Mary Lincoln caused herself and her husband much grief because of her extravagance. She attemped to cover-up the overspending. When President Lincoln found out, it was one of the few times he became truly angry at one of his wife's follies, which generally he was able to accept with a smile.! Edith Wilson was First Lady during World War I, but she was a confidant of the President and spent time coding and decoding messages to our officials in Europe.