She was born Thelma Catherine Ryan in 1912, but the world came to know her as Pat Nixon, the wife of President Richard Nixon. The significance of the First Lady in the White House has often been downplayed, despite previous examples of various First Ladies illustrating strength under adversity (Edith Wilson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy). Pat’s role both before and during her husband’s administration would be underestimated. She wasn’t so much a political spouse as she was a trusted partner, which Nixon often recognized during his rise to the presidency.

"THE MYSTERIOUS MRS. NIXON provides a wealth of information about Lee’s subject... It’s illuminating in revealing more about the private but courageous former First Lady, who possessed far greater depth than the public ever knew."

Whereas her husband grew up in Whittier, California, Pat hailed from a mining family in Ely, Nevada. Her parents’ marriage possessed more equality than was typical in the Western United States. The loss of her mother when Pat was a teenager led to her assuming maternalistic duties. Economic hardship hit their household, but Pat didn’t shy away from working a job while attending high school. She grew up with a determined nature and was eager to attend college as her brothers did. She graduated from USC and began teaching in Whittier.

Pat met her future husband in 1938, and Nixon was instantly smitten. Despite her initial misgivings, she soon reciprocated his feelings, and the pair wed in 1940. They were separated by World War II and his service in the US Navy, but their bond remained strong. By war’s end, Nixon was being courted by local California businessmen to run for Congress, and he felt that it was too good to pass up. Pat said she would campaign with her husband but would never make a political speech. The importance of her being by his side made all the difference with each campaign.

By 1968, during Nixon’s second presidential run, Pat had weathered the good, the bad and the ugly of politics with her family. However, the five-and-a-half years in the White House would prove challenging to her on unimagined levels. She worked on a facelift of the White House while also serving as a US representative on a variety of goodwill missions. She went head-to-head with those who sought to control or sideline her. By the ignominious end of the Nixon administration, her devotion to the disgraced President proved to be his saving grace.

Pat Nixon was more than the title bestowed upon her as aptly demonstrated by author Heath Hardage Lee. THE MYSTERIOUS MRS. NIXON provides a wealth of information about Lee’s subject --- from her humble beginnings to her independent years before her marriage to Nixon. While the mainstream media often failed to capture the real Pat Nixon, Lee has penned a biography that combines significant interviews with those closest to her, including family and friends, along with relevant books and news articles. It’s illuminating in revealing more about the private but courageous former First Lady, who possessed far greater depth than the public ever knew.