Overview

Had Elizabeth 'Bess' Clements Abell (1933-2020) been a boy, she would likely have become a politician like her father, Earle Clements. Effectively barred from that career because of her gender, she forged her own path by helping family friends Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson. As President Johnson's Social Secretary, Abell earned the nickname 'Iron Butterfly' for her graceful but firm leadership of social life in the White House. Afterward, she maintained her importance in Washington D.C., serving as chief of staff to Joan Mondale and co-founding a public relations company. Donald A. Ritchie and Terry L. Birdwhistell draw on Abell's own words and those of others close to her to tell her remarkable story. Focusing on her years working for the Johnson campaign and her time in the White House, this engaging oral history provides a window into Abell's life as well as an insider's view of social life in the nation's capital during the tumultuous 1960s.

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9780813182261

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Reviews

Bess Clements Abell learned from her parents grace and grit and she used both during her Washington career. She handled difficult situations with calm resolve and demonstrated to others how to serve and lead. She made her home state of Kentucky proud. -- Eli Capiluoto, president of the University of Kentucky The position of White House Social Secretary is challenging in even the most tranquil of times. For Bess Abell, who served in the role for Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson during the 1960s -- time of enormous social change including some brought about by LBJ's transformative policy itself -- the challenges were formidable. Donald Ritchie and Terry Birdwhistell's Washington's Iron Butterly: Bess Clements Abell, An Oral History offers a vivid and entertaining portrait of the inimitable Social Secretary, who the Secret Service code named 'Iron Butterfly' due to her perfect combination of Kentucky grace and unflinching strength. -- Mark K. Updegrove, President and CEO of the LBJ Foundation and Presidential Historian for ABC News Few had intimate access to the Johnson White House like Bess Clements Abell -- a young Kentucky woman who took her political savvy as a former governor's daughter from Morganfield to the Potomac. Talented and likable, described as feisty and funny by the editors, she was known to be gracious, but tough as nails when things had to get done. An important read for Kentuckians and anyone wanting to know more from inside the Oval Office. -- Bill Goodman, executive director of Kentucky Humanities and author of Beans, Biscuits, Family and Friends The Katharine Hepburn of Washington in the 1960s, Bess Abell was a force of nature. From a deeply divisive war to luncheons gone horribly wrong, she was able to deftly steer the Johnson family through the tumult of their Washington years. In Washington's Iron Butterfly we hear the story from Abell herself and from the members of the Johnson administration who knew her best. -- Kate Andersen Brower, CNN contributor and New York Times bestselling author of The Residence, First Women, and Team of Five Bess Abell was the PT Barnum of the White House and Washington in her time. She had the inventive mind to create limitless events big and small and the knowledge and organizational skills to pull them off. This book brings the reader into a family storytelling session of her remarkable life through her voice and the voices of those around her. -- Larry Temple, special counsel to President Lyndon B. Johnson (1967-1969) and chairman of the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation A new and fresh look at the inner workings of the Johnson White House from the perspective of the 'Iron Butterfly.' While officially Social Secretary to the First Lady, Bess Abell's political and social skills shaped the success of East Wing's contributions to that administration. -- David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States The story of Beth Abell would have been very different had she been born a generation later. In Iron Butterfly, her story comes alive through her own words and the words of those who knew her. Ably edited by Don Ritchie and Terry Birdwhistell, two of the best oral historians around, this work allows the reader to feel the emotions, the joys, and the sorrows of a remarkable woman. It is a book that both entertains and instructs -- a good read, indeed.The result is a fun, entertaining, and readable book about a very special woman. -- James Klotter

Author Information

Terry L. Birdwhistell is senior oral historian and founding director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky Libraries. He is former president of the Oral History Association and previously served as Dean of Libraries at UK Libraries. He has contributed to numerous collections, including The Encyclopedia of Louisville and The Kentucky Encyclopedia. His articles have appeared in publications such as Kentucky Law Journal, the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, and the Kentucky Review.

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