Q: Which First Lady arranged the planting of the 3,000 cherry trees that bloom every year in the Tidal Basin?
A: First Lady Helen Taft arranged for the planting of 3,000 Japanese cherry trees in the Tidal Basin in March, 1972. She planted the first two trees and was joined by the wife of the Japanese ambassador.
A Cincinnati native, Helen Taft married William Howard Taft in 1886. Mrs. Taft was a major champion of her husband’s political career. Two months after Taft became president in 1909, Mrs. Taft suffered a stroke which impaired her speech. She continued to entertain and served alcohol at White House events, even though prohibition was a major issue of the time.
Mrs. Taft died in 1943. She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband. Her legacy lives on today in the thousands of cherry trees that blossom every spring.
