The Velvet Glove: A Life of Dolley Madison

An engrossing biography of one of America's most remarkable First Ladies. Will appeal to readers of Ron Chernow, John Thomas Flexner and David McCullough. First Lady Dolley Madison, wife of America's fourth President, was renowned as an accomplished hostess, a lady of fashion, and a heroine of the War of 1812. Born into Virginia Quaker gentry, Dolley became a social leader overnight following her marriage to Founding Father James Madison. Charming and personable, her admirers were many, including Benjamin Franklin, the Marquis de Lafayette, and John Quincy Adams, who declared her to be "the most beautiful lady in America". Dolley acted as the official hostess during the eight-year administration of widower President Thomas Jefferson, whom her husband served as Secretary of State, and was then First Lady in her own right for another eight years when her husband became President in 1809. Renowned for her culinary triumphs and innovative fashion sense, she demonstrated a talent for hospitality which contributed to her husband's popularity as President. Yet it was her spirit of independence that was the real secret of her success. When British troops marched on Washington City in 1812, she risked her life to save some of the country's most valuable treasures from the White House. Her contemporaries saluted her courage. Noel B. Gerson's The Velvet Glove draws upon Dolley's letters to illuminate the story of a prominent American woman who not only shaped her own role as First Lady but who set a precedent for all who followed her.