First Ladies

Martha Washington set many standards for American First Ladies, but from Abigail Adams and Eleanor Roosevelt to Hillary Clinton and Melania Trump, each has left her mark on the office.

Featured Overview

Was she really one of America’s first feminists? Meet Abigail Adams and find out what she meant when she asked her husband John to “remember the ladies.”

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FRANCE-CLINTON

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Featured Overview

Was she really one of America’s first feminists? Meet Abigail Adams and find out what she meant when she asked her husband John to “remember the ladies.”

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Portrait of former US First Ladies, seated from left, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Rosalynn Carter, and Betty Ford and, standing from left, Nancy Reagan and First Lady Barbara Bush, as they pose together at the opening of the Ronald Reagan Library, Simi Valley, California, November 4, 1991.

There are many ways to be a modern first lady.

Eleanor Delano Roosevelt, seated, with a wide, warm smile

The 32nd first lady wielded an influential—and disruptive—voice on behalf of equality, civil rights and social justice.

Martha Washington. (Credit: VCG Wilson/Corbis/Getty Images)

She spent nearly half the Revolutionary War at her husband’s side.

Betty Ford dancing on the Cabinet Room table

The first lady spoke her mind and shared her struggles, sparking national dialogues that affected countless American lives.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Diplomatic Fight for Human Rights

History Shorts: Eleanor Roosevelt's Diplomatic Fight for Human Rights

Eleanor Roosevelt became well-known as FDR's first lady, but her contributions toward human rights after her husband's death might be her most lasting legacy.

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First Ladies
Eleanor Roosevelt in South Pacific

Eleanor Roosevelt pushed the boundaries of the First Lady role as she traveled thousands of miles for five weeks, visiting troops and dispatching reports back home.

Eleanor Delano Roosevelt, seated, with a wide, warm smile

The 32nd first lady wielded an influential—and disruptive—voice on behalf of equality, civil rights and social justice.

Eleanor Roosevelt became well-known as FDR's first lady, but her contributions toward human rights after her husband's death might be her most lasting legacy.

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How Eleanor Roosevelt Pushed for Universal Human Rights

In the wake of World War II's horrors, Roosevelt saw the need to support refugees and affirm the right to education, shelter and medical care.

Jill Biden

Dr. Jill Biden is a longtime educator and the wife of the 46th U.S. president-elect and former vice president, Joe Biden, and the future first lady of the United States.

About 8,500 women attended the camps inspired by the CCC and organized by Eleanor Roosevelt—but the "She-She-She" program was mocked and eventually abandoned.

The 'Father of the Nation' stressed education among his family's younger generations and even offered advice on navigating love.

A woman of vast energy and empathy, Eleanor Roosevelt used her influence as first lady to fight for American workers, women and minorities.

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Was she really one of America’s first feminists? Meet Abigail Adams and find out what she meant when she asked her husband John to “remember the ladies.”

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Find out why historians say Betty Ford, one of our most popular--and outspoken--first ladies, probably did more for American women than any other first lady in history.

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From her eye-catching fashion to her penchant for politics, Dolley Madison set the stage for future first ladies.

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Find out how Florence Harding, America’s first feminist first lady, helped put her husband in the White House.

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A Stanford-trained geologist who was fluent in Chinese, first lady Lou Hoover’s life was full of surprises.

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Former First Lady Barbara Bush

Former First Lady Barbara Bush won the public’s admiration for her candor sharp sense of humor, but fashioned herself as a return to a more traditional first lady.

Betty Ford dancing on the Cabinet Room table

The first lady spoke her mind and shared her struggles, sparking national dialogues that affected countless American lives.

Pat and Richard Nixon

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh writes in his new book that Pat Nixon visited the emergency room and alleged that her husband had hit her shortly after Nixon resigned.

Martha Washington. (Credit: VCG Wilson/Corbis/Getty Images)

She spent nearly half the Revolutionary War at her husband’s side.

Portrait of former US First Ladies, seated from left, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Rosalynn Carter, and Betty Ford and, standing from left, Nancy Reagan and First Lady Barbara Bush, as they pose together at the opening of the Ronald Reagan Library, Simi Valley, California, November 4, 1991.

