Wheaton, Anne (1892–1977)

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Wheaton, Anne (1892–1977)

First woman to serve as a spokesperson for the president of the United States . Born in Utica, New York, on September 11, 1892; died in March 1977; eldest of nine children of John Williams (a politician and labor commissioner) and Elizabeth Ann (Owen) Williams; graduated from Albany High School; attended Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, 1911–12; married Warren Wheaton (a journalist), on February 19, 1926 (divorced November 1946).

Worked for Knickerbocker Press (1912–21); was one of the first female political correspondents at New York state capitol; moved to Washington, D.C.(1924); served as public relations consultant to the National League of Women Voters (1924–39); was director of women's publicity for the Republican National Committee (1939–57); was a public relations representative for wives of Republican presidential candidates; as associate press secretary, was first female presidential spokesperson during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration (1957–61); was public relations representative for Nelson Rockefeller's presidential campaign (1964).

Anne Wheaton became the first woman to serve as a spokesperson for the president of the United States when she was appointed associate press secretary for the White House under press secretary James C. Hagerty. Raised in a family staunchly supportive of the Republican Party, she spent her childhood under the influence of a father who provided an excellent example of dedicated public service. John Williams served as a Republican member of the state assembly in New York beginning in 1906, then as state labor commissioner for 20 years under appointment by 5 governors. Wheaton spent one year in secretarial courses at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, before entering into a career in journalism on the staff of the Knickerbocker Press in Albany, New York. From 1912 to 1921, she advanced from copying recipes for the women's section to being a full-fledged news reporter, and was one of the first women reporters to cover the New York state legislature and the governor's office.

In 1924, Wheaton moved to Washington, D.C., to advance her journalistic career as a political correspondent, and for the next 15 years served as a public relations consultant for several national organizations, focusing on projects of special interest to women. These included the Cause and Cure of War Conference, chaired by Carrie Chapman Catt ; the Women's Organization for Prohibition Reform; and the League of Women Voters.

In late 1939, Wheaton was asked to work for the Republican National Committee by GOP national chair John D.M. Hamilton. As assistant to the director of publicity, she was responsible for all public relations involving women's activities. These included serving as public relations manager and press representative to the wives of several presidential candidates: Mrs. Wendell Willkie (Edith Wilk Willkie ) in 1940, Mrs. Thomas Dewey (Frances Hutt Dewey ) in 1944, and Mamie Eisenhower , wife of Dwight Eisenhower, in 1952. After Eisenhower's victory, she was assigned to his headquarters in New York City to work as liaison for the Eisenhower family in planning the January 1953 inauguration.

On April 3, 1957, at the fifth annual Republican Women's Conference in Washington, D.C., President Eisenhower made a surprise announcement appointing Wheaton, who at the time was handling publicity for the conference, as associate White House press secretary under James Hagerty. Eisenhower had a policy of appointing women to high-level positions whenever he could, and Wheaton made a point of this to the press, noting that she was the 130th woman he had appointed. Hagerty later made it clear that her appointment was not merely to cover women's issues, but to be his assistant in all matters. This included being in charge of presidential press relations when Hagerty was away from Washington. Her duties included participating in the discussions preceding Eisenhower's weekly press conference, anticipating reporters' questions, and briefing the president on information he might need to answer them.

When asked how she had managed to survive her many years with the Republican National Committee, during which she worked with 11 different chairs and observed many party upheavals, Wheaton replied, "A newspaper person faces a job in politics on a different basis from a top Republican official. You're doing a professional job. Your personal opinions do not prevail. You pursue your job as someone might sell some product." Her presidential appointment was met with widespread approval. She was known to be the perfect publicity representative—efficient, competent, serene, and factual. To the press corps, she was "Our Annie." Wheaton, who was public relations consultant to Nelson Rockefeller when he ran for president on the Republican ticket in 1964, moved to Dallas in 1973. She died in 1977.