List of First Ladies of the United States
Encyclopedia
The first lady of the United States
is the title of the hostess of the White House
. The position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States
, but on occasion the title has been applied to women who were not presidents’ wives, such 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. The first lady is not an elected position; it 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. Traditionally, the first lady does not hold outside employment while occupying the office. She has her own staff, including the White House Social Secretary
, a chief of staff
, a press secretary
, a Chief Floral Designer
, and an Executive Chef
. The Office of the First Lady
is also in charge of all social and ceremonial events of the White House, and is a branch of the Executive Office of the President.
According to the White House and the National First Ladies' Library, there have been forty-five first ladies and forty-six first ladyships. This discrepancy exists because Grover Cleveland
served two non-consecutive terms and is counted chronologically as both the twenty-second and the twenty-fourth president; his wife Frances Folsom Cleveland
is also counted twice. Following Barack Obama
's inauguration on January 20, 2009, his wife, Michelle Obama
, became the forty-sixth first lady, succeeding Laura Bush
, wife of former President George W. Bush
.
As of July 8, 2011, there are five living former First Ladies: Rosalynn Carter
, wife of Jimmy Carter
; Nancy Reagan
, widow of Ronald Reagan
; Barbara Bush
, wife of George H. W. Bush
; Hillary Rodham Clinton
, wife of Bill Clinton
; and Laura Bush, wife of George W. Bush. The first First Lady of the US was Martha Dandridge Custis 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 Jefferson
, wife of Thomas Jefferson
; Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson
, wife of Andrew Jackson
; Hannah Hoes Van Buren
, wife of Martin Van Buren
; and Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur
, wife of Chester A. Arthur
. There is one woman who was not married to a President but who is still considered an official First Lady: Harriet Lane
, niece of bachelor James Buchanan
.
In 2007, the United States Mint
began releasing a set of half-ounce $10 gold coins under the First Spouse Program with engravings of portraits of the First Ladies on the obverse. When a President served without a spouse, a gold coin is issued that bears an obverse image emblematic of Liberty
as depicted on a circulating coin of that era and a reverse image emblematic of themes of that President's life. This is true for the coins for Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan's First Ladies, but not the coin for Chester A. Arthur's First Lady, which will instead depict suffragette
Alice Paul
.
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the 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 most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
is the title of the hostess of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. The position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, but on occasion the title has been applied to women who were not presidents’ wives, such 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. The first lady is not an elected position; it 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. Traditionally, the first lady does not hold outside employment while occupying the office. She has her own staff, including the White House Social Secretary
White House Social Secretary
The White House Social Secretary is responsible for the planning, coordination and execution of official social events at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States.-Function:...
, a chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
, a press secretary
Press secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
, a Chief Floral Designer
White House Chief Floral Designer
The White House Chief Floral Designer is responsible for the planning, design, arrangement and placement of all floral decorations for the First Family, their private entertaining, and official state functions at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the President of...
, and an Executive Chef
White House Executive Chef
The White House Executive Chef is responsible for the planning, managing and preparing of all menus and meals for the First Family and their private entertaining, and official state functions at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United...
. The Office of the First Lady
Office of the First Lady of the United States
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...
is also in charge of all social and ceremonial events of the White House, and is a branch of the Executive Office of the President.
According to the White House and the National First Ladies' Library, there have been forty-five first ladies and forty-six first ladyships. This discrepancy exists because Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
served two non-consecutive terms and is counted chronologically as both the twenty-second and the twenty-fourth president; his wife Frances Folsom Cleveland
Frances Folsom Cleveland
Frances Clara Folsom Cleveland Preston was the wife of the President of the United States Grover Cleveland and the 27th first lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889 and again from 1893 to 1897. Becoming first lady at age 21, she remains the youngest first lady to this day...
is also counted twice. Following Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's inauguration on January 20, 2009, his wife, Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
, became the forty-sixth first lady, succeeding Laura Bush
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
, wife of former President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
As of July 8, 2011, there are five living former First Ladies: Rosalynn Carter
Rosalynn Carter
Eleanor Rosalynn Carter is the wife of the former President of the United States Jimmy Carter and in that capacity served as the First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981. As First Lady and after, she has been a leading advocate for numerous causes, perhaps most prominently for mental...
