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First lady

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This article is about the use of the term "first lady" internationally. For use in countries, see First Lady (disambiguation).
The first ladies of 36 nations assemble in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, United States, September 22, 2008
Bella Kocharyan, Laura Bush, Lyudmila Putina and Zorka Parvanova — first ladies of Armenia, the United States, Russia and Bulgaria in 2003.

First Lady is a term used in the United States to describe the wife of an elected male head of state.[1] 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.[2] Occasionally another woman will fill the duties of First Lady, if the President's wife is unwilling, unable, or if the President is widowed or unmarried. 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."[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, 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 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.[citation needed]

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.[5]

Variations

The entire family of the head of state may be known familiarly as the "First Family."[6]

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

Were a female to be elected to the presidency, the term First Gentleman would be used in identifying the leader's husband.

Current U.S. First Gentlemen

Outside the United States

The United States is unusual in that its head of government and head of state are vested in the same individual. In countries where the head of state and the head of government are different persons, it is standard practice to refer to the spouse of the head of state as First Gentleman or Lady. In Westminster-style parliamentary democracies such as New Zealand and Australia this would normally be the spouse of the sovereign, but in practice the title is usually given to the spouse of the governor general. For example, Jean-Daniel Lafond, the husband of Canadian Governor-General Michaëlle Jean, is commonly referred to as the First Gentleman of Canada (his official title is Viceregal Consort of Canada), while Laureen Harper, the wife of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is only referred to as "Mrs. Harper".

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), the First Lady of the American Stage (Helen Hayes) [8], and the First Lady of Star Trek (Majel Barrett).[9]

The term "first lady" is also used to denote a woman who occupies the foremost social position within a particular locality.[10]

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

Notes

  1. ^ "First Lady" (HTML). dictionary.com. Retrieved 2007-07-19. 2. the wife of the head of any country {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  2. ^ ""Dolley Madison"". National First ladies Library. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  3. ^ The Mavens' Word of the Day
  4. ^ http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=4 Firstladies.org
  5. ^ Geun Hye Park (2007). The Republic of Korea and the United States: Our Future Together (HTML). Institute for Corean-American Studies, Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  6. ^ "First Family - Definitions from Dictionary.com" (HTML). dictionary.com. Retrieved 2007-07-19. 2. The family of the chief executive of a city, state, or country.
  7. ^ Preston, Richard (2007-05-25). "Are you ready to think outside the box? The abuses of the English language that readers hated most have inspired a new Telegraph book, explains Richard Preston". Daily Telegraph. p. 24.
  8. ^ Didion, Joan (2007-03-04). "The Year Of Hoping For Magic". New York Times. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Majel Barrett Roddenberry". Star Trek.com. 1996-11-16.
  10. ^ Sellers, 294; Russell, 501.

References

  • Sellers, Maud (1894). "The City of York in the Sixteenth Century". The English Historical Review. 9 (34): 275–304. doi:10.1093/ehr/IX.XXXIV.275. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  • Russell, A. (1889). "Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York". 21: 494–515. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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