Behind the Throne: Eight First Ladies

1991: Back row: Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush. Seated: Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford

The First Lady

© Excerpts from https://www.georgewbushlibrary.gov/research/topic-guides/first-ladys-role# Retrieved 05 February 2024. FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY.
Unlike the President, the role of the First Lady is not addressed in the Constitution. Both the role of the Presidential spouse and the title have shifted and formalized over the history of the United States. The spouse of the President is not elected to serve and yet, because the White House is both the residence and the office of the President, public service is inherent to the role. Traditionally, the spouse of the President served as the hostess and was in charge of all things domestic; but that role has evolved. Beyond defining the role of First Lady, even counting them is difficult as others besides the spouses of the Presidents filled the role of White House hostess, particularly in the 19th century. Widowers, bachelors, and others would call upon surrogates to fill the role when a spouse was unavailable -- a role that itself is a social surrogate for many of the ceremonial functions of the Presidency. First Ladies were often the most famous women in America, and were able to influence, or at least were perceived to be able to influence, the President. Due to their position and proximity, proponents of causes would implore First Ladies for their aid and assistance, sometimes successful in finding a champion. Harriet Lane took an interest in the needs of Native Americans. Mary Todd Lincoln advocated education, employment, and housing opportunities for freed slaves. Helen Taft inspected unsafe working conditions and used her influence to get health and safety laws passed. As the role of the First Lady as both an advocate and a ceremonial replacement for the President continued to grow, Edith Roosevelt became the first to have a federally-hired social secretary. Lou Hoover then hired additional secretaries with her own funds, growing the staff of the First Lady. Eleanor Roosevelt was the first to have a personal secretary, in addition to social and administrative secretaries. Jackie Kennedy hired the first press secretary. Soon appointments secretaries, speech writers, and with Rosalyn Carter, a Chief of Staff came on board, filling out a full staff to support the First Ladies’ projects and initiatives, as well as duties she performed on behalf of the President. Like their 19th-century counterparts, 20th-century First Ladies sponsored national and international causes such as environmentalism, volunteerism, women’s rights, literacy, and treatment for drug dependency. Laura Bush worked to further libraries, education, and the National Parks [Service], while Michelle Obama worked to counter childhood obesity through healthy eating and exercise. Often these causes are interwoven into the ceremonial functions of the White House, such as themed Christmas decorations under Mrs. Bush, or a ‘Let’s Go, Let’s Play, Let’s Move’ Easter Egg Roll under Mrs. Obama.
 Caroli, Betty Boyd. First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Michelle Obama. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010) National First Ladies’ Library, The Role of First Lady and Origin of the Title "First Lady"

First Ladies

There have been a total of 54 first ladies including 43 official and 11 acting, within 46 first ladyships. This discrepancy exists because some presidents had multiple first ladies. Following Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021, his wife, Jill Biden, became the 43rd official first lady. There are four living former First Ladies: Hillary Clinton, married to Bill Clinton; Laura Bush, married to George W. Bush; Michelle Obama, married to Barack Obama; and Melania Trump, married to Donald Trump. The most recent First Lady to die was Rosalynn Carter, married to Jimmy Carter. The first First Lady was Martha Washington, married to George Washington. Presidents John Tyler and Woodrow Wilson had two official first ladies; both remarried during their presidential tenures. The wives of four presidents died before their husbands were sworn into office but are still considered first ladies by the White House and National First Ladies' Library: Martha Wayles Skelton, married to Thomas Jefferson; Rachel Jackson, married to Andrew Jackson; Hannah Van Buren, married to Martin Van Buren; and Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur, married to Chester A. Arthur. One woman who was not married to a president is still considered an official first lady: Harriet Lane, niece of bachelor James Buchanan.