, wife of Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
; Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
, widow of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
; Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush...
, wife of George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
; Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, wife of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
; and Laura Bush, wife of George W. Bush. The first First Lady of the US was Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, married to George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. Presidents John Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
and Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
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 Jefferson
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, born Martha Wayles was the wife of Thomas Jefferson, who was the third President of the United States. It was her second marriage, as her first husband had died young...
, wife of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
; Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson
Rachel Jackson
Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson, born Rachel Donelson, was the wife of the 7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson....
, wife of Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
; Hannah Hoes Van Buren
Hannah Van Buren
Hannah Hoes Van Buren was the wife of the eighth United States President, Martin Van Buren.Martin, aged 24, and Hannah, aged 23, married on February 21, 1807 at the home of the bride's sister in Catskill, New York. They had been childhood sweethearts and were first cousins once removed through...
, wife of Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
; and Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur
Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur
Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur was the wife of the 21st President of the United States, Chester A. Arthur.-Early life:...
, wife of Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
. There is one woman who was not married to a President but who is still considered an official First Lady: Harriet Lane
Harriet Lane
Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston , niece of lifelong bachelor United States President James Buchanan, acted as First Lady of the United States from 1857 to 1861. She was one of the few women to hold the position of First Lady while not being married to the President.-Early life:Harriet Lane's family...
, niece of bachelor James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
.
In 2007, the United States Mint
United States Mint
The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint was created by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1792, and placed within the Department of State...
began releasing a set of half-ounce $10 gold coins under the First Spouse Program with engravings of portraits of the First Ladies on the obverse. When a President served without a spouse, a gold coin is issued that bears an obverse image emblematic of Liberty
Liberty (goddess)
Goddesses named for and representing the concept Liberty have existed in many cultures, including classical examples dating from the Roman Empire and some national symbols such as the British "Britannia" or the Irish "Kathleen Ni Houlihan"....
as depicted on a circulating coin of that era and a reverse image emblematic of themes of that President's life. This is true for the coins for Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan's First Ladies, but not the coin for Chester A. Arthur's First Lady, which will instead depict suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
Alice Paul
Alice Paul
Alice Stokes Paul was an American suffragist and activist. Along with Lucy Burns and others, she led a successful campaign for women's suffrage that resulted in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920.-Activism: Alice Paul received her undergraduate education from...
.
First Ladies
| First Lady | Date of birth | Date of marriage | President (Husband) |
Date tenure began | Date tenure ended | Length of retirement |
Date of death (age) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martha Custis Washington (née NEE NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp... Dandridge) |
June 02, 1731 | January 6, 1759 | George Washington George Washington George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of... |
April 30, 1789 | March 4, 1797 | |||
| 2 | Abigail Adams Abigail Adams Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, who was the second President of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth... (née Smith) |
November 11, 1744 | October 25, 1764 | John Adams John Adams John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States... |
March 4, 1797 | March 4, 1801 | |||
