First Lady: Helen “Nellie” Herron Taft
Taft married Helen “Nellie” Herron, the daughter of Judge John W. Herron and Harriet Collins, on June 19, 1886. Helen's parents were prominent members of society and friends of President and Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes. Together, the Tafts had two sons and one daughter.
Shortly after becoming first lady, Helen had a stroke from which she never fully recovered. However, she continued with her duties as first lady, relishing the social events.
PRESIDENTIAL TRIVIA
Mrs. Taft was responsible for the planting of the Japanese cherry trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. She had seen the trees on a visit to Japan and desired to have them in the capital. She and the Japanese ambassador's wife planted the first two saplings in an official ceremony on March 27, 1912.
On June 19, 1911, President and Mrs. Taft celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary in the White House. Helen Taft remembered this as the “greatest event” of her time as first lady. She continued to be involved in the Washington social scene after the end of her husband's presidency.
