First Lady of the United States
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Former first ladies (from left to right): Rosalynn Carter, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the dedication of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park in 2004.

First Lady of the United States is the unofficial title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the President of the United States, the title is sometimes taken to apply only to the wife of a sitting President. However, several women who were not Presidents' wives have served as First Lady, as when the President was a bachelor or widower, or when the wife of the President was unable to fulfill the duties of the First Lady herself. In these cases, the position has been filled by a female relative or friend of the President.

To date, no woman has served as President. While a female President could theoretically serve as her own official hostess, it is not known what title would be applied to a President's husband, who might also serve as the host of the White House. There have been many female governors of U.S. states over the years; their spouses are typically referred to as the First Gentleman.^[1]

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, wife of former president Bill Clinton, is the only spouse of a president to be elected to the United States Senate. The current First Lady is Laura Bush. In addition, there are currently five former First Ladies still living: Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Origins of the title

Former First Ladies Nancy Reagan, Lady Bird Johnson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford and Barbara Bush sit together at the National Garden Gala, A Tribute to America's First Ladies, May 11, 1994. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was unable to attend due to illness, and died a week after this photograph was taken.

The use of the title first lady to describe the spouse or hostess of an executive began in the United States.

In the early days of the republic, there was no generally accepted title for the wife of the President. Many early first ladies expressed their own preference for how they were addressed, including the use of such titles as "Lady", "Mrs. President", and "Mrs. Presidentress," Martha Washington was often referred to as "Lady Washington."

According to legend, Dolley Madison was referred to as "first lady" in 1849 at her funeral in a eulogy delivered by President Zachary Taylor. However, no written record of this eulogy exists.^[2]

Sometime after 1849, the title began being used in Washington, D.C. social circles. The earliest known written evidence of the title is from the November 3, 1863 diary entry of William Howard Russell, in which he referred to gossip about "the First Lady in the Land."

The title first gained nationwide recognition in 1877, when newspaper journalist Mary C. Ames referred to Lucy Webb Hayes as "the First Lady of the land" while reporting on the inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes. Mrs. Hayes was a tremendously popular First Lady, and the frequent reporting on her activities helped spread use of the title outside Washington.

A popular 1911 comedic play by playwright Charles Nirdlinger titled The First Lady in the Land popularized the title further. By the 1930s it was in wide use. Use of the title later spread from the United States to other nations.

The acronym FLOTUS is sometimes used for "First Lady of the United States," by analogy to the more well-known acronym "POTUS" for "President of the United States." The next First Lady will likely be Cindy McCain or Michelle Obama, the wives of the Republican and Democratic presumptive nominees, respectively.

The wife of the Vice President of the United States is sometimes referred to as the Second Lady of the United States, but this title is much less common. The term "first lady" is also used to describe the wife of other government chief executives or a woman who has acted as a leading symbol for some activity, for example, Aretha Franklin has been called "the First Lady of Soul."

Role of the First Lady

First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Rosalynn Carter, and Betty Ford at the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, November 1991

"First Lady" is not an elected position, carries no official duties, and receives no salary. Nonetheless, she attends many official ceremonies and functions of state either along with, or in place of, the President. There is a strong tradition against the First Lady holding outside employment while occupying the office ^[3]. The first lady frequently participates in humanitarian and charitable work; over the course of the 20th century it became increasingly common for first ladies to select specific causes to promote, usually ones that are not politically divisive. It is common for the first lady to hire a staff to support these activities. Additionally, many have taken an active role in campaigning for the President with whom they are associated. Hillary Rodham Clinton took the role one step further when she was, for a time, given a formal job in the Clinton administration to develop reforms to the health care system.

If the United States were to have a female President, it is commonly presumed that the husband of a female President would act as an analogous "First Gentleman". This was the situation portrayed in the fictitious television series Commander In Chief, in which President Mackenzie Allen's husband Rod Calloway was titled as "First Gentleman", but President Allen's mother ultimately joined the First Family and acted as the official hostess at the White House.