| 3 | Martha Jefferson Randolph Martha Jefferson Randolph Martha Washington Jefferson Randolph was the daughter of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, and his wife Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson. She was born in Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia and was named in honor of her mother and of Martha Washington, wife of... |
September 27, 1772 | — | Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia... |
March 4, 1801 | March 4, 1809 | |||
| 4 | Dolley Todd Madison Dolley Madison Dolley Payne Todd Madison was the spouse of the fourth President of the United States, James Madison, and was First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817... (née Payne) |
May 20, 1768 | September 14, 1794 | James Madison James Madison James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United... |
March 4, 1809 | March 4, 1817 | |||
| 5 |  |
Elizabeth Monroe (née Kortright) |
June 30, 1768 | February 16, 1786 | James Monroe James Monroe James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation... |
March 4, 1817 | March 4, 1825 | ||
| 6 |  |
Louisa Catherine Adams Louisa Adams Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, born Louisa Catherine Johnson , wife of John Quincy Adams, was First Lady of the United States from 1825 to 1829.-Early life:... (née Johnson) |
February 12, 1775 | July 26, 1797 | John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former... |
March 4, 1825 | March 4, 1829 | ||
| 7 |  |
Rachel Robards Jackson Rachel Jackson Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson, born Rachel Donelson, was the wife of the 7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson.... (née Donelson) |
June 15, 1767 | January 7, 1794 | Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans... |
— | - | — | |
| 8 | Hannah Van Buren Hannah Van Buren Hannah Hoes Van Buren was the wife of the eighth United States President, Martin Van Buren.Martin, aged 24, and Hannah, aged 23, married on February 21, 1807 at the home of the bride's sister in Catskill, New York. They had been childhood sweethearts and were first cousins once removed through... (née Hoes) |
March 08, 1783 | February 21, 1807 | Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson .... |
— | - | — | ||
| 9 | Anna Harrison Anna Harrison Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison , wife of President William Henry Harrison and grandmother of President Benjamin Harrison, was nominally First Lady of the United States during her husband's one-month term in 1841, but she never entered the White House.-Early Life and Marriage:Anna was born at her... (née Tuthill Symmes) |
July 25, 1775 | November 22, 1795 | William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the... |
March 4, 1841 | April 4, 1841 | |||
| 10 |  |
Letitia Tyler (née Christian) |
November 12, 1790 | March 29, 1813 | John Tyler John Tyler John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor... |
April 4, 1841 | September 10, 1842 | N/A | |
| 11 |  |
Julia Tyler (née Gardiner) |
May 4 or July 29, 1820 | June 26, 1844 | John Tyler John Tyler John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor... |
June 26, 1844 | March 4, 1845 | ( or ) | |
| 12 |  |
Sarah Polk (née Childress) |
September 04, 1803 | January 1, 1824 | James K. Polk James K. Polk James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee... |
March 4, 1845 | March 4, 1849 | ||
| 13 | Margaret Taylor Margaret Taylor Margaret Mackall Smith "Peggy" Taylor , wife of Zachary Taylor, was First Lady of the United States from 1849 to 1850.-Early Life and Marriage:... (née Mackall Smith) |
September 21, 1788 | June 21, 1810 | Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass... |
March 4, 1849 | July 9, 1850 | |||
| 14 | Abigail Fillmore Abigail Fillmore Abigail Powers Fillmore , wife of Millard Fillmore, was First Lady of the United States from 1850 to 1853.Abigail was born in Stillwater, New York, 1798, in Saratoga County, New York. She was the daughter of the Reverend Lemuel Powers, a Baptist minister, and Abigail Newland-Powers, Abigail grew... (née Powers) |
March 13, 1798 | February 5, 1826 | Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president... |
July 9, 1850 | March 4, 1853 | |||
| 15 |  |
Jane Pierce Jane Pierce Jane Means Appleton Pierce , wife of U.S. President Franklin Pierce, was First Lady of the United States from 1853 to 1857.... (née Means Appleton) |
March 12, 1806 | November 19, 1834 | Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army... |
March 4, 1853 | March 4, 1857 | ||
| 16 |  |
Harriet Lane Harriet Lane Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston , niece of lifelong bachelor United States President James Buchanan, acted as First Lady of the United States from 1857 to 1861. She was one of the few women to hold the position of First Lady while not being married to the President.-Early life:Harriet Lane's family... (later Johnston) |
May 09, 1830 | — | James Buchanan James Buchanan James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century.... |
