The last Saturday in April…
… honors all First Ladies of the United States and commemorates the founding of the First Lady which occurred during President George Washington’s inauguration on April 30, 1789. On that day Martha Washington became the first ‘First Lady’ of the United States.
46 Presidents 54 First Ladies
The First Lady of the United States is considered the “hostess of the White House”. While the position has traditionally been filled by the wife of the president of the United States, on occasion, the role has gone to someone else. In some cases two or three different women have claimed the title during a presidency.
The First Lady is not an elected position; it carries no official duties and receives no salary. Traditionally, the First Lady does not hold outside employment while occupying the White House although some, like Eleanor Roosevelt, earned money writing and giving lectures. In those cases, the money is typically given to charity. The White House social secretary, the chief of staff, the press secretary, the chief floral designer, and the executive chef all consider the First Lady to be their boss.
Let’s meet the First Ladies
Martha Washington served as First Lady between 1789 and 1797. She was 57 when her tenure began. Abigail Adams served from 1797 to 1801 and was 52 years old. It wasn’t until 1800 that a president took up residence inside the White House.
19th Century First Ladies
Martha Jefferson was the daughter of our nation’s third president, Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson’s wife, Martha, died many years before his presidency. She took on the role of First Lady between 1801 and 1809. She was 28 when she began. Dolley Madison was the First Lady the following eight years and was 40 at the time James Madison took office.
Elizabeth Monroe was our First Lady between 1817 and 1825. She was 48 years old at the time her husband became president. She passed away just five years out of office. Louisa Adams is one of only two First Ladies to be born outside of the United States. She was 50 at the time John Quincy Adams took office in 1825.
Andrew Jackson had two First Ladies while he was in office between 1829 and 1837. The first was his niece-in-law, Emily Donelson. Due to declining health, she gave up her role in 1834 and died just two years later in 1836. She was only 29. Jackson’s daughter-in-law took on the position beginning in November of 1834 and stayed throughout the rest of Jackson’s second term.
Martin Van Buren became president as a widower. It wasn’t until a year into his four year presidency that his daughter-in-law, Sarah, became the First Lady. She was only 20 years old at the time.
William Henry Harrison was only president for 31 days before he succumbed to pneumonia. His wife, Anna Harrison was too ill to travel when her husband left Ohio for the White House. His daughter-in-law, Jane Harrison filled her shoes for the short time they were in the White House.
Letitia Tyler was never able to perform the duties of first lady due to her health, after suffering a stroke in 1839. She delegated her duties to her daughter-in-law, Priscilla Cooper Tyler instead. Letitia passed away from a second stroke in 1842 and John Tyler remarried in 1844, making Julia Tyler the First Lady from June of 1844 to March of 1845.
Sarah Polk was 41 years old when James K. Polk took office. She served as First Lady for the full four years of his presidency.
Our nations 12th president was Zachary Taylor. A little over a year into his presidency he died from cholera morbus, an illness exacerbated by poor sanitary conditions in Washington. Margaret, better known as Peggy was by his side and followed him in death two years later.
After Taylor’s passing, Millard Fillmore took the oath and became the 13th president. Abigail was 52 years old at the time and died just 26 days after leaving office in March of 1853.
Jane Pierce served as First Lady between 1853 and 1857. She was 46 years old at the time, Franklin Pierce took office.
Harriet Lane was the niece of James Buchanan. Buchanan was a lifelong bachelor and selected Lane for the role which she handled from 1857 to 1861.
Mary Todd Lincoln served as our nation’s First Lady from 1861 until her husband’s assassination on April 15th, 1865.
After Lincoln’s assassination, Andrew Johnson took on the role of president. It was the beginning of Lincoln’s second term and he’d been chosen to be vice president over Lincoln’s original running mate Hannibal Hamlin. Eliza Johnson, his wife, was 54 when he was sworn into office.
Julia Grant was a powerful figure in her role as First Lady. She was 43 when Ulysses S. Grant was sworn in to office. She remained First Lady for all eight years of his presidency.
Lucy Hayes was First Lady from 1877 until 1881. She was 45 at the time of Rutherford B. Hayes’ inauguration. Lucretia Garfield was three years older when her husband, James A. Garfield became president. Unfortunately he was assassinated in September of 1881 and her tenure was over.
As Chester A. Arthur took over the role of president following Garfield’s assassination, so to did his sister, Mary McElroy become First Lady. Arthur’s wife had passed away two years before.
Grover Cleveland began his presidency in 1885 with his sister, Rose Cleveland, serving as First Lady. In 1886, Cleveland married Frances, who took over the role. She was only 21 years old at the time.
