Fascinating Facts About Every First Lady
As highly visible but unelected members of the U.S. executive branch, America’s first ladies occupy a singular place in the firmament of public figures. Most have capably satisfied the requirements of supporting the president, hosting official affairs, and (more recently) advocating for charitable causes, but the sheer number of participants has resulted in a wild divergence of characters to play the part.
Some first ladies were born outside the country, others enjoyed prominent careers before the White House, and a fair share weren’t actually married to the person calling the shots in the Oval Office. Some also only held the role temporarily, which is why the total number of first ladies outnumbers the 45 men who have served as commander in chief. Here are 57 facts to illuminate the lives of the 57 women who have served as first lady.
Martha Washington
George Washington never lived in the White House, but Martha Washington did; that was, coincidentally, the name of the Virginia plantation she inherited after her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis, died in 1757.
Abigail Adams
Said to be the first recorded female investor in the U.S., Abigail Adams shrewdly funneled the family finances toward government bonds and securities while her husband, John Adams, was serving his pre-presidency ambassadorships in France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain.
Martha Jefferson Randolph
Martha Jefferson Randolph served as acting first lady to her father, President Thomas Jefferson, two decades after the death of her mother, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson. In early 1806, Randolph gave birth to the first child born in the Executive Mansion, a boy named James Madison Randolph.
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Dolley Madison
Raised a Quaker, Dolley Madison was expelled by religious leaders following the death of her first husband for remarrying outside the faith to Episcopalian James Madison.
Elizabeth Monroe
Said to be skilled at playing the pianoforte, Elizabeth Monroe brought one back to the United States after husband James Monroe completed a diplomatic tour of England. The instrument accompanied them to both the White House and their retirement home at the Oak Hill plantation in Virginia.
Louisa Adams
As the first foreign-born first lady, London native Louisa Adams was a target for opponents of President John Quincy Adams' administration. She subsequently became the first first lady to deliver a rebuttal to her critics in print, by way of a June 1827 piece in Mrs. A.S. Colvin’s Weekly Messenger.
Rachel Jackson
Raised on the western frontier of Virginia, Rachel Jackson was among the first European settlers of modern-day Nashville, Tennessee. Though she is often included in complete lists of first ladies, she never officially served in the role, as she died about two months before her then-husband, Andrew Jackson, was inaugurated as president.
Emily Donelson
Andrew Jackson's niece Emily Donelson was just 21 years old when she was asked to serve as White House hostess. Despite her youth, Donelson refused to heed the president's demand to socially accept the scandalized wife of a Cabinet member during the "Petticoat Affair," resulting in an extended hiatus from her position.
Sarah Jackson
Sarah Jackson occasionally served as co-hostess alongside Emily Donelson during her father-in-law Andrew Jackson's presidency, and later handled the role herself. However, she primarily aided "Old Hickory," as the president was known, by helping to manage his Tennessee plantation, known as the Hermitage, during and after his administration.
Angelica Van Buren
Angelica Van Buren was related by marriage to Dolley Madison, who introduced the younger socialite to President Martin Van Buren's son Abraham. Angelica took on the role of White House hostess at the beginning of 1839, after it was left vacant by the widower president for more than a year.
Anna Harrison
After President William Henry Harrison died from pneumonia following just one month in office, First Lady Anna Harrison became the first presidential widow to be awarded a pension.
Jane Harrison
With an ailing Anna Harrison unable to travel to Washington, D.C., before her husband's death, it was the couple's daughter-in-law Jane Harrison who served as acting first lady to President William Henry Harrison. Due to the short tenure of her position, she hosted just two official receptions.
Letitia Tyler
Disabled by a stroke and felled by a second one, Letitia Tyler attended only one White House social event — the marriage of her daughter Elizabeth — during her 17 months as first lady to President John Tyler.
Priscilla Cooper Tyler
Priscilla Cooper Tyler was a professional actress prior to marrying the son of President John Tyler. Her ability to command attention translated well to the role of White House hostess as she aided the ailing Letitia Tyler, and when she eventually took over the role of first lady.
Julia Tyler
Celebrated as an elegant and vivacious White House hostess, President John Tyler's second wife, Julia Tyler, also boasted notable musical talents, including the ability to sing and play guitar.
