'Remember the Ladies': Six First Ladies Who Made History

For Women’s History Month, we have selected six First Ladies of the United States who displayed political, social and decorative expertise and brought credibility to their gender. In addition, the First Ladies that we are profiling are distinguished by “firsts” that they accomplished during their service to the nation.

Abigail Adams

Early in 1776 Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John Adams, the future second president of the United States, at a time when women could not vote, arguing for the independence of the English colonies in North America. John Adams was then in Philadelphia with the Continental Congress, arguing for the independence of the English colonies in North America. In the same letter she urged her husband to “remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.”

Abigail’s husband was accustomed to receiving her strong advice, and throughout his political career found her to be his most important advisor. When he became president (1797-1801) Abigail took an active role in politics and policy – so much so that John Adams’ political opponents derisively referred to her as “Mrs. President.” With her husband she was also the first First Lady to live in the White House, which was completed during her husband’s term in office, and she took responsibility for its initial furnishings.

Dolley Madison

Dolley Madison, the wife of the fourth president, James Madison, is historically associated with hospitality. During Madison’s two terms as president Dolley regularly organized dinner parties to which she invited a range of political figures, some of whom were supporters and some of whom were politically opposed to her husband. She also invited other prominent citizens, including the immediate past president, Thomas Jefferson. The dinners were evidence of her political interest and savvy, even though she could not vote or serve in an elected office.

Dolley Madison was also responsible for furnishing the White House in the latest styles, often working with the flamboyant architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, both before and after the British burned the White House during the War of 1812. Having decided to leave the White House just before the British army arrived, she made sure that the prominent portrait of George Washington was safely taken away before she escaped.

Lucy Webb Hayes

Decades later, after the Civil War, Ohioan Rutherford B. Hayes was elected to the presidency (1877-1881). His wife, Lucy Webb Hayes, was an independent-minded soul who was committed to the Prohibition movement – an anti-alcohol crusade particularly strong in Ohio. In an era when whiskey and other strong drinks were widely used, often to excess, she made the White House an alcohol-free island. For that she became known as “Lemonade Lucy” because of the non-alcohol drinks that she served at official functions.

Lucy Webb Hayes was known as a strong supporter of African-Americans, who were then just over a decade from slavery. She was responsible for assertively inviting the first African-American musician to perform in the White House.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt had the longest tenure of any First Lady (1933-1945). While supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt, her husband, by participating in his presidential campaigns and lobbying for his programs, she carried on her own activities in social and political causes. She focused attention and advocacy for poorer Americans who had been especially affected by the economic consequences of the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Eleanor Roosevelt used new communication strategies to share her ideas with the public. She gave accounts of what she was doing in a daily newspaper column and on a weekly radio program. These were particularly effective at a time when most households got a daily newspaper, and when commercial radio was just a decade old but expanding rapidly. She was also the first First Lady to hold her own press conferences, and she insisted that only women reporters attend them.

Eleanor Roosevelt personally made headlines in 1939 when she arranged for the famous African-American singer Marian Anderson to perform an outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. when Anderson was denied the opportunity to sing at Washington’s Constitution Hall because of her race. Roosevelt went on to serve the nation in several capacities after her husband’s death, including as the U.S. representative to the United Nations.

Jackie Kennedy

Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy (later Jacqueline Onassis) continues to be remembered as a leading promoter of the arts, culture and fashion while she was First Lady (1961-1963) during the Cold War. She had a career as a professional news photographer before her marriage to John Kennedy, an experience that gave her an understanding of the news environment and cultural issues that soon surrounded her husband as a Senator and then President. She was a capable campaigner and also was an asset on President Kennedy’s foreign travels due to her poise and her fluency in French, Spanish and Italian.

Jacqueline Kennedy was the first First Lady to have her own press secretary. She was especially known for her efforts to restore the historical character of the White House. She tracked down and acquired furniture that had been taken from the White House over the previous 150 years. She also made the White House a center of culture by inviting prominent American and international musicians to perform at state dinners and other events.

Betty Ford

Betty Ford is a First Lady who had an unexpected, and relatively brief, time in the White House (1974-1977) but used her voice to have an outsized impact on American life. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy in 1974 she went public about her medical condition at a time when breast cancer was seldom discussed outside of medical situations. Her encouragement of news coverage ignited a new awareness of the disease and stimulated research on it. She was similarly open about her support for other women’s issues, such as equal pay for women.

After leaving the White House Betty Ford also made public her personal struggle with alcohol and drug abuse. She discussed her own recovery from addictions and then raised money for, and co-founded, the Betty Ford Center to help others who needed support in the recovery process.

Here we have outlined only six First Ladies’ significant contributions to history and culture of the United States. Not counting the current First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, there have been thirty-six other First Ladies, each of whom is worthy of consideration and who will deepen your understanding of American history and women’s history. Take time to look into the illuminating lives of any of the First Ladies.

Darwin H. Stapleton and Donna Lee Stapleton have published widely on American history, including biographical studies.