Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Christopher Leahy and Sharon Williams Leahy. They have recently published Presidentess , which is a biography of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler. In this interview, we discussed why Julia Gardiner Tyler was considered America's most controversial First Lady. We also discussed what impact Julia Gardiner Tyler played in shaping the role of First Lady. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Leahy! Why is Julia Gardiner Tyler considered a controversial First Lady? Sharon: Julia was a woman of striking contradictions. She was innovative and influential as First Lady, but after her time in the White House, she adapted to the slaveholding society of Virginia. She publicly pushed back against British criticism of the American slave system. During the Civil War, her private correspondence also reveals strong Confederate sympathies. We wanted to tell the whole story of her accomplishments, as well as the beliefs and choices that ...