Existing comment:
A National Stage:
Presidents and first ladies entertain guests in many different ways, depending on their personal tastes and current styles.
Known for her easy hospitality, First Lady Dolley Madison (1809-17) held informal weekly receptions. The large crowds sometimes overflowed into the gardens. First Lady Julia Grant (1869-77) made the White House and center of Washington social life with celebrated meals that lasted for hours. Despite the national ban on alcohol during Prohibition, President Warren G. Harding (1921-23) often served cocktails to his private guests. Observers joked that the White House liquor came from the illegal shipments seized by government agents. |