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First Lady
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First Lady is a term used in the United States to describe the wife of an elected male head of state. It originated in 1849, when United States President Zachary Taylor called Dolley Madison "First Lady" at her state funeral while reciting a eulogy written by himself. Occasionally another woman will fill the duties of First Lady, if the President's wife is unwilling, unable, or if the President is a widower or bachelor.
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Encyclopedia
First Lady is a term used in the United States to describe the wife of an elected male head of state. It originated in 1849, when United States President Zachary Taylor called Dolley Madison "First Lady" at her state funeral while reciting a eulogy written by himself. Occasionally another woman will fill the duties of First Lady, if the President's wife is unwilling, unable, or if the President is a widower or bachelor. In English language media the term First Lady is often applied to wives of Heads of State of other countries, irrespective of whether or not there is such a role or whether that role is differently described. In this usage, Graça Machel could be considered First Lady of two different nations, the only woman who could make that claim.
Origin
In the early days of the United States republic, there was no generally accepted title for the wife of the President. Many early first ladies expressed their own preference for how they were addressed, including the use of such titles as "Lady," "Mrs. President," "Mrs. Presidentress" (in the case of Edith Wilson) and "Queen of the White House." Dolley Madison was referred to as "first lady" in 1849 at her funeral in a eulogy delivered by President Zachary Taylor. However, no written record of this eulogy exists.
Harriet Lane, niece of bachelor President James Buchanan was the first woman to be called First Lady while actually serving in that position. The phrase appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Monthly in 1860, when he wrote, "The Lady of the White House, and by courtesy, the First Lady of the Land." Once Harriet Lane was called First Lady, the term was applied retrospectively to her predecessors.
The title first gained nationwide recognition in 1877, when Mary C. Ames wrote an article in the New York City newspaper The Independent describing the inauguration of President Rutherford B. Hayes. She used the term to describe his wife, Lucy Webb Hayes. Mrs. Hayes was a tremendously popular first lady, and the frequent reporting on her activities helped spread use of the term outside Washington.
In some situations, the title is bestowed upon a non-spouse. Park Geun-hye, former head of the Grand National Party of Korea, has been referred to as the First Lady to South Korean President Park Chung Hee. Although she is President Park's daughter, the title was bestowed upon her after her mother's death.
Variations
The entire family of the head of state may be known familiarly as the "First Family."
The spouse of the second in command (such as a Vice President) may be known as the "Second Lady," or Vice-First Lady. Less frequently, the family would be known as the "Second Family".
The wife of a male Governor of a U.S. state is commonly referred to as the First Lady of that state, for example "First Lady of Ohio."
First Gentleman
The wife of a male Governor of a U.S. state is referred to as the First Lady of that state; similarly, the husband of a female Governor would be referred to as the First Gentleman of that particular state. If a woman were elected president, her husband would likely be styled First Gentleman.
Current U.S. First Gentlemen
Non-political uses
It has become commonplace for the title of "First Lady" to be bestowed on women, as a term of endearment, who have proven themselves to be of exceptional talent, even if that talent is non-political. For example, the term has been applied in the entertainment field to denote the "First Lady of Television" (Lucille Ball), the "First Lady of Song" (Ella Fitzgerald), the "First Lady of American Soul" (Aretha Franklin), the "First Lady of the Grand Old Opry" (Loretta Lynn), and the "First Lady of the American Stage" (Helen Hayes) .
The term "first lady" is also used to denote a woman who occupies the foremost social position within a particular locality.
The spouse of the president of a university or college may also be styled its first lady. In some institutions this use is official, and in some unofficial. In many it is not used.
The term is also used often in the religious setting. The wife of a senior pastor is sometimes called "first lady."
See also
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