Lady Bird Johnson may have said it best: "The first lady is an unpaid public servant elected by one person — her husband."
Ever since there have been presidents, there have been presidential spouses who have played important, but evolving, roles in both government and history.
"They have always played a strong role," says Pat Krider, executive director of the National First Ladies' Library in Canton, Ohio. A lot of people look to Eleanor Roosevelt as the role model for the modern first lady, but it didn't start with her, says Krider. "It goes way back. Each first lady finds a way to contribute. Some were in the background, some were out front. But they each brought something unique to the job."
The library was established in 1997 by Mary Regula, who felt there should be more information and education out there on the first ladies and the impact they've had. In 2000, Congress created the First Ladies National Historic Site, which is administered by the library, in the historic Canton home of first lady Ida Saxon McKinley.
They weren't always called first ladies, of course. That term did not come into common usage until after 1877, when it was used in newspapers to describe Lucy Hayes as she accompanied her husband on a trip from Washington to California.
In the early days of the republic, various names were used for the president's wife. Martha Washington was often called "Lady Washington," but other titles known to have been used were Mrs. President and Mrs. Presidentress.
Legend has it that Zachary Taylor referred to Dolley Madison as "first lady" in a eulogy at her funeral, but no written record of the speech exists. The name was used in Washington social circles by the mid-1850s. An 1863 diary entry of newspaper reporter William Howard Russell mentioned "gossip about the first 'Lady in the Land."'
Although the first lady has no specific duties under the Constitution, it became clear early on that an official hostess to preside over the White House and at official functions was necessary.
Thomas Jefferson was a widower of 18 years when he came to the White House. His daughter, Martha, frequently served as his official hostess. Over the years, more than a dozen other women — most often daughters, but sometimes other relatives and friends — filled the role for presidents whose wives had died, were ill or unable to attend to duties.
Those women are part of the National First Ladies' Library — as are the presidential wives who died before their husbands took office.
They are an amazing group of women, says Krider, who has come to know them quite well. "Some were very instrumental in their husbands' careers. Dolley Madison, for example. Her husband was very shy — very intelligent, but very shy. And it's said that she was the one who brought people to him so they could hear his views. She was his right hand. The same with the Coolidges. People recognize Grace as the one bringing people to shy Calvin."
The first ladies have also done a lot of humanitarian work, she says. "Lucy Hayes worked for better conditions for orphans. Mary Lincoln went into the hospitals to read to soldiers, but she didn't want it publicized."
Nor have first ladies been without controversy, says Krider. Pretty much everyone liked Martha Washington, but from Abigail Adams on, first ladies have attracted varying degrees of both animosity and approval.
Some people thought Abigail was too outspoken. Margaret Taylor was from Tennessee, and rumors spread that she smoked a corncob pipe. During the Civil War, Mary Lincoln was looked at with suspicion because of her Southern roots. Edith Wilson was accused of secretly running the government after her husband had a stroke. Eleanor Roosevelt had her detractors.
When it came to politics, the wives were often tarred with the same brush as their husbands. Said one of Grover Cleveland's political foes: "I detest him so much, I don't even think his wife is beautiful."
But, says Krider, "They come under intense scrutiny. Many of them have commented on how much living in the White House is like living in a fish bowl. But as I learn more about them, I've come to admire their differences as well as their accomplishments."
In honor of Presidents Day, the Deseret Morning News salutes our nation's first ladies and offers a chance to see what you know about them — and to learn a bit more.
First Ladies Quiz
(Answers below)
1. Match the following first ladies with their husbands:
a. Anna Tuthill Symmes
b. Sarah Childress
c. Eliza McCardle
d. Julia Dent
e. Edith Kermit Carow
f. Edith Bolling Galt
g. Margaret Mackall Smith
h. Abigail Smith
i. Lucretia Rudolph
j. Abigail Powers
1. Zachary Taylor
2. Ulysses S. Grant
3. Millard Fillmore
4. James K. Polk
5. James A. Garfield
6. William Henry Harrison
7. Andrew Johnson
8. Woodrow Wilson
9. John Adams
10. Theodore Roosevelt
2. James Buchanan was the only bachelor president. His official hostess and first lady was Harriet Lane, who was:
a. the wife of a good friend and Cabinet member
b. his sister-in-law
c. his niece
d. the wife of his vice president
3. What is the official name for the wife of the vice president:
a. Madam vice president
b. Second Lady
c. Mrs. (vice president)
d. She has no official title
4. Name two first ladies who were also the mothers of presidents, and one who was the grandmother of a president:
a.
b.
c.
