Liz Smith's Favorite First Ladies: Eleanor Roosevelt, Lady Bird Johnson, Nancy Reagan

My No. 1 pick is, of course, Eleanor Roosevelt, who broke the mold and named herself her crippled husband’s "legs," traveling for FDR, writing a daily column called "My Day" and making herself so well known that she remained a huge international and political force after she was out of the White House. 

I loved Lady Bird Johnson for her warmth, wit, down-to-earth manner and her campaign to make America more beautiful.

I like Nancy Reagan because she was Ronnie’s chief consultant and mainstay. I think her pillow talk kept him out of a lot of trouble. And she tried hard with "Just Say No" to drugs — though I don’t believe that worked. Mrs. Reagan had taste, a wonderful sense of humor and liked to gossip. She is still tops with me, a terrific dinner companion. 

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