Though Will Ryan was able to secure a steady job in Ely, the boomtown offered him only little more. Not long after Thelma’s birth the family traveled West by train to Los Angeles, settling in the farming community of Artesia. Their house, on a truck farm with ten acres of land, did not have electricity or running water. The stories of traveling to far away places that Will Ryan told to his children had a particularly strong impression on young Thelma.

At the age of six she began school, walking a mile-and-a-quarter with her brothers to the red-brick grammar schoolhouse. So impressed by her calm and maturity, her teachers allowed her to skip second grade. At home, she contributed to the family farm, working, planting, and playing games with her brothers. She demanded much from herself and relished rare moments of free time without restrictions.

In the words of Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Thelma “grew up” at age 13, as Kate Ryan was diagnosed with liver cancer, as well as a kidney affliction known as Bright’s disease. With her mother bedridden at a local doctor’s office for the last two months of her life, Thelma assumed most of the household responsibilities. Tom Ryan saw in his sister many of the same qualities as their mother; she “had a big heart. She sacrificed and did things without complaining.” Her mother died in 1924.

Life went on without Kate, as Thelma cooked, cleaned, and ironed for the family. She continued her schooling and enjoyed acting in plays, securing the lead roles her junior and senior years. Thelma graduated from Excelsior High School in June 1929. That year, Will Ryan contracted tuberculosis. To help pay for hospitalization, Thelma obtained a job at Artesia’s First National Bank. Her father died in May 1930.

With both her parents gone, Thelma took it upon herself to keep home for her brothers. In the fall of 1931, she enrolled at Fullerton Junior College as Patricia Ryan; when asked why she changed her name, she answered, “Patricia was my father’s favorite name… I was his ‘St. Patrick’s Babe in the morning.’” She began working multiple jobs to pay for her schooling, including as a telephone operator, typist, bookkeeper at the local bank in the afternoon, and janitor in the evenings. She jumped at the chance to drive an elderly couple across the United States to Connecticut, and chose to remain on the East Coast. She began working in a New York Catholic hospital as an X-ray technician and later as a secretary.

Wishing to be closer to her family, she journeyed back to California by bus in 1934. She enrolled at the University of Southern California on a scholarship. To supplement her income she worked part time throughout school in the office of the vice president of the university. In addition, she was a retail clerk at Bullocks Wilshire Department Store and even worked as an extra in the film industry. She graduated cum laude in 1937.

Upon graduation, Pat took up roots in the small Orange County town of Whittier. She set her sights on becoming a department store buyer, though instead was selected, after recommendation, to teach commercial courses – typing, bookkeeping, business management and stenography – at Whittier Union High School. A popular teacher on campus, her students remembered Miss Ryan as a disciplinarian with high standards who sought to instill pride in them.

While employed by Whittier Union, Miss Ryan auditioned for the play The Dark Tower. There she met a young lawyer recently graduated from Duke University Law School named Richard Milhous Nixon. The two discovered that they had much in common and Pat liked Nixon’s sense of humor. The pair courted for two years until they were married on June 21, 1940.

At the start of World War II, Richard joined the U.S. Navy. While he was stationed in the Pacific theater from 1942 to 1944, Pat worked as a government economist in San Francisco. The two wrote each other every day. He returned to California near the end of the war and, after living briefly back East, the Nixons settled again in Whittier. In 1946, Richard was approached by a group of politically influential Republicans about running for seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Nixon family moved to Washington, D.C. where Congressman Nixon took his seat in House of Representatives. He was easily reelected in 1948; that same year, in July, Pat gave birth to a second daughter, Julie. She aided her husband yet again in his 1950 campaign for a U.S. Senate seat, establishing what would become known as the “Pat and Dick Team.”