Sarah Polk
A contrast to her festive predecessor, the devoutly Presbyterian Sarah Polk banned hard liquor and dancing in the White House during her time as first lady to President James K. Polk.
Margaret Taylor
The wife of President Zachary Taylor, Margaret Taylor, was also mother-in-law to future Confederate President Jefferson Davis until the early death of her daughter and Davis' bride, Sarah Knox Taylor.
Mary "Betty" Bliss
President Zachary Taylor's youngest surviving daughter, Mary "Betty" Bliss, stepped in as White House hostess in place of her mother, who preferred privacy. Bliss earned praise for her handling of the role during her father's 16-month administration, inspiring the creation of a dance song in her honor.
Abigail Fillmore
A teacher in her pre-first lady days — her future husband, President Millard Fillmore, was among her students — Abigail Fillmore helped establish the first White House library.
Jane Pierce
A staunch abolitionist in defiance of President Franklin Pierce's compromises on the matter, First Lady Jane Pierce helped secure the release of the imprisoned Free State leader Charles Robinson.
Harriet Lane
The niece and acting first lady to the lone bachelor president, James Buchanan, Harriet Lane later endowed the formation of the Harriet Lane Home for Invalid Children at Johns Hopkins University.
Mary Todd Lincoln
After enduring the deaths of three children and her husband President Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln was committed to a psychiatric hospital at the instigation of her sole surviving son, Robert Todd Lincoln.
Eliza Johnson
Prior to Andrew Johnson's rise to the presidency, his family was endangered by their loyalty to the Union during the Civil War. Future First Lady Eliza Johnson was forced to leave their home in Greenville, Tennessee, and briefly lived as a refugee before finding sanctuary in Nashville.
Martha Johnson Patterson
Assuming the role of acting first lady from her bedridden mother, Martha Johnson Patterson spent more than $135,000 (well over $2 million today) to refurbish the White House during President Andrew Johnson's administration.
Julia Dent Grant
The wife of President Ulysses S. Grant, Julia Dent Grant was the first first lady to write a memoir, although it went unpublished for more than 70 years after her death.
Lucy Hayes
A graduate of Cincinnati Wesleyan Female College, Lucy Hayes entered the White House alongside President Rutherford B. Hayes, and is notable for being the first first lady with a college degree.
Lucretia Garfield
Widowed by the assassination of President James A. Garfield, First Lady Lucretia Garfield later founded the first presidential memorial library.
Ellen Arthur
Though she succumbed to pneumonia shortly before her husband Chester A. Arthur's presidency, Ellen Arthur is often counted among the list of first ladies. She was known for her beautiful singing voice; she joined a church choir as a child, and later reportedly performed with the famed Mendelssohn Glee Club.
Mary Arthur McElroy
Filling in as first lady for her older brother, President Chester A. Arthur, Mary Arthur McElroy, the younger sister of President Chester A. Arthur, was a strong proponent of equal rights for Black citizens. Her progressive views did not extend to women's voting rights, however, fueling her membership in the Albany Association Opposed to Suffrage.
Rose Cleveland
Rose Cleveland served as White House hostess for 14 months until her brother, President Grover Cleveland Alexander, was married. She later forged an intimate relationship with a woman named Evangeline Simpson Whipple, making her the first known LGBTQ+ first lady.
Frances Cleveland
President Grover Cleveland's wife Frances Cleveland was the first first lady to both get married and give birth in the White House.
Caroline Harrison
Known for her artistic sensibilities, Caroline Harrison established the celebrated White House china collection during her three and a half years as first lady to President Benjamin Harrison.
Mary McKee
Mary McKee stepped into the role of acting first lady following the death of her mother, Caroline Harrison. Her young son, named after her father, President Benjamin Harrison, but commonly known as "Baby McKee," was a popular public figure during the family's time in the White House.
Ida McKinley
Her mobility limited by fragile health, First Lady Ida McKinley crocheted slippers to be auctioned for charity during President William McKinley's administration, altogether crocheting more than 3,000 slippers over the course of her lifetime.
Edith Roosevelt
A childhood friend of her future husband, President Theodore Roosevelt, Edith Roosevelt was the first first lady to hire a social secretary.
Helen Taft
The wife of President William Howard Taft, Helen Taft oversaw the development of the capital's Potomac Park, including the planting of the famed Japanese cherry trees, as part of the first public project spearheaded by a first lady.
