Nixon's wife, Pat Nixon, in 1972. It was reported that year's Republican convention was the most tightly controlled party convention by a president in history to date. Reports that it took actor Jimmy Stewart and then- California Gov. Ronald Reagan both to quiet down the roaring standing ovation Pat received, which lasted for nearly eight minutes. Pat, believed to be the most well-traveled first lady before Hillary Clinton, became the first wife of a president to speak to a Republican Convention.
Several first ladies after Pat gave the party conventions a miss until the mold was ultimately broken by Nancy Reagan who spoke in 1984, and again in 1988. Ever since her speech, every sitting the first lady after her has given an address at their parties' conventions. First lady Barbara Bush's address during the 1992 convention was also considered a major speech as she campaigned for her husband President George H.W. Bush's second term.
Hillary Clinton's Democratic National Convention speech in 1996 also playing a historically significant role as it set the precedent for first ladies to be given primetime television spots during such events. Clinton, during her speech, successfully made case for her husband President Bill Clinton's second term with her signature "it takes a village” theme.
Ever since, first ladies have given effective speeches in support of their husbands, many succeeding in giving a personal touch to leading political figures. Laura Bush, in her 2004 Republican Convention speech, was noted for presenting a human touch to her husband President George W. Bush, who at the time had become a war-time commander in chief. Laura, in her speech, said: "I remember very quiet nights at the dinner table. George was weighing grim scenarios and ominous intelligence about potentially even more devastating attacks." She assured the voters that her husband could be trusted. "You can count on him, especially in a crisis. His friends don't change — and neither do his values," she said.