Second Lady of the United States
Second lady of the United States is an informal title for the wife of the vice president of the United States, coined in contrast to the first lady (who is almost always the wife of the president).
The second lady's visibility in the public sphere has been a somewhat recent development. Although the role of the first lady as White House hostess dates from the beginning of the republic (and was typically filled by another member of the president's family if the president was unmarried or a widower), with a few exceptions, it was generally not until the late 20th century and early 21st century that vice-presidential wives took on public roles that attracted significant media attention.
Floride Calhoun, wife of Vice President John C. Calhoun, was a central figure in the Petticoat Affair, a social-political scandal which involved the social ostracism of Secretary of War John H. Eaton and his wife Margaret O'Neill Eaton further damaging already-strained relations between Vice President Calhoun and President Andrew Jackson. Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore, was active in several campaigns to remove material she found objectionable from popular American entertainment like movies, television shows and music, starting when her husband was a senator. She challenged performers over their use of profane lyrics and often debated with her critics, such as Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra. Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, championed education reform, citing specific failures of the American public education system during her tenure as second lady. She is a particularly outspoken supporter of American history education, having written five bestselling books on this topic for children and their families.[1] Jill Biden, the current second lady, works as an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, and is thought to be the first second lady to hold a paying job while her husband is vice president. She has been involved in various causes, including breast cancer awareness and literacy.
List of wives of the vice presidents
18th century
19th century
- Vacant: Aaron Burr (1801–1805) was a widower
- Vacant: George Clinton (1805–1813) was a widower
- Ann Gerry, wife of Elbridge Gerry (1813–1814)
- Hannah Tompkins, wife of Daniel D. Tompkins (1817–1825)
- Floride Calhoun, wife of John C. Calhoun (1825–1832)
- Vacant: Martin Van Buren (1833–1837) was a widower (his daughter-in-law, Angelica Van Buren, served as his first lady)
- Vacant: Richard Mentor Johnson (1837–1841) was unmarried. He considered Julia Chinn to be his common law wife, before her death in 1833.
- Letitia Christian Tyler, wife of John Tyler (1841)
- Sophia Dallas, wife of George M. Dallas (1845–1849)
- Abigail Fillmore, wife of Millard Fillmore (1849–1850)
- Vacant: William R. King (1853) was unmarried
- Mary Cyrene Burch Breckinridge, wife of John C. Breckinridge (1857–1861)
- Ellen Vesta Emery Hamlin, wife of Hannibal Hamlin (1861–1865)
- Eliza McCardle Johnson, wife of Andrew Johnson (1865–1869)
- Ellen Maria Colfax, wife of Schuyler Colfax (1869–1873)
- Vacant: Henry Wilson (1873–1875) was a widower
- Vacant: William A. Wheeler (1877–1881) was a widower
- Vacant: Chester A. Arthur (1881) was a widower
- Eliza Hendricks, wife of Thomas A. Hendricks (1885)
- Anna Morton, wife of Levi P. Morton (1889–1893)
- Letitia Stevenson, wife of Adlai E. Stevenson (1893–1897)
- Jennie Tuttle Hobart, wife of Garret Hobart (1897–1899)
20th century
- Edith Roosevelt, wife of Theodore Roosevelt (1901)
- Cornelia Cole Fairbanks, wife of Charles W. Fairbanks (1905–1909)
- Carrie Babcock Sherman, wife of James S. Sherman (1909–1912)
- Lois Irene Marshall, wife of Thomas R. Marshall (1913–1921)
- Grace Coolidge, wife of Calvin Coolidge (1921–1923)
- Caro Dawes, wife of Charles G. Dawes (1925–1929)
- Vacant: Charles Curtis (1929–1933) was a widower
- Mariette Rheiner Garner, wife of John Nance Garner (1933–1941)
- Ilo Wallace, wife of Henry A. Wallace (1941–1945)
- Bess Truman, wife of Harry S. Truman (1945)
- Jane Hadley Barkley, wife of Alben Barkley (1949–1953)
- Pat Nixon, wife of Richard Nixon (1953–1961)
- Lady Bird Johnson, wife of Lyndon Johnson (1961–1963)
- Muriel Humphrey, wife of Hubert Humphrey (1965–1969)
- Judy Agnew, wife of Spiro Agnew (1969–1973)
- Betty Ford, wife of Gerald Ford (1973–1974)
- Happy Rockefeller, wife of Nelson Rockefeller (1974–1977)
- Joan Mondale, wife of Walter Mondale (1977–1981)
- Barbara Bush, wife of George H. W. Bush (1981–1989)
- Marilyn Quayle, wife of Dan Quayle (1989–1993)
- Tipper Gore, wife of Al Gore (1993–2001)
21st century
List of living current or former vice presidents’ wives
As of September 2011[update], there were eight living current or former vice presidents’ wives:
See also
References
External links
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