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--> --> Aug. 21: First ladies, part II By Jeff Cheek There have been 38 First Ladies. Some led more dramatic lives than their husbands. Louisa Johnson Adams, wife of the sixth President, is an example. Adams was Ambassador to Russia. President Madison ordered him to France to write the treaty ending the War of 1812. Louisa made her way to Paris in a carriage mounted on skis. Meanwhile, Napoleon had escaped from his first exile, and France was in turmoil. She was stopped by an army unit. Were they loyal to the king, or Napoleon? She didn't know, but she gambled. She spoke French fluently, so she announced that she was Napoleon's sister and was en route to Paris to join her brother! Her luck held. The unit had deserted to the Emperor. They let her proceed. Lou Henry Hoover spoke, read, and wrote Chinese. During the Boxer rebellion, when Chinese nationalist rose up to throw out the "foreign devils" in 1900, she was trapped in Tientsin. Her husband organized a makeshift defense force and erected barricades to defend the foreign compound. The future First Lady rode her bicycle to deliver food and medicine to the soldiers. She escaped death when a bullet missed her but punctured her tire. Undeterred, she made her deliveries on foot thereafter. Caroline Scott Harrison, wife of the 23rd President, was an early advocate of women's rights. Johns Hopkins Medical College asked her help in raising money. She readily agreed, but gave her condition: The trustees had to amend the school charter to admit women. Mrs. Harrison died of cancer in 1892 near the end of Harrison's term and never saw the first women doctors graduate from the famous medical college. Abigail Powers was a 19 year old grade school teacher when 17 year old Millard Fillmore humbly asked to join her class. He had a three month break from his apprenticeship and wanted to "learn as much as possible." She encouraged him to pursue his dream of being a lawyer. They were married eight years later. When he became our 13th President in 1850 upon the death of Zachary Taylor, the First Lady was shocked to find there was not one book in the White House. Congress gave her $250 to establish the first White House library. Margaret Smith Taylor married a career soldier, "Old Rough and Ready," General Zachary Taylor. She refused to let her daughter, Sarah Knox, marry Lieutenant Jefferson Davis. Sarah disobeyed. When Davis took her to Mississippi to meet his family, she contracted "swamp fever" and died three months after her wedding. When President Taylor died, someone started a cruel rumor that she had poisoned him. The rumor was finally put to rest 140 years later when his body was exhumed and tested. He died of natural causes. Grace Goodhue Coolidge was gay, friendly, and outgoing, the opposite of her husband, "Silent Cal" Coolidge, our 30th President. She started the tradition of having a national Christmas tree on the White House lawn. He preferred plain food. Cornbread sticks were a favorite. INGREDIENTS: 1 egg, beaten 1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon soda 1/2 cup flour 1 and 1/2 cups cornmeal 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup soft shortening PREPARATION: Mix buttermilk and egg, then beat in all dry ingredients and shortening. Butter iron corn stick pans; heat in oven. Pour batter in to hot pans; bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot. Jeff Cheek lives in Medford. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing