Sarah Polk and her husband, the 11th President of the United States James K. Polk, were the first
first family to be photographed while living at the White House. The daguerreotype image of the
first couple shown above was taken less than a decade after French artist and photographer Louis
Daguerre introduced the imaging process in 1839.
Sarah Polk was one of the most well-educated first ladies of her time, which allowed her to serve as
her husband's personal secretary while in office. James Polk died from cholera in 1849, just 3 months
after leaving the White House. Sarah mourned her husband for the remaining 42 years of her life,
dying in Nashville, TN, on August 14, 1891.
Original image owned by the President James K. Polk Home & Museum.
In the coming weeks, millions of Americans will cast ballots to choose the next president of the United States. By casting their vote, they are also deciding who will accompany the president to the White House as the presidential spouse or "first lady" of the United States. Since our nation's birth, few people have had the unfettered access or influence over the president like America's first ladies. From advisors to fashion icons, activists to dinner hosts, the First Ladies leave a lasting mark on the history of our nation's policymaking, legislation, and the executive mansion they call home.
Since the inauguration of George Washington as the United States' first president, the role of our nation's first ladies has evolved to fit the needs of the president, his family, and the personalities of the women holding the title. As our nation's first first lady, from 1789 to 1797, Martha Washington accompanied her husband as he traveled and hosted state events in New York City, NY, and later Philadelphia, PA—the nation's capitals at the time.
Many first ladies who followed Martha Washington did not confine themselves to simply participating in state social functions. In fact, the contrast between the first and second first ladies of the United States could not have been greater. When John Adams served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801, his wife Abigail actively participated in her husband's politics and policymaking, acted as his press secretary, and frequently served as the White House "gatekeeper," deciding if and when visiting officials could speak to the president.
Over the next 220 years, the first ladies adopted roles for themselves that best suited their personalities. For example, President James Madison's wife Dolley famously hosted social events that encouraged bipartisan cooperation, while Jane Pierce, wife of President Franklin Pierce, begrudgingly moved from her Concord, NH home to the White House, where she secluded herself in one of the executive mansion's bedrooms for much of her husband's presidency. Edith Wilson, second wife of President Woodrow Wilson, managed the president's affairs and correspondence and served as intermediary between Wilson and his Cabinet following his October 1919 stroke. Forty years later, President John F. Kennedy's wife Jacqueline (who gave birth to a son weeks after the 1960 Presidential Election), chose to focus much of her energy on her family and the promotion of the arts.
More recently, the First Ladies have frequently been asked to accompany their husbands or stand in their place during official visits, ceremonies, and speaking engagements. Current First Lady of the United States Melania Trump exemplifies the importance of the role of presidential spouse and executive mansion hostess. With assistance of the Office of the First Lady staff—which includes the White House Chief of Staff and Press Secretary as well as the executive mansion's executive chef and floral designer—Melania Trump planned the Trump Administration's first state dinner in April 2018. Later that year, she led an American delegation on a tour of African nations, while back in the United States, she advocated against cyberbullying and drug use. Like Melania Trump and the women who called the White House home before her, America's first ladies—and perhaps someday "first gentleman"— will continue to find roles that suit their interests and personalities while supporting the administration of the President of the United States.
You can learn more about the first ladies of the United States using census data and records. For example:
First adies can play such a prominent role during their time at the White House that the Smithsonian Museum of American History's First Ladies Collection is one of the
museum's most popular exhibits. Featuring artifacts and gowns worn by first ladies, including Julia Grant, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Michelle Obama,
the exhibit highlights their contributions to the life and operation of the White House.
Learn more about the Smithsonian's First Ladies Collection and the contributions these women made to American History at the museum's virtual First Ladies Exhibition.
Image courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute.
President Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou Henry spoke Mandarin Chinese to each other when they wanted to keep White House conversations secret. They learned Mandarin while Herbert worked as a mining engineer in China from 1899 to 1900.
During Hoover's presidency, the 1930 Census reported that 74,954 Chinese lived in the United States. More recently, the 2010 Census found that 4,010,114 people identified as Chinese alone or in combination with another race. IN 2018, data from the American Community Survey estimated that 3.47 million people spoke a Chinese language at home.
Many first ladies were multilingual. Presidents James Monroe's wife Elizabeth and John F. Kennedy's wife Jacqueline spoke French; John Q. Adams' wife Louisa spoke Dutch; and as a teacher of deaf students, Calvin Coolidge's wife Grace spoke American Sign Language.
Rutherford B. Hayes's wife Lucy Webb Hayes was the first presidential spouse to earn a college degree, having graduating from Cincinnati, OH's Wesleyan Female College in 1850.
Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon was the first first lady to receive a graduate degree, earning her teaching certification from the University of Southern California. She met future husband and president Richard Nixon while teaching high school business classes in Whittier, CA.
In 2018, the American Community Survey reported that more than 12.1 million women were enrolled in American public or private colleges and graduate schools.