After having served a mere two years in his capacity as Senator from California, Richard Nixon was nominated for Vice President of the United States on the Republican ticket with Dwight D. Eisenhower. After the nomination, reports surfaced that Nixon allegedly had used campaign funds illegally. Mrs. Nixon encouraged him to appear on television to defend himself against the charges. Nixon later credited Pat with giving him the confidence to deliver the so-called “Checker’s Speech” and the charges were soon cleared.

The Nixons trip to Ghana in 1957 was the first official Vice Presidential trip to Africa. The following year was spent traveling to every South American country, save Brazil and Chile. The Nixons faced anti-American protesters in Peru and were attacked by anti-American mobs in Caracas, Venezuela. After being spat upon at the airport, their motorcade was halted and a mob of more than 500 used stones, lead pipes, and baseball bats to smash and break the closed windows of the limousines. Her life in danger, Mrs. Nixon remained stoic throughout the ordeal. Chauffeur Don Hughes later remarked that Mrs. Nixon “had more guts than any man I’ve ever seen.”

All the while Mrs. Nixon entertained and attended official functions up to four nights a week. She substituted for and assisted Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady, when asked, usually hosting dinners or other social functions. As she was away so often, she relished spending time with her young children.

Mrs. Nixon was initially reluctant at the start of her husband’s candidacy for President in 1960, as her interest in politics had dimmed after the 1952 fund controversy. Though she expressed reservations, she willingly supported her husband in his presidential bid. The Republican National Committee launched a “Pat Week” and said of her in a press release, “Pat Nixon is part of the experienced Nixon team. She’s uniquely qualified for the position of First Lady.” As she campaigned she explained that her role was “reflective of women all over America taking an active part, not only in political life, but in all activities.”

Mrs. Nixon stood by her husband as he conceded defeat to John F. Kennedy, the cameras broadcasting her pain to a worldwide audience. Nixon had lost by two-tenths of one percent of the popular vote; Mrs. Nixon’s spirit had been badly bruised by the loss. The Nixon family returned to California to a slower-paced life.

Though she was opposed to a 1962 California Gubernatorial bid, she campaigned across the state on behalf of her husband, usually drawing crowds larger than those of Democratic candidate Pat Brown. After Nixon’s loss, he recounted “Pat never once said ‘I told you so.’” The Nixons moved to New York City in 1963 where Nixon returned to practicing law. Mrs. Nixon was able to enjoy the relaxed pace of life while spending time with her daughters and frequently answering phones at her husband’s law firm. The family began traveling more often as Richard Nixon’s political career rebounded, including lengthy trips abroad in the late 1960s. As her husband announced his campaign for President in 1968, Pat Nixon believed he was the right man to quell the domestic chaos of the 1960s. As she had done in all his past campaigns, she shook hands and spoke directly to supporters throughout the duration, culminating in a Nixon victory on election night; Pat cried with relief and happiness.

Mrs. Nixon began encouraging Americans of all ages to volunteer for needy causes. Her “national recruitment program” enlisted thousands of volunteers. She focused on community services, believing that the power of large voluntary efforts could be felt and could yield substantial results.

Over her five-and-a-half years in the White House, Mrs. Nixon became the most traveled first lady in U.S. history, her record only to be later surpassed by Hillary Rodham Clinton. She became the first First Lady to enter a combat zone. The occasion was during a presidential visit to South Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War. While President Nixon negotiated with President Thieu, Mrs. Nixon had tea in a heavily fortified presidential palace, visited an orphanage and a military hospital, and flew in an open-door helicopter across jungles where fighting ensued only a small distance beneath them.

When Mrs. Nixon learned in 1970 that a devastating earthquake had hit Peru, she organized a “volunteer American relief drive” and flew to the country to personally deliver nine tons of donated supplies and aid. She visited small villages and climbed over rubble and destroyed structures, remarking, “I didn’t come here to sit.” In addition to it being a goodwill trip, Mrs. Nixon’s presence had major political ramifications. One newspaper featured an editorial opining that Peruvians could never forget the “messenger of material aid and moral support” who was Pat Nixon. She was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun, the highest official distinction bestowed by the Peruvian government.