Recommended Media

General Web Resources: Print

THE ROLE OF FIRST LADY: https://www.georgewbushlibrary.gov/research/topic-guides/first-ladys-role# OVERVIEW (with weblinks): https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies TOP TEN: https://www.watchmojo.com/articles/top-10-influential-first-ladies-of-the-united-statesTOP TEN: https://www.thoughtco.com/top-most-influential-first-ladies-105458SIGNIFICANT: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/dolley-selection-significant-first-ladies/TOP FIVE INFLUENTIAL: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/5-influential-first-ladies/ngXxT13eFevnKw?hl=en TOP TEN: https://www.watchmojo.com/articles/top-10-influential-first-ladies-of-the-united-states ALL FIRST LADIES: https://www.nps.gov/fila/learn/historyculture/first-ladies.htmMOST INFLUENTIAL: https://www.womleadmag.com/most-influential-us-first-ladies/ WHITE HOUSE.GOV: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/ WHITE HOUSE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION: https://www.whitehousehistory.org/collections/first-lady-biographies
4. Dolley Madison
11. Sarah Polk
13. Abigail Fillmore

Individual Web Resources: Print

DOLLEY MADISON: https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/dolley-madisonDOLLEY MADISON: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolley_Madison DOLLEY MADISON: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/dolley-madison SARAH POLK: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/sarah-childress-polk/ SARAH POLK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Childress_PolkEDITH WILSON: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/edith-bolling-galt-wilson/ EDITH WILSON: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/wilson-edith-wilson/ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/anna-eleanor-roosevelt/ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_RooseveltJACKIE KENNEDY: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Kennedy_OnassisJACKIE KENNEDY: https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/life-of-jacqueline-b-kennedyJACKIE KENNEDY: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/jacqueline-lee-bouvier-kennedy/ LADY BIRD JOHNSON: https://www.lbjlibrary.org/life-and-legacy/lady-bird-johnson LADY BIRD JOHNSON: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Bird_Johnson BETTY FORD: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/elizabeth-anne-bloomer-ford/BETTY FORD: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/betty-ford-biography.aspxROSALYN CARTER: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/19/us/politics/rosalynn-carter-dead.htmlROSALYN CARTER: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalynn_Carter ROSALYN CARTER: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/rosalynn-smith-carter/ HILLARY CLINTON: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_ClintonHILLARY CLINTON: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/hillary-rodham-clinton/ HILLARY CLINTON: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/about/ MICHELLE OBAMA: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/michelle-obama/ MICHELLE OBAMA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama
28. Edith Wilson
32. Eleanor Roosevelt
35. Jackie Kennedy

Honorable Mentions: Print

MARTHA WASHINGTON: https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/martha-washington/ABIGAIL ADAMS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Adams ABIGAIL FILLMORE: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/abigail-powers-fillmore/ABIGAIL FILLMORE: https://millercenter.org/president/fillmore/essays/fillmore-1850-firstlady EDITH ROOSEVELT: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/edith-kermit-carow-roosevelt/NANCY REAGAN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Reagan NANCY REAGAN (and Jill Biden, NY Times OpEd): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/05/opinion/nancy-reagan-jill-biden.html
38. Betty Ford
39. Rosalynn Carter
42. Hillary Clinton

Web Resources: Video

TOP TEN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5UFQS1n38oTOP TEN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x5VeSCYH0k OVERVIEW OF ROLE OF FIRST LADY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6bvHdllFN0 IMPORTANT FIRST LADIES (38 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHL90ER2oW8 DOLLEY MADISON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiCHMZnKcuAEDITH WILSON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrUguOK_vkY EDITH WILSON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6Dte2bUoHE ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMBRgDErlVw JACKIE KENNEDY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM1uaF3V-mU LADY BIRD JOHNSON (Activist): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVKg0EY1VsIBETTY FORD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFgx2JfEvXg BETTY FORD FAMOUS PHOTO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-tYUHkK5XQ ROSALYN CARTER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tituNJLI35I HILARY CLINTON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C58AIvRwlAcMICHELLE OBAMA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsHaU_OU_dw
44. Michelle Obama
36. Lady Bird Johnson
40. Nancy Reagan

Least Popular or Effective First Lady