U.S. First Ladies

Bill Sullivan
January 20, 2009

While Barack Obama will represent the substance of his administration, America will look to Michelle Robinson Obama to set the style.

Joining the ranks of America’s First Ladies, the President’s wife and mother of two may endure more scrutiny than any of her predecessors. From picking the new paint for the living quarters to selecting the drapes, her every move will be subject to report and review in the era of the 24 hour media and the blogosphere.

Tough job? So it would seem, but so far, Obama has appeared to be up to the task. To find out how to handle the ups and downs of life in the fishbowl, she can look back on the long list of women who have occupied the position, beginning with Martha Dandridge Custis Washington and continuing most recently with Laura Welch Bush.

Here’s a list of the women who have paved the way:

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
Abigail Smith Adams
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
Dolley Payne Todd Madison
Elizabeth Kortright Monroe
Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams
Rachel Donelson Jackson
Hannah Hoes Van Buren
Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison
Letitia Christian Tyler
Julia Gardiner Tyler
Sarah Childress Polk
Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor
Abigail Powers Fillmore
Jane Means Appleton Pierce
Harriet Lane*
Mary Todd Lincoln
Eliza McCardle Johnson
Julia Dent Grant
Lucy Ware Webb Hayes
Lucretia Rudolph Garfield
Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur
Frances Folsom Cleveland
Caroline Lavina Scott Harrison
Frances Folsom Cleveland
Ida Saxton McKinley
Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt
Helen Herron Taft
Ellen Louise Axson Wilson
Edith Bolling Galt Wilson
Florence Kling Harding
Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge
Lou Henry Hoover
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman
Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy
Claudia Taylor Johnson
Patricia Ryan Nixon
Elizabeth Bloomer Ford
Rosalynn Smith Carter
Nancy Davis Reagan
Barbara Pierce Bush
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Laura Welch Bush
Michelle Robinson Obama