WARREN — Ohio has proudly had eight presidents out of the 47 administrations and by their side were their respective First Ladies.

Stephanie Bohnak, Director of Education and Outreach at the National First Ladies Library and Museum in Canton, gave a talk, “Ohio’s First Ladies,” Tuesday at Warren-Trumbull County Public Library to help commemorate Women’s History Month.

“I will be talking about all the First Ladies who at some point called Ohio home,” Bohnak said. The seven women were Florence Harding, Lucretia Garfield, Lucy Hayes, Ida McKinley, Helen Taft, Anna Harrison and Caroline Harrison.

Bohnak noted, “Please don’t be upset with me. This excludes Julia Grant. She never stayed here for an extended time.”

She had an indirect connection to the Buckeye State. Her husband, President Ulysses. S. Grant, was born in Point Pleasant, but she grew up in St. Louis, Missouri.

Highlights of Bohnak’s talk about Ohio’s First Ladies included:

• Anna Harrison was the first First Lady to be widowed while her husband was in office. William Henry Harrison was the ninth president of The United States. He died before she set foot in the White House. She was the first First Lady to receive a pension. She is also the only woman to be the wife of a president and grandmother of a president (Benjamin Harrison).

• Lucy Hayes was born in Chillicothe. The wife of 19th president Rutherford B. Hayes, she was an early advocate for women’s equality.

Bohnak quoted Hayes, “Instead of being considered the slave of man, she is considered his equal in all things and his superior in some.” She was the first First Lady to earn a college degree, as well as the first presidential wife to be called the First Lady.

• Lucretia Garfield, wife of 29th president James Garfield, was born in Garrettsville, approximately 15 miles away from Warren in Portage County. Their courtship consisted of more than 1,200 letters.

• Caroline Harrison was the wife of the 23rd president, Benjamin Harrison. Born in Oxford, Ohio, she helped found the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She had the first Christmas tree in the White House.

• Ida McKinley was born in Canton and was the wife of the 25th president, William McKinley, who was born in Niles. She was an advocate for women’s rights and helped them get federal jobs. She was the first First Lady to openly declare support for women’s suffrage.

• The wife of the 27th president, William Howard Taft, Helen Taft was born in Cincinnati. She introduced the Japanese cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C. She replaced the all-white ushers at the White House with people of color and added seasonal concerts there.

• Florence Harding was born in Marion. The wife of the 29th President, Warren G. Harding, she is believed to have modernized the role of First Lady. She was the first divorced First Lady as well as the first First Lady to cast a vote for her husband after the 19th Amendment allowing women to vote was ratified. Her dog, Laddie Boy, an airedale terrier, was the first White House celebrity dog covered in the newspapers.

The First Ladies of Ohio were exceptionally well-educated for their time in American history. Anna Harrison was the first First Lady to receive a formal primary education. She studied at a boarding school when she was sent to New Jersey to live with her maternal grandparents after her mother’s death. Lucy Hayes’ family moved so her brothers could attend Ohio Wesleyan College.

“Women were not allowed to attend college. Lucy Hayes could do so if she attended alongside her brothers,” Bohnak said. She then transferred to the Cincinnati Wesleyan Female College.

Lucretia Garfield’s father believed that all children, regardless of gender, should receive a quality education. Bohnak quoted Garfield as saying, “I have to read as I have to live.'” She attended the initial classes at what became Hiram College.

Caroline Harrison’s father also believed that his daughter’s education should be the same as his sons. She grew up surrounded by books and music. Ida McKinley studied accounting and finance. She worked at her dad’s bank, even running it in his absence.

Helen Taft was an accomplished pianist and artist. Florence Harding was an accomplished pianist and horsewoman.

The first ladies of Ohio displayed their intelligence, accomplishments and their forward-thinking views in their roles in the White House to better society as they supported their husbands in their presidencies, Bohnak said.