BESS CLEMENTS ABELL, WASHINGTON'S IRON BUTTERFLY, 1933-2020

 

 

Bess Clements Abell died this month after a lengthy illness at her beloved Merry-Go-Round Farm overlooking the Potomac River outside Washington, D.C.  A native Kentuckian and University of Kentucky graduate, she lived an eventful and impactful life.  

Bess spent part of her childhood in Union County, Kentucky where her father, Earle C. Clements, served in elective offices including County Judge.  She would later spend time in Frankfort and Washington, D.C. as her father first became a State Senator, Member of Congress, Governor, and United States Senator.   Uprooted from her friends and sheltered life, Bess learned to adapt and make the best of it, finding new friends and embracing new experiences wherever she found herself.

Bess came to understand the political landscape of Washington as well as she did because she learned so much from her father. He had extraordinary political knowledge and insight to share, and many stories to tell.  Earle Clements’ long political career enabled his daughter to expand her world beyond the boundaries of her small town. 

Completing high school at a boarding school in Nashville, Bess returned to the Bluegrass to attend the University of Kentucky.  She did well academically majoring in the family business, political science, but had not given much thought where that might lead.  She also immersed herself in an active social life, including joining Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and dating the captain of the football team. She represented Kentucky as the princess to the 1952 Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington. Upon graduation in 1954 Bess became the first person in her immediate family to earn a college degree.

On New Year's Eve, 1955, Bess eloped with Tyler Abell, a young Washington attorney, beginning a wonderful partnership of 64 years.  From the start of their marriage, Bess and Tyler found their lives swept into the orbit of Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson. They enjoyed close connections thanks to the friendship Bess’ parents had developed with the Johnsons, and to her father’s role as the majority leader’s reliable whip in the Senate. 

Bess began working for Lady Bird Johnson in 1961.  When asked how she came to hire Bess, she responded,  "Oh, gosh, I'm so glad I did! She had the right blend of quiet competence and aggressive persistence, and creative talents too–the last in marked degree."

(L-R) Bess Clements Abell, Lady Bird Johnson, Tyler Abell,
son Lyndon Abell, son Dan Abell, and President Johnson

Bess would become White House Social Secretary when Lyndon Johnson became president in 1963.  President Johnson once called Bess Abell the most efficient person working in his White House. “She should be in the cabinet,” he raved. Had she been born at a later time she might well have achieved that distinction. 

Bess later served as Chief of Staff to Joan Mondale during the Jimmy Carter administration and later established her own business in Washington, Abell Enterprises.

In recent years Bess has given back to her Alma Mater.  She and Tyler created the Earle C. Clements Graduate Assistantship within UK Libraries.  

They subsequently, in cooperation with the National Archives, created the Earle C. Clements Innovation in Education Award presented annually to outstanding Kentucky teachers of history and social studies.  More recently, Bess, Tyler and their family created the Earle C. Clements Memorial Endowment Fund to support UK Libraries' programs in the areas of public policy, government and archival research that preserve and promote the legacy of Earle C. Clements.

Bess and Tyler Abell congratulating Clements Teaching Award recipient,
Lynn Brewer in 2016

It was one of my great pleasures to become friends with Bess and Tyler and their family.  I cannot thank them enough for that friendship and for their generosity to the UK Libraries. Dr. Donald A. Ritchie, Emeritus Historian of the United States Senate, and I have prepared a book manuscript tentatively entitled, "Washington's Iron Butterfly: Bess Clements Abell, An Oral History" which we hope will be published early next year.  

The University of Kentucky has lost a special alumna.