THINGS YOU MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT FIRST LADIES OF THE UNITED STATES
Part 1 of 5
By: JRSTRAYEJR
I first became interested in learning about the First Ladies of these United States when I started writing my fictional novel, First Spouse Of The United States. What if the spouse of the president was a man? Let’s take a look at some history.
The ‘Office’ of First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) was not included in the Constitution. It is not an elected office. The role has evolved over two hundred years.
There was no official title for the spouse of the president. This unfortunate omission was addressed by society deferring to our first presidential spouse as ‘Lady Washington.’
Thus, began the evolution of titles afforded the president’s wife. The list includes:
- Lady
- Mrs. President
- Mrs. Presidentress
- First Lady of the Nation
- First Lady of the Land
- First Lady in the Land
- First Lady of the United States
This is something I found amusing. How about the Vice President’s wife? The ‘Second Lady.” I suppose it is easy to understand why her acronym has not gained widespread use.
Second Lady of the United States: SLOTUS. Think about it. OMG!
There were some rather ‘odd-birds’ married to various presidents. Julia Tyler was quite obsessed with her own persona. ‘Kardashian’ like, she was obsessed with self-promotion.
Mary Todd Lincoln tops the ‘crazy’ list. Extravagant and willful, she soon delved into spiritualism after the death of two children. Mediums were in regular attendance at the White House. It is said that she tried to warn her husband of his impending assassination…
Edith Wilson was the de-facto president for years following her husband’s stroke. She took charge of the Executive Branch and only included her husband in matters she felt worthy of his attention.
Our First Ladies do not get paid. Yet, they have an office and staff in the East Wing of the White House. The staff is tasked with helping the president’s wife perform her duties, of which there are many.
Most of our nation’s First Ladies had an impact on their husband’s careers and advancement to the presidency. But, I would like to keep our focus on them as individuals and what they brought to the table as individuals.
Many of these women were and continue to be role models. Let’s take a look at one of them.
George Washington’s wife, Martha Washington was the first, First Lady.
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
Necessity dictated that Martha Washington define the role as the wife of President George Washington.
Her life had prepared her for this role. Martha Custis was widowed by her first husband, Daniel Custis at age 25. Thrown into the head of household role, she assumed her deceased husband’s duties and set about successfully running five plantations. The young widow sold crops raised on her estates by negotiating with merchants in the colonies and London.
Think about this. She had produced four children in six years. Now, her husband was gone. Running households, let alone 5 plantations separated by days on horseback or carriage was a huge task. Remember she was a single woman isolated by geography and customs. There were no phones, no electricity, and miles separated her from any city or town.
This gal had fortitude and grit. A product of her times. Upon her husband’s death she had inherited over 300 slaves. It was a woman in a man’s world. Later in her life, after George Washington died his will mandated freeing his slaves after her death. Martha was aghast at the terms. Alone again, and in her seventies, she feared being murdered by slaves seeking their freedom.
Take a step back. The future ‘Lady Washington’ continued to manage her estates when in 1759 she married George Washington at age 27. Alone during her husband’s absence as he set about winning the Revolutionary War, she managed both his and her plantations.
General Washington’s wife also served a pivotal role during the eight harsh winter encampments at Valley Forge. She left her estates and traveled three weeks by carriage through rain, mud, sleet and snow to the colonial army’s winter quarters. Life was quite primitive. Martha entertained officers, their wives, and foreign officials. She vigorously supported her husband’s efforts to maintain morale among the men in the camps.
Our first First Lady has been honored by ships, coinage, postage, statues, and educational institutions bearing her name and/or likeness.
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My interest in past president’s spouses was inspired by my novel, First Spouse of the United States.
Please visit www.jrstrayvejr.com to learn more about this soon-to-be published modern-day fiction.