Ellen Wilson
A gifted artist, Ellen Wilson won a bronze medal for freehand drawing at the 1878 Paris International Exposition, and later saw her paintings exhibited during her brief time as first lady to President Woodrow Wilson.
Margaret Wilson
Following the death of her mother from Bright's disease, Margaret Wilson served as acting first lady to her father, President Woodrow Wilson, for about 16 months. Later, after discovering the writings of mystic Sri Aurobindo, she spent the final four years of her life at an ashram in Pondicherry, India.
Edith Wilson
The second wife of President Woodrow Wilson, and his constant companion after he suffered a debilitating stroke, Edith Wilson controlled the flow of information to and from her husband over the final year and a half of his second term, in what she called her "stewardship" of the presidency.
Florence Harding
An active adviser to her husband, President Warren G. Harding, Florence Harding was the first first lady to spontaneously deliver speeches while traveling.
Grace Coolidge
Grace Coolidge was a teacher at the Clarke School for the Deaf in Massachusetts when she met and married future President Calvin Coolidge. She later donated $2 million to the school at the close of her husband's administration, and went on to head the school's board of trustees.
Lou Hoover
The first woman to graduate from Stanford University with a geology degree, Lou Hoover assisted husband Herbert Hoover in his pre-presidential career as a mining engineer.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Among her many accomplishments, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote a syndicated column titled "My Day" six days a week between 1935 and 1962. The only interruption to that schedule came after her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, died in April 1945.
Bess Truman
A childhood friend of her future husband, President Harry S. Truman, Bess Truman went on to enjoy the longest life of any first lady before her death at age 97 in 1982.
Mamie Eisenhower
First Lady Mamie Eisenhower's love for pink, and her insistence on surrounding herself with clothing, decor, and accessories of that color, led to President Dwight D. Eisenhower's White House being dubbed the "Pink Palace."
Jacqueline Kennedy
Prior to marrying President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy interviewed and photographed subjects as the "Inquiring Camera Girl" for the Washington Times-Herald newspaper. Later in life, she worked as a book editor at Viking Press and Doubleday.
Lady Bird Johnson
An ardent conservationist, Lady Bird Johnson spurred the passage of many of the 200 laws related to the environment that were enacted during Lyndon B. Johnson's administration. After leaving the White House, she founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas.
Pat Nixon
Pat Nixon became the first first lady to visit a combat zone when she joined President Richard Nixon on a trip to South Vietnam in 1969.
Betty Ford
Before her marriage to Gerald Ford set her on a path to becoming first lady, Betty Ford appeared headed toward a career in dance. She attended Vermont's Bennington School of Dance in the 1930s, and afterward joined a troupe headed by acclaimed choreographer Martha Graham.
Rosalynn Carter
Taking the traditional advisership of her role to a new level, First Lady Rosalynn Carter served as President Jimmy Carter's official envoy for a two-week goodwill tour of seven Latin American countries in 1977.
Nancy Reagan
Following a 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, First Lady Nancy Reagan relied on the advice of an astrologer to schedule trips and news conferences for her husband.
Barbara Bush
Prior to dropping out of Smith College in anticipation of her marriage to future President George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush served as captain of the school's freshman soccer team.
Hillary Clinton
The first lady to President Bill Clinton and the Democratic nominee for president in 2016, Hillary Clinton demonstrated different political leanings earlier in life. She was a "Goldwater Girl" in support of conservative candidate Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign in 1964, and went on to serve as president of Wellesley College's Young Republicans Club.
Laura Bush
Laura Bush became the first first lady to deliver a presidential radio address when she took over for President George W. Bush on November 17, 2001, to call attention to the plight of women under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Michelle Obama
A junior associate at Chicago's Sidney Austin law firm, Michelle Obama met her future husband, President Barack Obama, when he became her intern during the summer of 1989.
Melania Trump
An architecture student before pursuing a full-time modeling career, First Lady Melania Trump relied on her training to design a White House tennis pavilion before the end of President Donald Trump's term.
Dr. Jill Biden
Among the most physically active first ladies, Dr. Jill Biden completed a marathon in 1998, and at one point was running 5five miles five days per week. President Joe Biden's wife still wakes up at 5:45 a.m. most mornings to fit exercise into her schedule.