Office of the First Lady

The Office of the First Lady of the United States is accountable to the First Lady of the United States for her to carry out her duties as hostess of the White House, and is also in charge of all social and ceremonial events of the White House. The First Lady has her own staff that includes the White House Social Secretary, a Chief of Staff, Press Secretary, Chief Floral Designer, Executive Chef, etc. The Office of the First Lady is a branch of the Executive Office of the President (EOP).

First Ladies of the United States

The following women have been recognized by The National First Ladies' Library as "First Lady".

Also listed is the First Spouse Program coin designs. Only spouses are honored with coins and those Presidents without a spouse (indicated below with "None") are honored with a "liberty coin" instead. The one exception is for President Arthur who will have Alice Paul honored instead of with a "liberty coin".

#	Portrait	First Spouse Program coin Obverse/reverse	Name and Relation	From	To
1			Martha Dandridge Custis Washington Wife of George Washington	April 30, 1789	March 4, 1797
2			Abigail Adams Wife of John Adams	March 4, 1797	March 4, 1801
3.1			Martha Jefferson Randolph* Daughter of widower Thomas Jefferson	March 4, 1801	March 4, 1809
3.2		None	Dolley Madison* Friend of widower Thomas Jefferson	March 4, 1801	March 4, 1809
4			Dolley Madison Wife of James Madison	March 4, 1809	March 4, 1817
5			Elizabeth Kortright Monroe Wife of James Monroe	March 4, 1817	March 4, 1825
6			Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams Wife of John Quincy Adams	March 4, 1825	March 4, 1829
7.1			Emily Donelson* Niece of widower Andrew Jackson	March 4, 1829	December 19, 1836
7.2			Sarah Yorke Jackson* Daughter-in-law of widower Andrew Jackson	November 26, 1834	March 4, 1837
8			Angelica Singleton Van Buren* Daughter-in-law of widower Martin Van Buren	March 4, 1837	March 4, 1841
9.1		Available 2009	Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison Absent wife of William Henry Harrison	March 4, 1841	April 4, 1841
9.2		None	Jane Irwin Harrison* Daughter-in-law of William Henry Harrison	March 4, 1841	April 4, 1841
10.1		Available 2009	Letitia Christian Tyler First wife of John Tyler	April 4, 1841	September 10, 1842
10.2		None	Priscilla Cooper Tyler* Daughter-in-law of widower John Tyler	September 10, 1842	June 26, 1844
10.3		Available 2009	Julia Gardiner Tyler Second wife of John Tyler	June 26, 1844	March 4, 1845
11		Available 2009	Sarah Childress Polk Wife of James K. Polk	March 4, 1845	March 4, 1849
12		Available 2009	Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor Wife of Zachary Taylor	March 4, 1849	July 9, 1850
13		Available 2010	Abigail Powers Fillmore Wife of Millard Fillmore	July 9, 1850	March 4, 1853
14		Available 2010	Jane Means Appleton Pierce Wife of Franklin Pierce	March 4, 1853	March 4, 1857
15		None	Harriet Lane* Niece of bachelor James Buchanan	March 4, 1857	March 4, 1861
16		Available 2010	Mary Todd Lincoln Wife of Abraham Lincoln	March 4, 1861	April 15, 1865
17		Available 2011	Eliza McCardle Johnson Wife of Andrew Johnson	April 15, 1865	March 4, 1869
18		Available 2011	Julia Dent Grant Wife of Ulysses S. Grant	March 4, 1869	March 4, 1877
19		Available 2011	Lucy Webb Hayes Wife of Rutherford B. Hayes	March 4, 1877	March 4, 1881
20		Available 2011	Lucretia Rudolph Garfield Wife of James A. Garfield	March 4, 1881	September 19, 1881
21		None	Mary Arthur McElroy* Sister of widower Chester A. Arthur	September 19, 1881	March 4, 1885
22.1		None	Rose Cleveland* Sister of bachelor Grover Cleveland	March 4, 1885	June 2, 1886
22.2		Available 2012	Frances Folsom Cleveland Preston Wife of Grover Cleveland	June 2, 1886	March 4, 1889
