First Ladies: Facts and Profiles

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Jill Biden

Early Life & Marriage to Joe Biden Born Jill Jacobs in 1951, in Hammonton, New Jersey, she grew up as the oldest of five sisters in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. At 18, after briefly studying fashion merchandising at a junior college in Pennsylvania, she married Bill Stevenson. The two began attending the […]

Betty Ford

Early Life Elizabeth “Betty” Anne Bloomer was the third child, and only daughter, of William Bloomer, Sr. and Hortense Neahr. Elizabeth’s father worked for the Royal Rubber Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her mother was related to a wealthy Grand Rapids furniture manufacturing family. Did you know? Politics played a key role in Gerald and […]

Mamie Eisenhower

Mamie Eisenhower (1896-1979) was an American first lady (1953-61) and the wife of famed U.S. Army commander and 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike’s military career kept the couple constantly on the move- in fact, they wouldn’t even buy their first home until more than 30 years into their marriage. Decades […]

Mary Todd Lincoln

Mary Todd Lincoln’s Early Life Born Mary Ann Todd on December 13, 1818, in Lexington, Kentucky. Born to a prominent slaveholding family, Mary Todd Lincoln was raised primarily by her strict stepmother. The well-to-do Mary Todd had many suitors (including Abraham Lincoln’s future political rival, Stephen Douglas). In 1839, she left home to be near […]

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How Eleanor Roosevelt Pushed for Universal Human Rights

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How Eleanor Roosevelt Pushed for a Universal Declaration of Human Rights

In the wake of World War II’s horrors, Roosevelt saw the need to support refugees and affirm the right to education, shelter and medical care.

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.

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

There are many ways to be a modern first lady.

John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy are shown on the White House lawn.

10 Things You May Not Know About Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Check out 10 surprising facts about the life and work of one of America’s most iconic first ladies.

Betty Ford dancing on the Cabinet Room table

Betty Ford’s Trailblazing Legacy

The first lady spoke her mind and shared her struggles, sparking national dialogues that affected countless American lives.

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Barbara Bush – Mini Biography

Barbara Bush, noted advocate for family literacy, is also the second woman to have been First Lady to one U.S. president and mother of another. Learn more about her life and work in this mini biography.

2:40 minTV-PG

Dolley Madison

Hear the tale of how first lady Dolley Madison risked her life to save George Washington’s portrait from a fiery fate as British troops approached the White House.

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1:03 minTV-PG

History Shorts: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Diplomatic Fight for Human Rights

Eleanor Roosevelt became well-known as FDR’s first lady, but her contributions towards human rights after her husband’s death might be her most lasting legacy.

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3:11 minTV-PG

Mrs. President: Betty Ford

Find out why historians say Betty Ford, one of our most popular—and outspoken—first ladies, probably did more for American women than any other first lady in history.

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This Day in History

1777

Five letters pass between Abigail and John Adams

First Ladies

1776

Abigail Adams urges husband to “remember the ladies”

First Ladies