Siena Survey: Eleanor Roosevelt Tops Among First Ladies

[Beacool]

A new poll from Siena College shows that for the 5th time in 32 years, Eleanor Roosevelt got the top spot in the college’s "Survey of American First Ladies."

Historians and scholars once again see Mrs. Roosevelt best exemplifying the ten characteristics of a First Lady. Abigail Adams finishes second, Jacqueline Kennedy is again in the third spot, Dolley Madison moves into fourth position (from 6th), and Michelle Obama enters the survey and assumes fifth moving Hillary Clinton down two places to sixth.

Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, Martha Washington and Rosalynn Carter round out the top ten.

Eleanor Roosevelt is ranked at the top in six of the categories: Background, Value to the Country, Leadership, Being her own Woman, Accomplishments and Courage.

http://wxxinews.org/post/siena-survey-eleanor-roosevelt-tops-among-first-ladies

Here's the link to the Siena College poll.

http://www.siena.edu/sri/firstladies

Interesting findings. Although, this may sound like sacrilege, but I think that Jackie has always been overrated. I think that she showed courage and grace after her husband's assassination, but while in office she was a traditional first lady. She did spearhead a much needed renovation of the WH, but she didn't advance either women or civil right causes. She sure was no Eleanor in that respect.

[yeoman6987]

1. Nice

They picked a nice top 10. Only Betty Ford is the Republican and she seemed fine to be in the top 10. There are plenty of Republican First Ladies that would have made me gag had they been picked.

[Beacool]

2. Yes, they picked 6 Democrats out of the top 10.

I like Betty Ford. She's my favorite Republican first lady.

[frazzled]

3. I wrote her a letter when I was a little girl

I had read her biography (remember those blue clothbound biography books you read in, like second grade? some of them were bound in orange), and I was so enamored of her.

I don't remember what it was I wrote, probably just some letter of admiration. And my parents mailed it, and I got some kind of brief response back (probably from a secretary), and I have no idea what happened to it. But I will never forget writing to my hero, Eleanor Roosevelt. I wanted to grow up to be just like her. I totally failed. But I had good taste.

[Beacool]

4. I was born many years after Eleanor was first lady, but I have always admired her.

She's my type of first lady: an activist. She was fearless and spoke her mind. I think that every first lady should carve her niche, but I prefer the ones who dared to speak up for something they believed in.