Second Lady of the United States
Second Lady of the United States | |
---|---|
Style |
Mrs. Pence (informal) Madam Second Lady (informal) |
Residence | Number One Observatory Circle |
Inaugural holder | Abigail Adams |
Formation | April 21, 1789 |
Website | WhiteHouse.gov |
The wife of the Vice President of the United States is sometimes referred to as Second Lady of the United States (SLOTUS), but this title is much less common.
The term "Second Lady", coined in contrast to the First Lady (who is almost always the wife of the President), may have been first used by Jennie Tuttle Hobart (whose husband was Vice President from 1897 to 1899) to refer to herself.
The title later fell out of favor, but was revived in the 1980s.[1][2] During the 1990s the title was again abandoned, in favor of "wife of the Vice-President", but was later resurrected during the administration of Barack Obama[2] and continues to be used by the administration of Donald Trump.[3]
History
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.[4] Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, 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 was vice president.[5] She has been involved in various causes, including breast cancer awareness and literacy.
At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Dr. Jill Biden said, "Let me start by thanking you for allowing me to serve as Second Lady of the United States for the past eight years. It has been an honor." This was the first time the informal title was used by an incumbent at a national convention. The term remains an unfamiliar and uncertain one even when it is used.[6]
There have been 17 periods of vacancy in the role, the longest of which continued for 16 years between the service of vice presidential spouses Abigail Adams and Ann Gerry. The most recent second lady vacancy was for 132 days in 1974, between the service of Betty Ford and Happy Rockefeller.
List of Second Ladies of the United States
No. | Image | Second Lady | Date of birth | Vice President Marriage date |
Tenure | Date of death (age) | Tenure as First Lady |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Abigail Smith | November 11, 1744 | John Adams October 25, 1764 |
April 21, 1789 – March 4, 1797 | October 28, 1818 (aged 73) | 1797–1801 | |
Thomas Jefferson was a widower. | Vacant;March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801 | ||||||
Aaron Burr was a widower. | Vacant;March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1805 | ||||||
George Clinton was a widower. | Vacant;March 4, 1805 – April 20, 1812 | ||||||
Vacant; no Vice President. | April 20, 1812 – March 4, 1813 | ||||||
2 | Ann Thompson | August 12, 1763 | Elbridge Gerry January 12, 1786 |
March 4, 1813 – November 23, 1814 | March 17, 1849 (aged 85) | ||
Vacant; no Vice President. | November 23, 1814 – March 4, 1817 | ||||||
3 | Hannah Minthorne | August 28, 1781 | Daniel D Tompkins February 20, 1798 |
March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825 | February 18, 1829 (aged 47) | ||
4 | Floride Bonneau Colhoun | February 15, 1792 | John C. Calhoun January 8, 1811 |
March 4, 1825 – December 28, 1832 | July 25, 1866 (aged 74) | ||
Vacant; no Vice President. | December 28, 1832 – March 4, 1833 | ||||||
Martin Van Buren was a widower. | Vacant;March 4, 1833 – March 4, 1837 | ||||||
Richard Mentor Johnson was unmarried. | Vacant;March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841 | ||||||
5 | Letitia Christian | November 12, 1790 | John Tyler March 29, 1813 |
March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841 | September 12, 1842 (aged 51) | 1841–1842 | |
Vacant; no Vice President. | April 4, 1841 – March 4, 1845 | ||||||
6 | Sophia Chew Nicklin | June 24, 1798 | George M. Dallas 1816 |
March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849 | January 11, 1869 (aged 70) | ||
7 | Abigail Powers | March 13, 1798 | Millard Fillmore February 5, 1826 |
March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850 | March 30, 1853 (aged 55) | 1850–1853 | |
Vacant; no Vice President. | July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853 | ||||||
William R. King was unmarried. | Vacant;March 4, 1853 – April 18, 1853 | ||||||
Vacant; no Vice President. | April 18, 1853 – March 4, 1857 | ||||||
8 | Mary Cyrene Burch | August 16, 1826 | John C. Breckinridge December 12, 1843 |
March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861 | October 8, 1907 (aged 81) | ||
9 | Ellen Vesta Emery | September 14, 1835 | Hannibal Hamlin 1856 |
March 4, 1861 – March 4, 1865 | February 1, 1925 (aged 89) | ||
10 | Eliza McCardle | October 4, 1810 | Andrew Johnson May 17, 1827 |
March 4, 1865 – April 15, 1865 | January 15, 1876 (aged 65) | 1865–1869 | |
Vacant; no Vice President. | April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869 | ||||||