5. Who was the only first lady born outside the United States:
a. Martha Washington
b. Hannah Van Buren
c. Elizabeth Monroe
d. Louisa Catherine Adams
6. Match the following first ladies with their occupations:
a. Ida McKinley
b. Grace Coolidge
c. Jacqueline Kennedy
d. Pat Nixon
e. Hillary Clinton
f. Betty Ford
g. Edith Wilson
h. Florence Harding
1. Lawyer
2. "Inquiring" photographer
3. Taught at a school for the deaf
4. Bank teller
5. Dancer and model
6. Government economist
7. Newspaper business manager
8. Jewelry store owner
7. Who had the first baby that was born in the White House:
a. Frances Cleveland
b. Jacqueline Kennedy
c. Martha Jefferson Randolph
d. Eliza Monroe Hay
8. Match the following first ladies with their descriptions:
a. Caroline Harrison
b. Lucy Hayes
c. Helen Taft
d. Florence Harding
e. Lou Hoover
f. Bess Truman
g. Claudia (Lady Bird) Johnson
h. Eleanor Roosevelt
1. A talented athlete, competing in tennis, softball and ice skating
2. Wrote a newspaper column titled "My Day"
3. Helped found Daughters of the American Revolution
4. Created the First Lady's Committee for a More Beautiful Capitol
5. Banned alcohol in the White House
6. Known for garden parties for veterans — as well as her poker games
7. Had the Japanese cherry trees planted around the Tidal Basin
8. Lived in a dozen foreign countries
9. Which of the following first ladies died in office:
a. Rachel Jackson
b. Letitia Tyler
c. Ellen Arthur
d. Ellen Wilson
10. Match the following first ladies with the places they met their husbands:
a. Lou Hoover
b. Louisa Adams
c. Mary Lincoln
d. Frances Cleveland
e. Bess Truman
f. Pat Nixon
g. Barbara Bush
h. Helen Taft
i. Grace Coolidge
j. Edith Roosevelt
1. At her sister's home in Illinois
2. Belonged to the same "boating and whist-playing" set
3. As members of a theater group cast in the same play
4. At a Christmas dance when she was 16
5. In a geology lab in college
6. At a sledding party
7. Childhood friends
8. In London
9. In 5th grade
10. He was her father's law partner
11. Several widower presidents married again while in office. Who was the only president to get married for the first time while serving as president:
a. Rutherford B. Hayes
b. John Tyler
c. Grover Cleveland
d. Woodrow Wilson
12. Match the following first ladies with the causes they espoused:
a. Ellen Wilson
b. Pat Nixon
c. Nancy Reagan
d. Barbara Bush
e. Rosalynn Carter
1. Programs for mental health
2. Alcohol and drug abuse
3. Better housing for minorities
4. Volunteer service
5. Literacy
ANSWERS
1. a-6, b-4, c-7, d-2, e-10, f-8, g-1, h-9, i-5, j-3
2. c
3. b
4. Abigail Adams, Barbara Bush; Anna Harrison
5. d (Her father was the American consul to London.)
6. a-4, b-3, c-2, d-6, e-1, f-5, g-8, h-7
7. c (Jefferson's daughter, she served as his official hostess.)
8. a-3, b-5, c-7, d-6, e-8, f-1, g-4, h-2
9. b
10. a-5, b-8, c-1, d-10, e-9, f-3, g-4, h-6, i-2, j-7
11. c
12. a-3, b-4, c-2, d-5, e-1
SCORING
Give yourself 1 point for each correct answer. Total points possible is 50.
If you scored 40-50 — Great! Proudly, we hail you!
If you scored 30-49 — Good. You are a Yankee-Doodle-Dandy-in-training.
If you scored 20-39 — Fair. Too much rocket's red glare for you?
If you scored less than 20 — Poor. How many history classes did you sleep through?
FIRST LADY QUOTES
On life . . .
A woman is like a tea bag — you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. — Nancy Reagan
If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much. — Jacqueline Kennedy
I've learned from experience that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition. — Martha Washington
It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it. — Eleanor Roosevelt
Every young girl should have the opportunity of learning out-of-doors by first-hand observation, the wonders and loveliness nature has spread so lavishly — and how it grows. — Lou Hoover
You don't just luck into things as much as you would like to think you do. You build step by step, whether it is friendships or opportunities. — Barbara Bush
On life in the White House . . .
One thing I do not want to be called is First Lady. It sounds like a saddle horse. — Jacqueline Kennedy
DID YOU KNOW?Mrs. Taft was the first first lady to donate her inaugural ball gown to the Smithsonian Institution, initiating its famous collection of first ladies gowns.
Mrs. Garfield created the nation's first Presidential Library. It was located in their home in Mentor, Ohio, as a tribute following his assassination.
Dolley Madison saved a painting of George Washington from being destroyed by British soldiers during the War of 1812.
Rachel Jackson and Abigail Fillmore both taught their husbands to write.
Unbeknown to each other, Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush both attended Smith College at the same time.
Mrs. Pierce fainted when she heard her husband had received the party's nomination for president. She had no desire to go to Washington.
Mrs. Coolidge received a gold medal from the National Institute of Social Sciences for her "fine personal influence exerted as First Lady."
Mrs. Hayes started the custom of rolling Easter eggs on the White House lawn.
Abigail Fillmore received a special appropriation from Congress to purchase books for a White House library.
Pat Nixon added 600 paintings and antiques to the White House collection.
FIRST LADY FASHION
Jacqueline Kennedy was known for her sense of style — and her pillbox hats. But she was not the first to set a stylish standard. Dolley Madison also wore "the finest fashions." It was once said of her, "she looked a Queen ... it would be absolutely impossible for anyone to behave with more perfect propriety than she did."
A guest at an 1825 soiree held by the Monroes described Elizabeth as "regal-looking" and noted more details: "Her dress was superb black velvet; neck and arms bare and beautifully formed; her hair in puffs and dressed high on the head and ornamented with white ostrich plumes; around her neck an elegant pearl necklace. Though no longer young, she is still a very handsome woman."
Even Mamie Eisenhower was known for her "bangs, sparkling blue eyes, her outgoing manner, her feminine love of pretty clothes and jewelry."
ON THE MONEY
This year, the U.S. Mint will be issuing four circulating $1 presidential coins, featuring our first four presidents. In connection with that, four half-ounce gold commemorative coins will also be minted featuring their wives. The 2007 First Spouse Coins include Martha Washington, Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison. Since there are no known images of Martha Jefferson, a symbolic rendering of Liberty will be featured. The First Spouse Coins are scheduled to be released in May, around Mother's Day. Additional coins and commemorative coins will be issued in coming years.
Sources:
"The First Ladies," by Margaret Brown Klapthor, White House Historical Association
whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies
The National First Ladies' Library; firstladies.org
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E-mail: carma@desnews.com