March 4, 1857 | March 4, 1861 | ||
| 17 |  |
Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:... (née Todd) |
December 13, 1818 | November 4, 1842 | Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... |
March 4, 1861 | April 15, 1865 | ||
| 18 |  |
Eliza Johnson (née McCardle) |
October 04, 1810 | May 17, 1827 | Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American... |
April 15, 1865 | March 4, 1869 | ||
| 19 |  |
Julia Boggs Grant Julia Grant Julia Boggs Dent-Grant , was the wife of the 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, and was First Lady of the United States from 1869 to 1877.-Background:... (née Dent) |
January 26, 1826 | August 22, 1848 | Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America... |
March 4, 1869 | March 4, 1877 | ||
| 20 |  |
Lucy Ware Hayes (née Webb) |
August 28, 1831 | December 30, 1852 | Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution... |
March 4, 1877 | March 4, 1881 | ||
| 21 |  |
Lucretia Garfield Lucretia Garfield Lucretia Rudolph Garfield , wife of James A. Garfield, was First Lady of the United States in 1881.-Early life:... (née Rudolph) |
April 19, 1832 | November 11, 1858 | James A. Garfield | March 4, 1881 | September 19, 1881 | ||
| 22 |  |
Ellen Arthur Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur was the wife of the 21st President of the United States, Chester A. Arthur.-Early life:... (née Lewis Herndon) |
August 30, 1837 | October 25, 1859 | Chester A. Arthur Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing... |
— | - | — | |
| 23 |  |
Frances Clara Cleveland (née Folsom; later Preston) |
July 21, 1864 | June 2, 1886 | Grover Cleveland Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents... |
June 2, 1886 | March 4, 1889 | ||
| 24 |  |
Caroline Lavinia Harrison Caroline Harrison Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison , wife of Benjamin Harrison, was first lady of the United States from 1889 until her death. She was the first “first lady” to be born in October.-Early life:... (née Scott) |
October 01, 1832 | October 20, 1853 | Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there... |
March 4, 1889 | October 25, 1892 | N/A | |
| 25 |  |
Frances Clara Cleveland (née Folsom; later Preston) |
July 21, 1864 | June 2, 1886 | Grover Cleveland Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents... |
March 4, 1893 | March 4, 1897 | ||
| 26 |  |
Ida McKinley (née Saxton) |
June 08, 1847 | January 25, 1871 | William McKinley William McKinley William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s... |
March 4, 1897 | September 14, 1901 | ||
| 27 |  |
Edith Kermit Roosevelt Edith Roosevelt Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt was the second wife of Theodore Roosevelt and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1901 to 1909.-Early life:... (née Carow) |
August 06, 1861 | December 2, 1886 | Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity... |
September 14, 1901 | March 4, 1909 | ||
| 28 |  |
Helen Louise Taft (née Herron) |
June 02, 1861 | June 19, 1886 | William Howard Taft William Howard Taft William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States... |
March 4, 1909 | March 4, 1913 | ||
| 29 |  |
Ellen Louise Wilson Ellen Louise Wilson Ellen Axson Wilson , first wife of Woodrow Wilson, was First Lady of the United States from 1913 until her death.-Biography:... (née Axson) |
May 15, 1860 | June 24, 1885 | Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913... |
March 4, 1913 | August 6, 1914 | N/A | |
| 30 |  |
Edith Galt Wilson (née Bolling) |
October 15, 1872 | December 18, 1915 | Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913... |
December 18, 1915 | March 4, 1921 | ||
| 31 |  |
Florence Mabel deWolfe Harding Florence Harding Florence Mabel Kling "Flossie" Harding , wife of President Warren G... (née Kling) |
August 15, 1860 | July 8, 1891 | Warren G. Harding Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator... |
March 4, 1921 | August 2, 1923 | ||
| 32 | Grace Anna Coolidge (née Goodhue) |
January 03, 1879 | October 4, 1905 | Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state... |
August 2, 1923 | March 4, 1929 | |||
| 33 |  |
Lou Henry Hoover Lou Henry Hoover Lou Henry Hoover was the wife of President of the United States Herbert Hoover and First Lady of the United States, 1929-1933. Mrs. Hoover was president of the Girl Scouts of the USA for two terms, 1922-1925 and 1935-1937.... (née Henry) |
March 29, 1874 | February 10, 1899 | Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business... |
March 4, 1929 | March 4, 1933 | ||
| 34 |  |
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international... (née Roosevelt) |
October 11, 1884 | March 17, 1905 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war... |
March 4, 1933 | April 12, 1945 | ||
| 35 |  |
Elizabeth "Bess" Virginia Truman Bess Truman Bess Truman , was the wife of Harry S. Truman and First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953.-Early life:... (née Wallace) |
