Lady Bird Johnson (1963 to 1969)
A pioneer in commitment to conservation and the environment, she was an active supporter of the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 - known as the “Lady Bird Bill” - which called for clean water, air, and sewage. roadsides, as well as the preservation of parks and wilderness areas. She also founded the Society for a More Beautiful National Capital. “Where flowers are born, hope is also born,” she said.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1933 to 1945)
The longest-serving First Lady, she elevated it far beyond hosting the White House by dedicating herself to championing civil rights and the rights of the poor and establishing a powerful and personal role alongside her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Ever so eloquent, she said, "You have to do the things you think you can't do."
Abigail Adams (1797 to 1801)
Abigail was the first lady to reside in the White House. She was the wife of the second president John Adams - who was also her third cousin and mother of the country's sixth president, John Quincy Adams. She had enough political involvement to be called "Mrs. President” instead of Lady Adams, and she advocated for women's rights and an end to slavery.
Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Bloomer Ford (1974 to 1977)
She once dedicated part of her time to working as a model, she studied dance with Martha Graham and married Gerald Ford at age 30 (her second marriage). While in the White House, she supported progressive causes like abortion rights and the Equal Rights Amendment. In later years, she spoke openly about her struggle with alcoholism in hopes of erasing the stigma of it.
Nancy Davis Reagan (1981 to 1989)
She was once an actress, and she and her husband, Ronald Reagan, a movie star-turned-president, were credited with bringing glamor back to the White House, with projects that included renovating the Private Rooms and the acquisition of new china sets. “Hollywood on the Potomac,” as the White House was called, played host to many well-known celebrities and royals. However, Nancy was not only interested in style but also in activism: her famous anti-drug campaign “Just Say No” encouraged the country's youth to avoid drug and alcohol use.
Mary Todd Lincoln (1861 to 1865)
Known for her tragic life - such as the assassination of her husband Abraham Lincoln - and signs of mental illness, Lincoln was seduced by spiritualism - the 19th-century belief that the dead are always present. ). Her son, Robert, later committed her to an asylum but was released from the institution after a court declared her to be of sound mind.
Frances Folsom Cleveland (1886 to 1889)
She was the youngest first lady, as she was only 21 when she married and moved into the White House. Grover Cleveland, her husband and a family friend of hers, was single when he took office and 28 years older than his new wife, whose mother, Emma, was considered a more suitable match. “Frankie” became a press darling and a fashion icon.
Edith Wilson (1915 to 1921)
Woodrow Wilson's second wife - she married the then-widowed president in 1915 after a brief courtship - was one of his closest advisers and was later considered the "Secret President." When Wilson suffered a massive stroke and became bedridden, she took over the “stewardship” of the presidency, shielding her husband from visits and meetings until the end of his term. In her autobiography, she stated that she "never made a single decision regarding the disposition of public affairs," but only decided what she shared or did not share with her husband.
