20 Facts About Frankie Welch

Frankie Welch was an American fashion designer from Rome, Georgia.

Frankie Welch is primarily known for designing scarves for prominent political figures, which she sold from her boutique in Alexandria, Virginia.

Frankie Welch was the designer of a dress worn by First Lady Betty Ford, which is on display in the Smithsonian's First Ladies' Hall in the National Museum of American History.

Frankie Welch designed dresses on display at the Gerald R Ford Presidential Library.

Frankie Welch's father worked for the telephone company and her family had deep roots in Georgia.

Frankie Welch's great-grandfather built Georgia's first lumber mill and her grandfather served in the Confederate Army.

Frankie Welch began her career in Madison, Wisconsin, teaching elementary school, and the couple had their first daughter, Peggy.

Frankie Welch worked as a sewing instructor at the Washington and Lee High School in Montross, Virginia and had her second daughter, Genie.

Frankie Welch donated one dollar from the purchase of each scarf to the higher education fund of the Eastern Cherokee.

Johnson asked Frankie Welch to create a scarf which would promote her "Discover America" campaign.

Frankie Welch designed a scarf with a daisy pattern for the 1968 Republican National Convention and was then asked to design a scarf for Hubert Humphrey's 1968 presidential campaign, featuring his HH logo.

When Richard Nixon won the presidency that year, Frankie Welch was commissioned to design a scarf with his slogan "Forward Together" as a commemoration of his Inaugural.

Frankie Welch designed a collection of contemporary bracelets, earrings and necklaces for her store.

Frankie Welch designed Ford's official scarf, which she gave to visiting dignitaries, on a floral and polka dot background with the First Lady's signature imprinted.

Frankie Welch designed scarfs and tote bags for Auburn University, the University of Georgia and the United States Military Academy and organizations like the Arkansas Democrats Association, the American Medical Association, the Congressional Wives' Club, the Princeton Club, the United States Marine Corps, and the United States Historical Society, as well as St Paul's Cathedral in London, The Indianapolis 500, and the Watergate Hotel.

Frankie Welch designed a dress and a scarf with a peanut motif for Jimmy Carter's gubernatorial race; a scarf for the United States Bicentennial featuring the original 13 colonies; and a series of scarves depicting the official state flowers of all fifty states.

Frankie Welch later designed scarves with the peanut featured for Carter's presidential run; scarves, ties, tote bags and umbrellas, for Ronald Reagan's inaugural festivities and a scarf for President Bill Clinton in 1993.

Frankie Welch expanded her business, opening satellite stores in the Washington, DC area in the 1970s and consulted on interior design.

Frankie Welch relocated to an apartment in the Watergate complex, but kept the Alexandria dress shop until 1982, when she sold it to her daughter Genie Welch so that she could focus more on designing.

In 1990, the shop closed and Frankie Welch continued to design and teach courses on design for several years.