The First Ladies gathers real historical figures and a few sharp fictional antagonists in a world defined by the New Deal, Jim Crow America, and the halls of the White House. At its center is the steadfast alliance between Mary McLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt, whose friendship becomes both a moral compass and a political engine for civil rights. Around them orbit presidents, activists, advisers, and family who test, enable, and complicate change.
Main Characters
Mary McLeod Bethune
Mary McLeod Bethune is a visionary educator and civil rights strategist whose presence reshapes the Roosevelt era from within. As the founder of Bethune-Cookman College and leader of the “Black Cabinet,” she channels faith, patience, and iron resolve into practical gains—securing jobs, training, and appointments for Black Americans while navigating a hostile political order. Her bond with Eleanor Roosevelt evolves from cautious collaboration into an intimate, principled partnership that opens federal doors and emboldens public advocacy. At home, her fierce devotion to her grandson, Albert Jr., and her complicated concern for her son, Albert Sr., reveal the personal stakes of her public fight; in the movement, her measured diplomacy often clashes with the impatience of allies like Walter White. Through setbacks and scrutiny, she remains the novel’s “First Lady of the Struggle,” modeling how power can be built and wielded without surrendering dignity or purpose.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt begins as a conscientious but constrained public figure and becomes a daring First Lady who redefines the office through action. Educated by experience—and by Mary McLeod Bethune—she moves from cautious idealism to hands-on advocacy against segregation and lynching, a shift catalyzed by the racist affront at her luncheon, as shown in Chapter 2. Her marriage to Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a pragmatic political partnership in which she often serves as his conscience, even as she seeks personal independence through friendships with Marion Dickerman, Nan Cook, and Lorena “Hick” Hickok. Over time, she wields her access as a tool for justice, making room for marginalized voices and absorbing the political heat that follows—an evolution that also speaks to the novel’s exploration of The Role and Power of Women. Her courage is inseparable from her connections: friendship fuels her growth, and proximity to power amplifies her reach.
Supporting Characters
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the indispensable yet often reluctant fulcrum of change—the President whose sweeping New Deal ambitions collide with the limits of political expediency. He respects Mary and relies on Eleanor as his “eyes and ears,” but repeatedly hedges on civil rights when Southern Democrats hold the line, most notably refusing to back anti-lynching legislation in Chapter 32. Pressured by movement leaders and the threat of mass protest, he still makes history with Executive Order 8802, a reminder that moral progress in the novel often arrives through persistent, strategic pressure.
Sara Delano Roosevelt
Sara Delano Roosevelt stands for old-world privilege and maternal control, a formidable presence shaping the Roosevelt household and Eleanor’s choices. While she is imperious and resistant to change, she can also surprise—backing Mary’s inclusion at the initial luncheon and urging action on anti-lynching—suggesting tradition and principle can coexist uneasily in the same person. Her influence is a constant tension point: a comfort to Franklin, a constraint and occasional ally to Eleanor.
Walter White
Walter White of the NAACP personifies the movement’s impatient, confrontational wing, his ability to “pass” heightening both his insight and his peril. He challenges Mary’s incrementalism and the Roosevelts’ half-measures, yet he ultimately aligns with them when leverage presents itself, including high-stakes meetings about anti-lynching and defense-industry discrimination. As a foil to Mary, he dramatizes the tactical rifts—and necessary coalitions—within civil rights activism.
Steve Woodburn
Steve Woodburn is a fictional White House press secretary and the novel’s primary antagonist, the polished face of Southern Democratic backlash inside the administration. He belittles Mary, manipulates press narratives, and shields segregation under the guise of political realism, from dismissive phone calls to a misleading release about military policy. His obstruction forces Mary and Eleanor to escalate their tactics, turning resistance into a catalyst for bolder action.
Minor Characters
- Louis Howe: FDR’s trusted strategist and a rare moral anchor in Washington; his death removes a steadying influence and leaves space for figures like Steve Woodburn to harden the administration’s stance.
- Earl Miller: Eleanor’s loyal bodyguard and confidant who protects her autonomy and champions her unconventional public work.
- Marion Dickerman and Nan Cook: Eleanor’s partners at Val-Kill whose early support nurtures her political identity, even as public demands later create distance.
- Lorena “Hick” Hickok: A journalist and intimate friend who encourages Eleanor to claim her voice and define her First Ladyship on her own terms.
- Albert Bethune Sr. & Albert Bethune Jr.: Mary’s son and grandson, grounding her with family duties that illuminate the personal costs and motivations behind her advocacy.
- A. Philip Randolph: Labor leader whose threatened March on Washington compels Executive Order 8802, proving mass mobilization can surpass polite persuasion.
- The Federal Council of Negro Affairs (“Black Cabinet”): The cadre Mary assembles within the government, whose internal debates expose the friction of pursuing change from inside flawed institutions.
Character Relationships & Dynamics
The novel’s emotional and political heart is the alliance between Mary McLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt. Beginning as mentor and student, their dynamic matures into a partnership of equals: Mary supplies movement strategy and moral clarity; Eleanor supplies access, visibility, and a willingness to take public risks. Missteps—like Eleanor’s presumptuous campaign ask—become crucibles for honesty, deepening trust and sharpening their shared mission.
Between Eleanor and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the marriage operates as an evolving compact: she is the moral accelerant, he the political arbiter measuring costs. Their alignment on broad goals clashes with his incrementalism, prompting Eleanor to leverage public platforms and private persuasion to move him toward bolder action.
Mary and Walter White embody strategic tension within the movement—diplomacy versus confrontation. Their disagreements, while real, produce a pragmatic synergy when combined: insider access plus external pressure yields outcomes neither could secure alone.
Inside the White House, Steve Woodburn crystallizes institutional resistance, pitting political calculus against moral urgency. His antagonism hardens the resolve of both Mary and Eleanor, while the absence of Louis Howe removes moderating influence and enables Woodburn’s obstruction.
Around these axes, factions coalesce: the reformers working through federal channels (Mary, the Black Cabinet, Eleanor), the external agitators applying heat (Walter White, A. Philip Randolph), and the entrenched establishment balancing votes and power (Franklin, Sara, Woodburn). The friction among them generates the novel’s momentum, illustrating how alliances, pressure, and principle must align to force the door of history open.