There are many ways to be a modern first lady.

HISTORY honors First Lady Barbara Bush, only the second woman in history to have been the wife and mother of a president, who died April 17th, 2018 at the age of 92.

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Barbara Bush, noted advocate for family literacy, is also the second woman to have been First Lady to one U.S. president and mother of another. Learn more about her life and work in this mini biography.

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Military commanders and cabinet members surround Abraham Lincoln on his death bed, while his wife Mary Todd Lincoln kneels at his side, on April 15, 1865.

After President Lincoln's death, the First Lady's public grieving was seen as evidence that she was an improper woman.

The role of the United States’ first lady traditionally goes to the president’s spouse, but in instances it falls to others.

First Lady Melania Trump

Early Years Melanija Knavs was born on April 26, 1970, in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. At the time, the small Central European nation was part of communist-ruled Yugoslavia; it gained its independence in 1991. Melanija was raised in Sevnica, Slovenia, where he...

Gilbert Stuart portrait of Louisa Catherine Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams

Fluent in French and favored by the grandest courts in Europe, the London-born Louisa Catherine Adams played a key role in the election of her husband, John Quincy Adams, in 1824.

Lara Spencer examines how the role of First Lady has changed over time.

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Mary Todd Lincoln

Could a vitamin B12 deficiency explain the first lady’s long list of ailments and notoriously strange behavior?

Find out about the life and influence of Mamie Eisenhower, a First Lady known for her incredible hospitality, in this video.

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Laura Bush championed literacy and education during her time as First Lady of the United States. Find out more about her life and her marriage to George W. Bush in this video.

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John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy are shown on the White House lawn.

Check out 10 surprising facts about the life and work of one of America’s most iconic first ladies.

10 Things You May Not Know About the Roosevelts

From Franklin’s brushes with death to Eleanor’s midnight ride with Amelia Earhart, here are 10 things you may not know about this presidential pair.

Abraham Lincoln was an unlikely family man, but marriage and fatherhood helped him lead the nation through crisis.

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Hear the tale of how first lady Dolley Madison risked her life to save George Washington's portrait from a fiery fate as British troops approached the White House.

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Illustration of the wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom, published in Harper’s Weekly on June 12, 1886.

Grover Cleveland became the first and only president to be married at the White House when he wed Frances Folsom 125 years ago.

Early Life Elizabeth “Betty” Anne Bloomer was the third child, and only daughter, of William Bloomer, Sr. and Hortense Neahr. Elizabeth’s father worked for the Royal Rubber Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her mother was related to a wealthy Grand Rap...

US first lady Laura Bush smiles after being greeted by Gila Katzav, the wife of Israeli President Moshe Katzav, at the president house in Jerusalem Sunday, May 22, 2005. Mrs. Bush arrived in Israel for a one-day visit, that will include the Palestinian town of Jericho, from Jordan where she attended the World Economic Forum conference on the Middle East on Saturday. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

Laura Bush (1946-) was an American first lady and the wife of George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States. As a former public shool teacher and librarian, Laura Bush championed the causes of education and literacy before and during her time in t...

Jacqueline Kennedy at the launching of the USS Lafayette submarine.

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier: Early Life and Marriage Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on July 28, 1929, in Southampton, New York. Her parents, Janet Lee and stockbroker John “Black Jack” Bouvier, divorced in 1942, and Jackie’s mother married lawyer Hugh Auchi...

circa 1840: Sarah Polk (1803 - 1891), formerly Sarah Childress, a prominent figure in Tennessee society even before her marriage to American president James Knox Polk. She had received a higher education, a rare achievement for a woman, from the Moravians' 'female academy' at Salem. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Sarah Polk (1803-1891) was an American first lady (1845–1849), wife of James K. Polk, the 11th president of the United States. Compared to most other first ladies of the 19th century, she was deeply involved in her husband’s career and, through him, exe...

Rachel Jackson, wife of United States President Andrew Jackson, steel plate engraving, 1820. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).

