Presidential First Ladies

The mission statement of the National First Ladies Library in Canton, Ohio is; "We preserve, promote, and educate about the significant role of the First Ladies of the United States and their contributions throughout history." While we think of, yes, the men who have shaped our history since the beginning of the republic, the women behind them seem to go unnoticed.

We have had First Ladies who sat quietly while their husbands steered the ship of state, but as time went on, the role evolved into a position to champion a favorite cause. And most did this while maintaining as normal a life in the White House for their children like John and Jackie Kennedy, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama, and Donald and Melania Trump.

Perhaps the most famous and active First Lady was Eleanor Roosevelt, only to be rivaled by Hillary Clinton. Eleanor would travel the country and the world being the President’s eyes, ears, and legs. Because of her personality, after her husband’s death in 1946, Mrs. Roosevelt was a political force in her own right.

First ladies; in recent decades tend to champion caused that are what Middle America would call "Kitchen Table Issues." This all started when Betty Ford used the power of her office to promote the Equal Rights Amendment and to be screened for early for breast cancer. After her time in the White House was over and she overcame her addictions to alcohol and prescription drugs, Betty Ford used her status as a former first lady to help Americans with addictions. Other causes that recent first ladies championed were mental illness, child drug addiction, literacy, health care for all Americans, healthy eating for children, cyber bullying, and military families.

We have even had a first lady, Hillary Clinton, who would be elected to the United States Senate from New York in 2000 and 2006, run for president twice; losing the nomination to Barack Obama in 2008 and losing the presidency to Donald Trump in 2016, and became the country’s 67th Secretary of State in 2009.

It is with this collection that we celebrate the contributions that first ladies have made to our great country.

See also: First Children