America’s Most Well-Known First Ladies — Ranked

Martha Washington

The very First Lady of the United States, Martha Washington, defined the job by giving receptions, welcoming callers and guests, and assisting veterans and the needy. She spent many winters with her husband in his military lodgings. She encouraged other officers’ wives to contribute to the war effort by saving money and assisting their husbands in any manner they could.

Her last son died during the Revolutionary War. She quickly adopted two of her surviving grandsons as surrogates for the children she and George had never had. She didn’t frequently express her political views, although she did attend political debates and advocate for girls’ education.

Rosalynn Carter

Rosalynn Carter was the first to employ a chief of staff with a rank and salary equivalent to other West Wing aides. She formed and managed the formal Office of the First Lady. She handled most of her husband’s political communications while in office.

She became a huge advocate for and backer of his constituents’ ideas. Rosalynn took an interest in politics that none of her predecessors had, to the point where she and her husband booked weekly business lunches to address her work.

She attended cabinet meetings, advised her husband Jimmy, and served as the president’s official ambassador to Latin America in 1977. Rosalynn took his place at the primaries and fundraisers when her husband remained in D.C. to deal with the Iranian hostage situation instead of traveling the campaign route for re-election.

Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush earned strong favorability ratings throughout her husband’s presidency, and aides nicknamed her “The National Treasure.” She encouraged reading, frequented homeless shelters and hospitals, raised AIDS awareness, and supported senior citizen initiatives. Barbara was one of the few First Ladies to marry while still in her teens.

She was a stay-at-home mother for many years, raising a family of five while supporting her husband’s political and business career. Barbara reckoned that the Bushes had moved 29 times during George Senior’s career by the time they moved into the White House in 1989.

According to others, despite her sweet, grandmotherly public persona, Barbara wasn’t nearly as friendly in private.