In March of 1889, Benjamin Harrison became the nation’s 23rd president. Three years later, at the age of 60, his wife Caroline Harrison died of tuberculosis at the White House. Their daughter, Mary Harrison McKee took on the title of First Lady for the remainder of his term.
In 1893, Grover Cleveland and his now 28 year old wife, Frances returned to the White House where she served four more years as First Lady.
Into the 20th Century
Ida McKinley, the wife of William McKinley, served as First Lady as we entered into the 20th century. She held the position from 1897 until 1901 and was 49 at the time of his inauguration.
Edith Roosevelt ran the White House for her husband Theodore from 1901 until 1909. She was 40 at the time her tenure began.
Helen “Nellie” Taft served as First Lady from 1909 to 1913. She was 47 at the time. Woodrow Wilson had three First Ladies while he was in office for eight years. His wife of nearly 30 years, Ellen Wilson succumbed to Bright’s Disease in 1914. The following year, their daughter Margaret took on the role of First Lady and then was replaced in 1915 by her father’s new wife, Edith Wilson who served the remainder of Wilson’s presidency.
Warren G. Harding and his wife, Florence entered the White House in 1921. In 1923, Harding died of a heart attack in San Francisco while on a western tour. He was succeeded by his Vice President, Calvin Coolidge who went on to be president for six more years. Coolidge’s better half, Grace, was our nation’s First Lady from 1923 until 1929. She was 44 when she began her time.
Lou Hoover, wife of the 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover, served honorably as First Lady from 1929 until 1933. She was 54 when he took office.
One of the best known First Ladies, Eleanor Roosevelt held onto the role for the entirety of her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s, three terms in office. Roosevelt won a third term by defeating Republican nominee Wendell Willkie in the 1940 United States presidential election. He remains the only president to serve for more than two terms making her the only First Lady to do the same. She was 48 at the time her husband took office.
Elizabeth “Bess” Truman reigned as First Lady from 1945 to 1953 and was 60 years old at the time of Harry S. Truman’s inauguration. She lived to be 97.
Mamie Eisenhower was just a bit younger at 56 when she began. She served as First Lady for eight years, between 1953 and 1961.
Jackie Kennedy took the world by storm when John F. Kennedy was sworn into office. Jackie was 31 at the time and had a bright future as First Lady. Unfortunately Kennedy was assassinated on November 22nd of 1963 and her time ended.
Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy’s Vice President took over the presidency that same day and remained in office for the rest of that term and a second making Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson our nation’s 36th First Lady. She was 50 years old at the time.
Thelma “Pat” Nixon was First Lady from 1969 to 1974. She was 56 at the time of Richard Nixon’s inauguration. Unfortunately, some things went down and Nixon’s presidency was ended in 1974, a year into his second term.
From there, Elizabeth “Betty” Ford took over and handled things well until January of 1977.
Rosalynn Carter left us in November of 2023 at the age of 96. She was 49 at the time Jimmy Carter took the oath to become President.
Nancy Reagan was a spunky 59 years old when Ronald Reagan became our 40th president. She served as First Lady from 1981 until 1989.
Barbara Bush stepped into the role of First Lady after George H. W. Bush became president in 1989. The 63-year-old woman was in the spotlight often and served as First Lady until 1993.
Hillary Clinton nearly became president herself years after serving as First Lady from 1993 to 2001. It was a rocky ride in the White House but she came out stronger for it. She was 45 when Bill Clinton took office.
21st Century First Ladies
Laura Bush helped us all through 9/11 and remained a public figure during her husband’s eight-year term as President of the United States. She was 54 at the time they entered the White House and is currently our oldest living former First Lady.
Our first black First Lady was, of course, Michelle Obama. She was 45 at the time of her husband, Barack’s inauguration, and would go on to redefine the role of ‘First Lady’. She’s gone on to write books, appear on numerous television shows, and continues her advocacy for public health.
Melania Trump is just the second woman born outside of the United States to become a First Lady. She was 46 when Donald Trump became our nation’s 45th president and remained First Lady until January 20th, 2021.
Jill Biden edges out Anna Harrison and Barbara Bush as the oldest woman to begin a term as First Lady. She served as Second Lady from 2009 to 2017 under Barack Obama. She remains in the position today and is still going strong at 72.
Only 5 Remain
Of the 54 fabulous first ladies, only five remain with us. From oldest to youngest they are:
Laura Bush (2001–2009) 77-years-old.
Hillary Clinton (1993–2001) 76-years-old.
Jill Biden (2021–present) 72-years-old.
Michelle Obama (2009–2017) 60-years-old.
Melania Trump (2017–2021) 54 years-old.
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