First Lady of the United States
Information about First Lady of the United States
)
First Lady Laura Bush and former first ladies (from left to right) Rosalynn Carter, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Barbara 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 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 yet served as President. While a female President could 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]
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 Clinton.
Origins of the title
)
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and former First Ladies Nancy Reagan, Lady Bird Johnson, 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", or even "Queen".[2] 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.[3]
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 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, Mary J. Blige has been called "the First Lady of Soul."
Role of the First Lady
)
Former First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter and Nancy Reagan, as well as the current First Lady at that time, Barbara Bush, attend the opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California in 1991. It was the first time six First Ladies were in the same place.
The first lady is not an elected position, carries no official duties, and brings no salary. Nonetheless, she attends many official ceremonies and functions of state either along with or in place of the President. There is a strict taboo against the First Lady holding outside employment while occupying the office [4]. 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; at the end of her husband's administration she was elected in her own right to represent New York in the U.S. Senate, yet another "first" for a first lady.
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.
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".
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=spacer}
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
† — 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). See Presidential $1 Coin Program for more information.
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:| First Lady | Relation to President |
|---|---|
| Maria Jefferson Eppes | daughter of widower Thomas Jefferson |
| Eliza Monroe Hay | daughter of James Monroe |
| Letitia Tyler Semple | daughter of widower John Tyler |
| Mary Elizabeth Taylor Bliss | daughter of Zachary Taylor |
| Mary Abigail Fillmore | daughter of Millard Fillmore |
| Abby Kent Means | aunt-in-law of Franklin Pierce |
| Harriet Lane | niece of James Buchanan |
| Martha Johnson Patterson | daughter of Andrew Johnson |
| Jennie Hobart | wife of William McKinley's Vice President, Garret Hobart |
| Helen Taft Manning | daughter of William Howard Taft |
| Margaret Woodrow Wilson | daughter of widower Woodrow Wilson |
| Helen Woodrow Bones | cousin of widower Woodrow Wilson |
| Tricia Nixon | daughter of Richard Nixon |
| Susan Ford | daughter of Gerald Ford |
| Chelsea Clinton | daughter of Bill Clinton |
)
'''
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
- First Lady for President | Hillary 2008
References
1. ^ Clift, Eleanor, On Being a First Gentleman, <[1] (retrieved on 2007-09-15)
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=4 Firstladies.org
4. ^ Caroli, Betty Boyd (2003). First Ladies from Martha Washington to Laura Bush. Oxford University Press, 200.
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=4 Firstladies.org
4. ^ Caroli, Betty Boyd (2003). First Ladies from Martha Washington to Laura Bush. Oxford University Press, 200.
North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. Before construction of the north portico in 1824, the north façade looked similar to Leinster House shown in the picture below.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
First Lady is a term applied to the wife of an elected male head of state.[1] Development of the title is credited to the United States, where it was first used in 1849, when United States President Zachary Taylor called Dolley Madison "First Lady" at her state funeral.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
United States of America
This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
the United States
Federal government
Constitution
Taxation
President Vice President
Cabinet
Congress
Senate
..... Click the link for more information.
This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
the United States
Federal government
Constitution
Taxation
President Vice President
Cabinet
Congress
Senate
..... Click the link for more information.
Laura Lane Welch Bush (born November 4, 1946) is the wife of the forty-third and current President of the United States George W. Bush and is thereby the First Lady of the United States.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Ford (born April 8, 1918) is the widow of former United States President Gerald R. Ford and was the First Lady from 1974 to 1977. She is the founder and former chairman of the board of directors of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction and a
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Eleanor Rosalynn Smith Carter, known as Rosalynn, (born August 18, 1927) is the wife of former President Jimmy Carter and was First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Nancy Davis Reagan (born Anne Frances Robbins on July 6, 1921) is the widow of the former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Barbara Pierce Bush (born June 8, 1925) is the wife of the 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, and was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the current U.S. President George W. Bush and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) is the junior United States Senator from New York, and a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
First Lady is a term applied to the wife of an elected male head of state.[1] Development of the title is credited to the United States, where it was first used in 1849, when United States President Zachary Taylor called Dolley Madison "First Lady" at her state funeral.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 2, 1731 – May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered as the first First Lady of the United States.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Dorothea Dandridge Payne Todd "Dolley" Madison was born (May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the wife of President James Madison, who served from 1809 until 1817. She also occasionally acted as what is now described as First Lady of the United States during the administration
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
This article may contain original research or unverified claims.
A funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death.
..... Click the link for more information.
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details.
This article has been tagged since January 2007.
This article has been tagged since January 2007.
A funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death.
..... Click the link for more information.
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing. The word is derived from two Greek words - ευ (pronounced "you") meaning good or well and λογος (pronounced "logos") meaning word, phrase, speech, etc.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850)[1] was an American military leader and the twelfth President of the United States. Known as "Old Rough and Ready," Taylor had a 40-year military career in the U.S.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Washington, D.C.
Flag
Seal
Nickname: DC, The District
Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All)
Location of Washington, D.C.
..... Click the link for more information.
Flag
Seal
Nickname: DC, The District
Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All)
Location of Washington, D.C.
..... Click the link for more information.
November 3 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.
..... Click the link for more information.
Events
..... Click the link for more information.
18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1830s 1840s 1850s - 1860s - 1870s 1880s 1890s
1860 1861 1862 - 1863 - 1864 1865 1866
:
Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
1830s 1840s 1850s - 1860s - 1870s 1880s 1890s
1860 1861 1862 - 1863 - 1864 1865 1866
:
Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
William Howard Russell (28 March, 1821 - 11 February, 1907) was an Irish reporter with The Times, and is considered to have been one of the first modern war correspondents, after he spent 22 months covering the Crimean War.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1840s 1850s 1860s - 1870s - 1880s 1890s 1900s
1874 1875 1876 - 1877 - 1878 1879 1880
:
Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
1840s 1850s 1860s - 1870s - 1880s 1890s 1900s
1874 1875 1876 - 1877 - 1878 1879 1880
:
Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
Topics in journalism
Professional issues
Ethics & objectivity
Sources & attribution
News & news values
Reporting & writing
Fourth estate • Libel law
Education & books
Other topics
Fields
Advocacy journalism
..... Click the link for more information.
Professional issues
Ethics & objectivity
Sources & attribution
News & news values
Reporting & writing
Fourth estate • Libel law
Education & books
Other topics
Fields
Advocacy journalism
..... Click the link for more information.
Mary Clemmer Ames (aka Mrs. Edmund Hudson) (6 May, 1839 -18 August, 1884) American author was born to Abraham Clemmer and Margaret Kneale in Utica, New York. On 7 May, 1851 she married the Rev. Daniel Ames, from whom she was divorced in 1874.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Lucy Ware Webb Hayes sometimes credited as Lemonade Lucy (August 28, 1831 – June 25, 1889) was the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes of the United States of America and one of the most popular First Ladies of the nineteenth century.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American politician, lawyer, military leader and the nineteenth President of the United States (1877–1881).
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
20th century - 21st century
1880s 1890s 1900s - 1910s - 1920s 1930s 1940s
1908 1909 1910 - 1911 - 1912 1913 1914
Year 1911 (MCMXI
..... Click the link for more information.
1880s 1890s 1900s - 1910s - 1920s 1930s 1940s
1908 1909 1910 - 1911 - 1912 1913 1914
Year 1911 (MCMXI
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Second Lady of the United States is an unofficial title for the wife of the Vice President of the United States styled relatively to the unofficial title of the First Lady who is wife to the President and principal hostess of the White House.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
First Lady is a term applied to the wife of an elected male head of state.[1] Development of the title is credited to the United States, where it was first used in 1849, when United States President Zachary Taylor called Dolley Madison "First Lady" at her state funeral.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), or chief executive, is the highest-ranking corporate officer, administrator, corporate administrator, executive, or executive officer, in charge of total management of a corporation, company, organization or agency.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.