23.1		Available 2012	Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison Wife of Benjamin Harrison	March 4, 1889	October 25, 1892
23.2		None	Mary Harrison McKee* Daughter of widower Benjamin Harrison	October 25, 1892	March 4, 1893
24		Available 2012	Frances Folsom Cleveland Preston Wife of Grover Cleveland	March 4, 1893	March 4, 1897
25		Available 2013	Ida Saxton McKinley Wife of William McKinley	March 4, 1897	September 14, 1901
26		Available 2013	Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt Wife of Theodore Roosevelt	September 14, 1901	March 4, 1909
27		Available 2013	Helen Herron Taft Wife of William Howard Taft	March 4, 1909	March 4, 1913
28.1		Available 2013	Ellen Louise Axson Wilson First wife of Woodrow Wilson	March 4, 1913	August 6, 1914
28.2		Available 2013	Edith Bolling Galt Wilson Second wife of Woodrow Wilson	December 18, 1915	March 4, 1921
29		Available 2014	Florence Kling Harding Wife of Warren G. Harding	March 4, 1921	August 3, 1923
30		Available 2014	Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge Wife of Calvin Coolidge	August 3, 1923	March 4, 1929
31		Available 2014	Lou Henry Hoover Wife of Herbert Hoover	March 4, 1929	March 4, 1933
32		Available 2014	Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt	March 4, 1933	April 12, 1945
33		Available 2015	Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman Wife of Harry S. Truman	April 12, 1945	January 20, 1953
34		Available 2015	Mamie Doud Eisenhower Wife of Dwight D. Eisenhower	January 20, 1953	January 20, 1961
35		Available 2015	Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Wife of John F. Kennedy	January 20, 1961	November 22, 1963
36		Available 2015	Claudia Taylor "Lady Bird" Johnson Wife of Lyndon B. Johnson	November 22, 1963	January 20, 1969
37		Available 2016	Thelma Catherine Ryan "Pat" Nixon Wife of Richard Nixon	January 20, 1969	August 9, 1974
38		Available 2016	Betty Bloomer Ford Wife of Gerald R. Ford	August 9, 1974	January 20, 1977
39		§	Rosalynn Smith Carter Wife of Jimmy Carter	January 20, 1977	January 20, 1981
40		§	Nancy Davis Reagan Second wife of Ronald Reagan	January 20, 1981	January 20, 1989
41		§	Barbara Pierce Bush Wife of George H. W. Bush	January 20, 1989	January 20, 1993
42		§	Hillary Rodham Clinton Wife of Bill Clinton	January 20, 1993	January 20, 2001
43		§	Laura Welch Bush Wife of George W. Bush	January 20, 2001	Present

§ — The first spouse is not honored unless their associated President qualifies for a coin (meaning they have been dead for no less than two years at the time of their potential honoring).

Further information: Presidential $1 Coin Program

Non-spouse "First Lady" or "White House hostess"

The following women are known to have acted as hostess on behalf of the First Lady when she was otherwise unable or unwilling:

The First Ladies National Historic Site.

See also

• First Lady - Use of the title outside the United States.
• Second Lady of the United States - Wife of the Vice President of the United States.
• First Ladies National Historic Site - In Canton, Ohio.
• List of United States First Ladies by Longevity

External links

• http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/058_flal.html
• "Office of the First Lady". Retrieved on October 7, 2005.
• "First Lady's Gallery". The White House. Retrieved on October 7, 2005.
• "The National First Ladies' Library". Retrieved on October 7, 2005.
• Paper on the role of the first lady and the influence she holds over the President

References

1. ^ Clift, Eleanor, On Being a First Gentleman, <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17422966/site/newsweek/>. Retrieved on 15 September 2007 
2. ^ http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=4 Firstladies.org
3. ^ Caroli, Betty Boyd (2003). First Ladies from Martha Washington to Laura Bush. Oxford University Press, 200.