First ladies pictures

The first lady of the United States is the hostess of the White House. The position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States , but, on occasion, the title has been applied to women who were not presidents' wives, such as when the president was a bachelor or widower, or when the wife of the president was unable to fulfill the duties of the first lady.

The first lady is not an elected position; it carries no official duties and receives no salary. Nonetheless, she attends many official ceremonies and functions of state either along with or in place of the president. Traditionally, the first lady does not hold outside employment while occupying the office, [ 1 ] although Eleanor Roosevelt earned money writing and giving lectures, but gave most of it to charity, [ 2 ] and Jill Biden has maintained her regular job as an educator during her time in the role.

The Office of the First Lady is also in charge of all social and ceremonial events of the White House, and is a branch of the Executive Office of the President. There have been total of 55 first ladies including 44 official and 11 acting, within 47 first ladyships. This discrepancy exists because some presidents had multiple first ladies.

Following Donald Trump 's inauguration on January 20, , his wife, Melania Trump , became the 44th official first lady. The most recent first lady to die was Rosalynn Carter , married to Jimmy Carter.

Who was the first first lady of the united states

The first first lady was Martha Washington , married to George Washington. Presidents John Tyler and Woodrow Wilson had two official first ladies; both remarried during their presidential tenures. The other non-spousal relatives who served as White House hostesses are not recognized by the First Ladies' Library. Arthur's first lady, which instead depicts suffragette Alice Paul.

Living first ladies as of February [update] from oldest to youngest :.