While it is tempting to answer Eleanor Roosevelt, whose impact on behalf of Progressive causes certainly persisted long after her Husband’s death in 1945, I am going to go with Edith Wilson (née Edith Bolling) on this one.
Edith Wilson was the second wife of America’s 28th President Woodrow Wilson (March. 1913-March. 1921). Her impact in the Oval Office especially after American entry into World War One should not be understated. Some have even described her as America's First Female President. Source: Was Edith Wilson Actually America's First Female President?
Edith and Woodrow Wilson Source: Was Edith Wilson Actually America's First Female President?
From the onset of his term in office Edith was actively involved in Wilson’s day-to-day presidential duties - screening her husband’s mail, attending his meetings, and regularly offering her opinions on the various foreign dignitaries she encountered. She held great sway especially when deciding which of the president’s advisers could meet with him.
Edith did not let her lack of formal education hold her back and indeed after the US entry into World War One (April 1917), she actually stepped up her role, handing over more of the First Lady Ceremonial duties to her secretary. She was with him at his side during the negotiations for the Versailles Peace Treaty and took a key role in the fight for the League of Nations.
Then in October 1919, President Wilson had a massive stroke. Edith stepped up as a ‘Presidential Steward’ and for a year and a half was arguably the most powerful political figure in the United States. One of her priorities was to ensure that the severity of her husband’s condition was kept from his cabinet and congress. The press was supplied updates on a need-to-know basis with Edith vigilantly guarding access to her husband even more stringently than before. In fact it was common consensus among the public to believe that the President was just suffering from a mild illness.
But here is the big kicker, which should come as no surprise. She messed up again. According to William Hazelgrove, author of Madam President, over “28 acts would become law because of the president’s failure to respond within the requisite 10 days.” President Wilson didn’t even see these bills. She was unilaterally making the decisions on what was important and she would be quickly overwhelmed. It got so bad that the positions of the Secretary of the Treasury and the Interior remained vacant. See Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson: William Hazelgrove: 9781621574750: Books
One of her biggest errors occurred when she snubbed the British Ambassador Sir Edward Grey, over a key issue regarding the League of Nations, as she simply did not like his secretary. Fortunately for her, the error would prove to be academic with the Senate opposing US entry into the League of Nations.
Wilson’s last year in office was chaotic. A recession gripped the country, race riots broke out across the land, the US became embroiled in the Russian Civil War while the nation was still under the grip of the deadly Spanish flu.
Wilson would depart in March of 1921 leaving a mixed legacy. His presidency is widely considered a blight on individual freedom. The Wilson Administration and Civil Liberties, 1917-1921: Harry N. Scheiber: 9781610271769: Amazon.com: Books. Others bemoan his lack of transparency The Hidden Agony of Woodrow Wilson. Certainly the stewardship of Edith Wilson points to that. Some question whether he did indeed make the World Safe for Democracy as was the cornerstone of his ideological driven philosophy Woodrow Wilson Made the World Unsafe for Democracy | James Bovard
However what persists as far as Edith Wilson is concerned is whether the constitution was violated or not based on her actions?
In her autobiography My Memoir she writes
So began my stewardship, I studied every paper, sent from the different Secretaries or Senators, and tried to digest and present in tabloid form the things that, despite my vigilance, had to go to the President. I, myself, never made a single decision regarding the disposition of public affairs. The only decision that was mine was what was important and what was not, and the very important decision of when to present matters to my husband.When a secret president ran the country
Maybe so. Although her actions as outlined indicate otherwise.
However what it did help inspire, although by no means was it the only driver, was the writing of the 25th Amendment, which for better or for worse (and if not abused) specifies the nature of the transfer of power when a President dies or becomes disabled.
So maybe there is a silver lining in all of this.
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