Rachel Jackson (1767-1828) was the wife of U.S. Army general and President-elect Andrew Jackson, who became the seventh president of the United States (1829–37). She died less than three months before his inauguration. Rachel Donelson was born circa Jun...

First Lady Mamie Eisenhower wears her Easter outfit consisting of a Sally Victor hat of white straw with a wide edging of navy, a deep navy blue dress with white polka dots and a blue faille duster.

Mamie Eisenhower (1896-1979) was an American first lady (1953-61) and the wife of famed U.S. Army commander and 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike’s military career kept the couple constantly on the move- in fact, they wouldn...

First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln.

First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln was the wife of 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

Martha Washington.

Martha Washington (1731-1802) was an American first lady (1789–97) and the wife of George Washington, first president of the United States and commander in chief of the colonial armies during the American Revolution. She set many of the standards and cu...

A portrait by painter Thomas Sully of Martha Jefferson Randolph, the daughter of President Thomas Jefferson, Washington DC, circa 1805. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)

Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson was the wife of Thomas Jefferson. Born in Virginia in 1748, she died at the family’s Monticello home on September 6, 1782, several months after giving birth to her last child and 19 years before her husband became the thi...

Mrs Rutherford B. Hayes, wife of President Hayes. Lucy Ware Webb Hayes was First Lady of the United States and is often known as 'Lemonade Lucy' due to her support of the Temperance Movement. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images)

Lucille “Lucy” Hayes (1831-89) was an American first lady (1877-81) and the wife of Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president of the United States. The well-educated Lucy was the first first lady to have graduated from college, receiving her degree from W...

Circa 1821-1826, oil on canvas, 76.4 x 63.5 cm (30.08 x 25.00 in). Located in the White House, Washington, DC, USA. (Photo by VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)

Louisa Adams (1775-1852) was an American first lady (1825-1829) and the wife of John Quincy Adams, a U.S. Congressman and the sixth president of the United States. The first-ever first lady born abroad, she met her husband while he was serving as a U.S....

circa 1925: Lou Henry Hoover (1874 - 1944), wife of American president Herbert Hoover. Born in Iowa, she was educated at Stanford University, where she met the future president. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Lou Hoover (1874-1944) was an American first lady (1929-1933) and the wife of Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States. As a child, Lou developed an interest in nature and the outdoors, a passion she would follow to Stanford University, w...

1962: Headshot of Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson's wife, Lady Bird, wearing a pearl necklace and a rose brooch on her sweater. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson (1912-2007) was an American first lady (1963-69) and the wife of Lyndon Johnson, the 36th president of the United States. A strong believer in her husband’s political talents, Lady Bird used her own inheritance to fund his ea...

(Original Caption) Mrs. Ada Sarton McKinley, wife of the 25th president of the United States. Head and shoulders photograph. Undated.

Ida McKinley (1847-1907) was an American first lady (1897-1901) and the wife of William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States. Her ill health, particularly the onset of epilepsy when she was in her 30s, limited her ability to perform many of...

circa 1900: Helen Herron Taft (1861 - 1943), wife of American president William Howard Taft. After several years of official travel in the Far East, the couple entered the White House in 1908, two months before Helen suffered a severe stroke which crippled her for a year. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Helen Taft (1861-1943) was an American first lady (1909-13) and the wife of William Howard Taft, 27th president of the United States and later chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. As a member of a successful Ohio political family, Helen (or Nellie, ...

Colorized illustration (after an engraving) depicts Hannah Hoes van Buren (1783 - 1819), early 1800s. Wife of future US President, Martin Van Buren, she died before he took office. (Photo by Science Source/Photo Researchers History/Getty Images)

Hannah Van Buren (1783-1819) was the wife of Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States. Hannah Van Buren died 18 years before her husband Martin was elected president and never served as first lady. Instead, that social role was played...

Portrait of Frances Cleveland, circa 1880s. (Photo by Fotosearch/Getty Images).

Frances Cleveland (1864-1947) was the wife of Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Just 21 years old when she became first lady, Frances Cleveland holds a number of distinctions in presidential history: She was the younges...

(Original Caption) Photo shows Mrs. Florence Mabel King Harding, wife of the Republican nominee, Senator Warren Harding.

