An American diplomat's wife in Mexico: Gender, politics and foreign affairs activism, 1907-1927

In early summer 1916, Edith O'Shaughnessy, the wife of a former American diplomat in Mexico, published an account of her three years in Mexico (from 1911-1914) in the midst of the Mexican Revolution. Though A Diplomat's Wife in Mexico was O'Shaughnessy's first book, a wide audience gave it positive reviews for both her behind-the-scenes descriptive content and her political comment on the Revolution and on U.S. involvement in Mexico. O'Shaughnessy had been an experienced diplomat's wife when she arrived in Mexico, but the exciting revolutionary situation and the intimate U.S. involvement in Mexican affairs enhanced her political awareness and, eventually, fed her outrage. O'Shaughnessy, a Republican, became an outspoken opponent of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson's Mexican policy.; This dissertation shows how the life of one woman, Edith O'Shaughnessy, reflects larger issues in early twentieth century U.S. history. O'Shaughnessy's experiences as a diplomat's wife, a traveler, a political activist and an author provide a fascinating prism through which to explore themes of gender, politics and diplomacy in American society. Specifically, O'Shaughnessy's partisan participation in the election of 1916 and her later career as an author of fiction beg comparison to the widespread public activism of other white, middle class and upper middle class women before the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. A study of Edith O'Shaughnessy's life offers insight into the various ways in which women maneuvered around and within societal boundaries in order to gain status, influence, fulfillment or power in their lives without overtly challenging the status quo.; Edith O'Shaughnessy did not espouse early twentieth century feminist views, yet she challenged gender barriers. She struggled to find and maintain a balance between her public and private desires and ambitions and it was this struggle, this ambivalence, that represents a key to understanding many women's lives at this time. During a time of great change in women's roles in the first quarter of the twentieth century, new opportunities arose, but old barriers still remained. Upper middle class women such as Edith O'Shaughnessy, caught in this time of flux, had to adopt strategies which allowed them to take two different paths simultaneously.