Another groundbreaking voyage was to Africa, as she became the first First Lady to visit the continent. She served as the official representative of the President of the United States at the inauguration of William Tolbert, President of Liberia. In addition, she visited Ghana and the Ivory Coast, meeting privately with the leaders of each nation. She viewed traditional native dances and when approached with traditional native costumes, she jumped into them. Women wrapped her head in a traditional lappa cloth and she danced with them. She addressed the national assembly in Ghana, establishing relations that, in the words of one Ghanaian official, “not even a lion could destroy.” She was welcomed to the Ivory Coast by 250,000 people and shouts of Vive Madame Nixon!

Perhaps of all the Nixons’ trips, their 1972 trip to the People’s Republic of China was the most politically influential. While President Nixon engaged in official closed-door negotiations, Mrs. Nixon toured large cities and smaller villages with a large contingency of the American press corps in tow, allowing millions of viewers worldwide to see China. Her “personal diplomacy” was as its best on this trip, as she interacted with the Chinese people. Foreign minister Zhou Enlai was so fond of her that he gave two giant pandas to the U.S. as a gift. The Nixons traveled to the Soviet Union soon after, becoming the first President and First Lady to visit the Communist state. On such trips she refused to be serviced by an entourage, deeming it a barrier and unnecessary burden on taxpayers.

Much of the special emphasis she placed on ordinary people was especially important during the turbulent war years. As a symbol of the administration, she was occasionally heckled by anti-war protesters. While undertaking a trip on behalf of her volunteerism efforts, she appeared at forums with the protesters. One student remarked that “She wanted to listen. I felt like this is a woman who really cares about what we are doing.” Mrs. Nixon regularly made herself accessible to reporters’ questions. She received an average of 1500 letters per month; she attempted to answer every letter personally and wanted all letters answered within three days, feeling strongly that correspondence with the public was an important part of her role.

Mrs. Nixon was a powerful force within the administration. Though politically astute, she did not publicly discuss policy. She shaped a portion of her role around her husband’s initiatives, becoming a member of the President’s Committee on Employment of the Handicapped; attending White House Conferences on Children as well as Food, Nutrition, and Health, among others; and she promoted the administration’s Legacy of Parks initiative by visiting the newly dedicated parks. She did however publicly support the Equal Rights Amendment, becoming the first in a line of First Ladies to do so. She encouraged her husband to secure more employment opportunities for women and to nominate a woman to the Supreme Court.

Pat Nixon added more than 600 paintings and furnishings to the White House, the single largest acquisition by any presidential administration. Among many notable improvements, she returned President James Monroe’s original special-order French bergères (or armchairs), to the Blue Room and replaced replicas of Gilbert Stuart’s portraits of John Quincy and Louisa Adams with the originals. With the help of a new White House Curator, Clement Conger, whom Mrs. Nixon hired, and Sarah Jackson Doyle, a design consultant who had worked with Mrs. Nixon since 1965, the First Lady redecorated both private family rooms in the upper quarters and public rooms on the State Floor. She refurbished nine rooms, and renovated the Map Room and the China Room, which displays samplings of all the White House china.

But Mrs. Nixon’s efforts went beyond simply restoration. She made the White House accessible for the disabled by adding wheelchair ramps. For the convenience of foreign tourists, Mrs. Nixon had White House guide pamphlets translated into foreign languages. She opened the White House for tours in the evenings which were enjoyed by over half a million visitors; the tours at Christmas were lighted by candles. She ordered the installation of exterior lighting of the White House executive mansion and grounds, allowing the house to literally glow a soft-white every night. She changed protocol to allow the American flag to be flown twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, even when the president is not within the confines of the White House.

Historian William Seale remarked that: “The Nixon era was the greatest single period of collecting in White House history. The great collection of White House Americana today is the long shadow of Mrs. Nixon. The impulse, the idea, and the energy were hers.”

