Susan Clough
Encyclopedia
Susan Clough was the personal executive secretary
to President
Jimmy Carter
. She also worked for him prior to his presidency.
, she found herself with no marketable skills. She was receiving only $200 per month from her ex-husband, and struggled financially. However, Clough was ambitious and intelligent. She was a MENSA
member, and could play piano and classical guitar, make clothes, and was an avid reader of nonfiction. She also enjoyed playing competitive games.
. 18 months later, Carter telephoned her, and asked her to return to work for him. She did, and eventually became the personal assistant and secretary to the President. Her duties included drafting much of his correspondence. She received a salary of more than $30,000 per year.
Secretary to the President of the United States
The Secretary to the President was an old 19th and early 20th century White House position that carried out all the tasks now spread throughout the modern White House Office...
to President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. She also worked for him prior to his presidency.
Prior to secretarial work
About 12 years before serving Carter, Clough was looking for a job while raising her two children, Doug and Carol. At that time, she was trying to manage life after getting divorced from her husband she had married at the age of 16. After studying for one year at Fresno City CollegeFresno City College
Fresno City College is a community college in Fresno, California. Established in 1910, it was the first community college in California and the second in the nation...
, she found herself with no marketable skills. She was receiving only $200 per month from her ex-husband, and struggled financially. However, Clough was ambitious and intelligent. She was a MENSA
Mensa
Mensa meaning table in Latin, may refer to:*Mensa International, an organization for people with high IQs*Mensa , a southern star constellation*Mensa , a term used by geologists to refer to an extraterrestrial mesa...
member, and could play piano and classical guitar, make clothes, and was an avid reader of nonfiction. She also enjoyed playing competitive games.
As secretary
After completing a secretarial course, she found a job at Fort Bragg, N.C. Her ex-husband had been stationed there, and her father was a retired Army colonel. She quit her job there partially "because all my bosses were propositioning me." She then moved to Atlanta and became a legal secretary.Work for Carter
In 1971 she became a member of Carter's staff, and took the position of assistant to the press chief Jody Powell. She then began to work as Carter's personal secretary while he was Governor of Georgia. Her job included such duties as research and drafting speeches. It was during that time that she developed a friendship with Carter. When he left the position to campaign for the Presidency, Clough remained to serve Carter's successor, George BusbeeGeorge Busbee
George Dekle Busbee was an American politician who served as the 77th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1975 to 1983....
. 18 months later, Carter telephoned her, and asked her to return to work for him. She did, and eventually became the personal assistant and secretary to the President. Her duties included drafting much of his correspondence. She received a salary of more than $30,000 per year.