Bella Kocharyan, Laura Bush, Lyudmila Putina and Zorka Parvanova ? first ladies of Armenia, the United States, Russia and Bulgaria in 2003.

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" and "Queen."^[3] 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.^[4]

Harriet Lane was the first woman to be called First Lady. 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." Although Dolley Madison was also called First Lady, the title was actually bestowed upon her posthumously, when she was mentioned over a century after her time in the White House. Once Harriet Lane was called First Lady, the term was applied retroactively 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.

Variations

The entire family of the head of state may be known familiarly as the "First Family".^[5] Should a female hold the office, the term First Gentleman may be the alternative to First Lady, though First Consort or some other style may be used.

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". In some monarchies this title is used in reference to the spouse of a Prime Minister as it is understood that the "First Lady" of the country is the queen regnant or queen consort; in others it would be seen as a slight to the queen for the prime minister's wife to use the title.

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".

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.^[6]

Occasionally another woman will fill the duties of First Lady, if the wife is unwilling, unable, or does not exist.

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 Song (Ella Fitzgerald), the First Lady of American Soul (Aretha Franklin),^[7] the First Lady of the Grand Old Opry (Loretta Lynn), and the First Lady of the American Stage (Helen Hayes).^[8]

The term "first lady" is also used to denote a woman who occupies the foremost social position within a particular locality.^[9]

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

• First Lady of the United States
• First Lady of the Philippines
• First Lady of Paraguay
• First Lady of Malaysia
• First Lady of Mexico
• First Lady of Venezuela
• First Gentleman

Notes

References

ar:???? ???? bg:????? ???? da:Præsidentfrue de:First Lady es:Primera Dama eu:Lehen Dama fr:Première dame hr:Prva dama it:First lady he:??? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? nl:First lady ja:???????? pl:Pierwsza dama pt:Primeira-dama ru:?????? ???? sq:First Lady sv:First Lady uk:????? ???? zh:????