Florence Harding (1860-1924) was an American first lady (1921-23) and the wife of Warren G. Harding, 29th president of the United States. Energetic, strong-willed and popular, she was an important influence on her husband’s business and political career...

circa 1900: Ellen Louise Axson Wilson (1860 - 1914), the first wife of American president Woodrow Wilson. An accomplished painter and popular hostess, she died of Bright's Disease during her husband's term in office. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Ellen Wilson (1860-1914) was an American first lady (1913-14) and the first wife of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States. Although far less well-known than her husband’s second wife, Edith Galt Wilson, Ellen is perhaps best remembered...

Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, 1924. Artist Emile Alexay.

Edith Wilson (1872-1961) was an American first lady (1915–21) and the second wife of Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States. The couple married just a year after the 1914 death of Wilson’s first wife, Ellen. Though Edith admitted she had no...

A portrait of Edith Carow Roosevelt, second wife of Theodore Roosevelt, 1884. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).

Edith Roosevelt's Childhood and Early Life The second child of Gertrude Elizabeth and Charles Carow, scion of a successful New York City-based shipping firm, Edith Kermit Carow was born into a world of privilege. She received an extensive education in w...

This is a portrait of Margaret Smith Taylor, the wife of the 12th President of the United States, Zachary Taylor.

Margaret Taylor (1788-1852) was an American first lady (1849-1850) and the wife of Zachary Taylor, an American military hero and the 12th president of the United States. Margaret supported her husband throughout his long military career, repeatedly upro...

Lucretia Rudolph Garfield (1832 - 1918), wife of American president James Garfield who referred to her fondly as 'Crete' circa 1875. She first met her husband at school in Ohio, and then again at the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute. (Photo by Brady-Handy/Epics/Getty Images)

Lucretia Garfield (1832-1918) was an American first lady (March 4–September 19, 1881), and the wife of James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States. Although she served as first lady for only a few months because of her husband’s assassina...

circa 1845: Jane Pierce (1806 - 1863), formerly Jane Means Appleton, wife of American president Franklin Pierce. A deeply religious woman, she opposed her husband's involvement in politics and disliked her public responsibilites as First Lady. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Jane Pierce (1806-63) was an American first lady (1853-1857) and the wife of Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States. Although Franklin Pierce was candid about his political ambitions and was already a rising member of Congress when the...

circa 1870: Eliza McCardle Johnson (1810 - 1876), wife of American president Andrew Johnson. A shoemaker's daughter from Tennessee, she suffered from ill health throughout her term as First Lady, but never wavered in her support of her husband. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Eliza Johnson (1810-76) was an American first lady (1865-69) and the wife of Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States. Though she supported her husband’s political career, she shied away from the public role associated with it, and did no...

First lady Barbara Bush

As the wife of one president, George H.W. Bush (1989-1993), and the mother of another, George W. Bush (2001-2009), Barbara Bush holds a unique position in American political history. Born in 1925, she married at the age of 19 and devoted much her time t...

US First Lady Rosalynn Carter climbs the steps to her plane during a trip, Texas, September 1978.

Rosalynn Carter was a trusted adviser to her husband, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and remained committed to humanitarian issues after leaving the White House.

Portrait of Mrs. Chester A. Arthur (1837-1880). She died before her husband became President. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Ellen Arthur (1837-80) was the wife of Chester A. Arthur, the 21st president of the United States, though she never served as first lady because she died of pneumonia before her husband assumed office. In her absence, the president’s sister, Mary Arthur...

circa 1815: Letitia Christian Tyler (1790 - 1842), wife of American president John Tyler. Born on a Virginia plantation, she suffered a stroke two years before her husband's inauguration, which left her confined to a wheelchair. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Letitia Tyler (1790-1842) was an American first lady (1841-1842) and the first wife of John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States. Two years before her husband assumed the presidency, Letitia suffered a debilitating stroke. As a result, she spe...

HISTORY: Julia Grant, wife of Ulysses S. Grant

Julia Grant: Early Life Julia Grant was born Julia Boggs Dent on January 26, 1826. She was the fifth of seven children born to “Colonel” Frederick and Ellen Wrenshall Dent. Raised on the White Haven plantation approximately 12 miles from St. Louis, Miss...

