Jacqueline Kennedy at the launching of the USS Lafayette submarine.

Martha Washington. (Credit: VCG Wilson/Corbis/Getty Images)

Portrait of former US First Ladies, seated from left, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Rosalynn Carter, and Betty Ford and, standing from left, Nancy Reagan and First Lady Barbara Bush, as they pose together at the opening of the Ronald Reagan Library, Simi Valley, California, November 4, 1991.

US first lady Laura Bush smiles after being greeted by Gila Katzav, the wife of Israeli President Moshe Katzav, at the president house in Jerusalem Sunday, May 22, 2005. Mrs. Bush arrived in Israel for a one-day visit, that will include the Palestinian town of Jericho, from Jordan where she attended the World Economic Forum conference on the Middle East on Saturday. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln.

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HISTORY

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

Christmas, a Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus, has evolved into a worldwide religious and secular celebration, incorporating many pre-Christian and pagan traditions into the festivities.

Christmas

Martha Washington set many standards for American First Ladies, but from Abigail Adams and Eleanor Roosevelt to Hillary Clinton and Melania Trump, each has left her mark on the office.

First Ladies of the United States include famous names such as Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Barbara Bush, Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton and Jill Biden.

First Ladies

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Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

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Stories

Dreaming of a White (House) Christmas: 17 Photos

How the First Foreign-Born First Lady Tackled Her Critics

Why Martha Washington Was the Ultimate Military Spouse

Why Being the First Lady Can Be the Second Hardest Job in the Nation