Lucy Webb Hayes
From Mark Twain in the German Language Press
Lucy Hayes was born Lucy Ware Webb on 28th August 1831 in Chillicothe, OH. She married Rutherford B. Hayes in December 1852 who was elected US president in 1877. Lucy Hayes was the first woman to be addressed as the "First Lady" in formal settings. She died on 25th June 1889 in Fremont, OH (see Caroli) Throughout her life, Lucy Hayes showed interest in a number of charitable causes and political activities which supported her husbands social standing and political career. She was applauded by some - and ridiculed by others - for her decision to stop serving alcohol in the White House and countless temperance groups nation-wide saw her as an ally in their fight for abstinence and even prohibition, even though Lucy Hayes repeatedly distanced herself from the more extreme sentiments of the temperance movement (see Greer).
WCWA Testimonial Album
In 1880, the "Woman's Christian Working Association" of Ottawa, IL decided to compile an album to present to Lucy Hayes, the wife of Rutherford B. Hayes who was then President of the USA. The gift was intended to honour Lucy Hayes commitment to the political cause of temperance. Reputable personalities were asked to contribute autographs, short inscriptions, letters, and post cards. These thousands of pages were then leather bound and the resulting six volumes were supposed to be presented to Lucy Hayes in February 1881. Due to some organisational delays during the production of the album and the attempted assassination of the newly elected President James A. Garfield in July 1881, plans for a formal presentation of the gift - accompanied by several speeches - were abandoned. Eventually, the album was sent to Lucy Hayes without any formal proceedings in August 1881 (see Scott and Greer).