(Original Caption) McLean, Virginia: Mrs. Richard Nixon is pictured with the American flag during ceremonies at McLean, Virginia, where she started a five state visit to see the tangible results of the president's "Legacy of Parks" program.

Thelma “Pat” Nixon (1912-93) was an American first lady (1969-74) and the wife of Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the United States. As first lady, Pat Nixon encouraged Americans to donate their time and service to volunteerism, continued preservat...

An engraved portrait of American First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler (1820 - 1889) who was the second wife of tenth US President John Tyler, 19th Century. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)

Julia Tyler (1820-1889) was an American first lady (1844-1845) and the second wife of John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States. Thirty years younger than her husband, Julia married John Tyler two years after the death of his first wife, Letit...

Nancy Reagan, first lady to President Ronald Reagan

Nancy Reagan (1921-2016) was an American first lady (1981-1989), the wife of Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States, and actress, noted for her efforts to discourage drug use by American youths. Anne Frances “Nancy” Robbins was born in New Y...

1889: Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison (1832 - 1892), the first wife of American president Benjamin Harrison. She was an accomplished pianist, artist and dancer, and hosted many elegant parties before dying of tuberculosis in the White House. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Caroline Harrison (1832-92) was an American first lady (1889-92) and the wife of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States. While first lady, Caroline Harrison worked on behalf of several Washington charities; served as a fundraiser and...

Picture of the Wright Brothers with Orville watching Wilbur take readings outdoors, circa 1908. (Photo by Fotosearch/Getty Images).

Eliabeth Monroe (1768-1830) was an American first lady (1817-1825) and wife of James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. Elizabeth and James spent much of their early married life abroad, where James served as the U.S. minister to several ...

HISTORY: Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Clinton's Childhood and Early Life Hillary Diane Rodham was born on October 26, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in the nearby suburb of Park Ridge. The eldest child of Hugh Rodham, a fabric business owner, and Dorothy Howell, a homemaker,...

(Original Caption) Grace Anna Coolidge, wife of Calvin Coolidge. Undated photograph.

Grace Coolidge (1879-1957) was an American first lady (1923-29) and the wife of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States. A former teacher at a Massachusetts school for the deaf, she used her platform as first lady to champion education ...

Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison, 1775-1864, Wife of US President William Henry Harrison, Head and Shoulders Portrait. (Photo by: GHI Vintage/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Anna Harrison (1775-1864) was an American first lady (1841), the wife of William Henry Harrison, ninth president of the United States, and grandmother of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president. She was the first First Lady to receive a formal education, ...

Portrait of US First Lady Bess Truman (1885 - 1982), Washington DC, 1950. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)

Elizabeth “Bess” Truman (1885-1982) was an American first lady (1945-53) and the wife of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States. An intensely private woman, Bess reluctantly agreed to attend political events with her husband throughout...

HISTORY: Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Early Years Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, in New York City. Her father, Elliott Roosevelt (1860-1894) was the younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt, and her mother, Anna Hall (1863-1892), was from a wealthy New...

Abigail Powers Fillmore, circa 1840. Artist Unknown. (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

Abigail Fillmore (1798-1853) was an American first lady (1850-1853) and the wife of Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States. The first first lady to work outside of the home, she met her future husband while she was his teacher at a sc...

Dolley Madison, the wife of James Madison, established first lady precedents such as working with charities and overseeing the decoration of the White House.

HISTORY: Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama (1964-), wife of Barack Obama, became the United States' first African American First Lady in 2009, and served until 2017. She was also a lawyer and an associate dean at the University of Chicago.

Engraved Portrait Of Abigail AdamsEngraved portrait of Abigail Smith Adams (1744 - 1818), late 1700s. She was the wife of the second American president, John Adams, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth American president. (Photo by Stock Montage/Getty Images)

Abigail Adams: Early Life Born in 1744, Abigail Smith grew up in Weymouth, Massachusetts, a village some 12 miles from Boston. Her father, William Smith, was minister of the First Congregational Church there, and also made a living as a farmer. He and h...