Mrs. Nixon supported her husband in his reelection bid for president in 1972, though she expressed reservations about having to face more years of public scrutiny, as she had in previous campaigns. She put her skills to work again, traversing the country on behalf of her husband. “I don’t think in such a short period, we ever had such a change in our history,” she told the press on a campaign trip. ”I think the days ahead, and the years ahead under this great president – I don’t take any credit, but listen, I kinda love him – and think he’s going to do a great deal for our country.” She delivered a speech to the Republican National Convention, the first for a First Lady since Eleanor Roosevelt and the first for a Republican First Lady. Her efforts on behalf of her husband in the 1972 campaign were replicated by her successors (and those who desired to be her successors, Republican and Democrat). Her lengthy, solo campaign trips, which often included visits to many states, are now common for a candidate’s spouse. Nixon was reelected in a landslide. At the inauguration ceremony, Mrs. Nixon became the first First Lady in 108 years not to wear a hat during the swearing-in ceremony.

The Vietnam War ended not long into the second Nixon Administration; Secretary of State Henry Kissinger remarked that he had never heard Mrs. Nixon “so elated…[and] enormously pleased.”

Midway into the fifth year of the administration, a break-in at the Watergate hotel began dominating the press. When faced with questions, Mrs. Nixon replied, “I know only what I read in the newspapers”; when asked if the media was the cause of President Nixon’s problems, Mrs. Nixon replied, “What problems?” The First Lady felt that the power of some of her husband’s key staff members had grown too far in excess and that the president himself was becoming removed from key details within the administration.

Mrs. Nixon undertook another solo personal diplomacy voyage, this time to South America – Brazil and Venezuela – to attend the inaugurations of the countries’ respective presidents. The Nixons’ whirlwind trip through the Middle East not long after would prove to be their last as the First Couple, for at home the Watergate frenzy was consuming the media. All the while Mrs. Nixon stayed true: “I have great faith in my husband. I happen to love him.” She continued her regularly scheduled routines, White House restorations, and made plans to order a new set of official White House china.

President Nixon announced his intention to resign the office of the presidency on August 8, 1974; weeping, Mrs. Nixon told him later that night, “We’re all very proud of you, Daddy.” The Nixons left the White House aboard the presidential helicopter the next morning and returned to San Clemente by nightfall.

Supplementing this was her acquired role — “Madame Ambassador” — the first such President’s spouse to be designated so. She was an ideal example for women in the 1970s and future First Ladies, setting precedents and proving that “women can play a vital role in world affairs,” according to noted columnist Robert Thompson. Her mercy mission to Peru as well as diplomatically productive trips to Africa, China, the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America and elsewhere indeed proved her to be a foreign diplomat in her own right. Gwen Gibson of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune noted that Mrs. Nixon may have been “breaking more ground than any First Lady before her.”

Fourteen times she was chosen by the Gallup Organization as one of the ten most admired women in the world, from 1959 to 1962 and 1968 to 1979. Even five years after her husband had left office, Mrs. Nixon remained on the list. Veteran UPI White House correspondent Helen Thomas wrote that Mrs. Nixon was “the warmest First Lady I covered and the one who loved people the most. I think newspeople who covered her saw a woman who was sharp, responsive, sensitive.” Indeed, children and adults alike were said to have warmed to her.

Perhaps President Nixon’s tribute to his wife, delivered upon her death in 1993, captured her legacy better than words in a book or pictures on a page: “Let me tell you about the real Pat – the Pat I knew and loved for over half a century. She was beautiful and intelligent and wise. She loved her family. She loved people. Not just the American people, but the thousands of people she met in our travels to Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe over the past forty years. She loved a good time. She knew how to make us laugh. She always brought sunshine into a room… Had it not been for Pat, I would not have made it politically or physically… When you think of Pat, I hope you will always remember the sunshine of her smile. She would like that.”