February 13, 1885 | June 28, 1919 | Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his... |
April 12, 1945 | January 20, 1953 | ||
| 36 |  |
Mamie Geneva Eisenhower Mamie Eisenhower Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower was the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961.-Early life:... (née Doud) |
November 14, 1896 | July 1, 1916 | Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army... |
January 20, 1953 | January 20, 1961 | ||
| 37 | Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle... (née Bouvier; later Onassis) |
July 28, 1929 | September 12, 1953 | John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.... |
January 20, 1961 | November 22, 1963 | |||
| 38 |  |
Claudia "Lady Bird" Alta Johnson Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that... (née Taylor) |
December 22, 1912 | November 17, 1934 | Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States... |
November 22, 1963 | January 20, 1969 | ||
| 39 |  |
Thelma "Pat" Catherine Nixon Pat Nixon Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, and was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974. She was commonly known as Patricia or Pat Nixon.Born in Nevada, Pat Ryan grew up in Los Angeles, California... (née Ryan) |
March 16, 1912 | June 21, 1940 | Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under... |
January 20, 1969 | August 9, 1974 | ||
| 40 |  |
Elizabeth "Betty" Ann Warren Ford Betty Ford Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford , better known as Betty Ford, was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 during the presidency of her husband Gerald Ford... (née Bloomer) |
April 08, 1918 | October 15, 1948 | Gerald Rudolph Ford | August 9, 1974 | January 20, 1977 | ||
| 41 |  |
Eleanor Rosalynn Carter Rosalynn Carter Eleanor Rosalynn Carter is the wife of the former President of the United States Jimmy Carter and in that capacity served as the First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981. As First Lady and after, she has been a leading advocate for numerous causes, perhaps most prominently for mental... (née Smith) |
August 18, 1927 | July 7, 1946 | Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office... |
January 20, 1977 | January 20, 1981 | Living | |
| 42 |  |
Nancy Davis Reagan Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989.... (née Davis; originally Robbins) |
July 06, 1921 | March 6, 1952 | Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor.... |
January 20, 1981 | January 20, 1989 | Living | |
| 43 | Barbara Bush Barbara Bush Barbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush... (née Pierce) |
June 08, 1925 | January 6, 1945 | George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to... |
January 20, 1989 | January 20, 1993 | Living | ||
| 44 | Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the... (née Rodham) |
October 26, 1947 | October 11, 1975 | Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation... |
January 20, 1993 | January 20, 2001 | Living | ||
| 45 |  |
Laura Lane Welch Bush Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest... (née Welch) |
November 04, 1946 | November 5, 1977 | George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... |
January 20, 2001 | January 20, 2009 | Living | |
| 46 |  |
Michelle LaVaughn Obama (née Robinson) |
January 17, 1964 | October 3, 1992 | Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in... |
January 20, 2009 | Incumbent | Incumbent | Living |
See also
- Living First Ladies of the United StatesLiving First Ladies of the United StatesThis is the list of all of the living First Ladies of the United States at each moment in US history. The following women have been recognized by The National First Ladies' Library as "First Lady".-Table:-Statistics:...
- First Family of the United StatesFirst Family of the United StatesThe First Family of the United States is the unofficial title for the family of the President of the United States, who is both head of state and head of government of the United States. Members of the First Family consist of the President, the First Lady of the United States, and any of their...
- List of Presidents of the United States
- List of children of the Presidents of the United States
- Wife of the Vice President of the United States
- List of current United States first spouses
- Spouses of the Prime Ministers of CanadaSpouses of the Prime Ministers of CanadaThe spouse of the Prime Minister of Canada is the wife or husband of the Prime Minister of Canada. To date, 18 women have been the wife of the Prime Minister of Canada; Kim Campbell, Canada's only female prime minister to date, was unmarried during her time in office...
External links
- The First Ladies – White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
- Biographies of the First Ladies of the United States of America – National First Ladies' Library
- First Ladies National Historic Site