11 | Ellen Maria Wade | July 26, 1836 | Schuyler Colfax November 18, 1868 |
March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1873 | March 4, 1911 (aged 74) | ||
Henry Wilson was a widower. | Vacant;March 4, 1873 – November 22, 1875 | ||||||
Vacant; no Vice President. | November 22, 1875 – March 4, 1877 | ||||||
William A. Wheeler was a widower. | Vacant;March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881 | ||||||
Chester A. Arthur was a widower. | Vacant;March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881 | ||||||
Vacant; no Vice President. | September 19, 1881 – March 4, 1885 | ||||||
12 | Eliza Carol Morgan | November 23, 1823 | Thomas A. Hendricks September 26, 1845 |
March 4, 1885 – November 25, 1885 | January 3, 1903 (aged 79) | ||
Vacant; no Vice President. | November 25, 1885 – March 4, 1889 | ||||||
13 | Anna Livingston Reade Street | May 18, 1846 | Levi P. Morton 1873 |
March 4, 1889 – March 4, 1893 | August 14, 1918 (aged 72) | ||
14 | Letitia Green | January 8, 1843 | Adlai Stevenson I December 22, 1866 |
March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897 | December 25, 1913 (aged 70) | ||
15 | Esther Jane "Jennie" Tuttle | April 30, 1849 | Garret Hobart July 21, 1869 |
March 4, 1897 – November 21, 1899 | January 8, 1941 (aged 91) | ||
Vacant; no Vice President. | November 21, 1899 – March 4, 1901 | ||||||
16 | Edith Kermit Carow | August 6, 1861 | Theodore Roosevelt December 2, 1886 |
March 4, 1901 – September 14, 1901 | September 30, 1948 (aged 87) | 1901–1909 | |
Vacant; no Vice President. | September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1905 | ||||||
17 | Cornelia "Nellie" Cole | January 1852 | Charles W. Fairbanks 1874 |
Mary 4, 1905 – March 4, 1909 | October 25, 1913 (aged 61) | ||
18 | Carrie Babcock | November 16, 1856 | James S. Sherman January 26, 1881 |
March 4, 1909 – October 30, 1912 | October 6, 1931 (aged 74) | ||
Vacant; no Vice President. | October 30, 1912 – March 4, 1913 | ||||||
19 | Lois Irene Kimsey | May 9, 1873 | Thomas R. Marshall October 2, 1895 |
March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1921 | January 6, 1958 (aged 84) | ||
20 | Grace Anna Goodhue | January 3, 1879 | Calvin Coolidge October 4, 1905 |
March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923 | July 8, 1957 (aged 78) | 1923–1929 | |
Vacant; no Vice President. | August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1925 | ||||||
21 | Caro Dana Blymyer | January 6, 1866 | Charles G. Dawes 1889 |
March 4, 1925 – March 4, 1929 | October 3, 1957 (aged 91) | ||
Charles Curtis was a widower. | Vacant;March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933 | ||||||
22 | Mariette Elizabeth Rheiner | July 17, 1869 | John Nance Garner November 25, 1895 |
March 4, 1933 – January 20, 1941 | August 17, 1948 (aged 79) | ||
23 | Ilo Browne | March 10, 1888 | Henry A. Wallace May 20, 1914 |
January 20, 1941 – January 20, 1945 | February 22, 1981 (aged 92) | ||
24 | Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Wallace | February 13, 1885 | Harry S. Truman June 28, 1919 |
January 20, 1945 – April 12, 1945 | October 18, 1982 (aged 97) | 1945–1953 | |
Vacant; no Vice President. | April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1949 | ||||||
Alben W. Barkley was a widower. | Vacant;January 20, 1949 – November 18, 1949 | ||||||
25 | Elizabeth Jane Rucker | September 23, 1911 | Alben W. Barkley November 18, 1949 |
November 18, 1949 – January 20, 1953 | September 6, 1964 (aged 52) | ||
26 | Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan | March 16, 1912 | Richard Nixon June 21, 1940 |
January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961 | June 22, 1993 (aged 81) | 1969–1974 | |
27 | Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor | December 22, 1912 | Lyndon B. Johnson November 17, 1934 |
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963 | July 11, 2007 (aged 94) | 1963–1969 | |
Vacant; no Vice President. | November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1965 | ||||||
28 | Muriel Fay Buck | February 20, 1912 | Hubert Humphrey September 3, 1936 |
January 20, 1965 – January 20, 1969 | September 20, 1998 (aged 86) | ||
29 | Elinor Isabel "Judy" Judefind | April 23, 1921 | Spiro Agnew May 27, 1942 |
January 20, 1969 – October 10, 1973 | June 20, 2012 (aged 91) | ||
Vacant; no Vice President. | October 10, 1973 – December 6, 1973 | ||||||
30 | Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Bloomer | April 8, 1918 | Gerald Ford October 15, 1948 |
December 6, 1973 – August 9, 1974 | July 8, 2011 (aged 93) | 1974–1977 | |
Vacant; no Vice President. | August 9, 1974 – December 19, 1974 | ||||||
31 | Margaretta Large "Happy" Fitler | June 9, 1926 | Nelson Rockefeller May 4, 1963 |
December 19, 1974 – January 20, 1977 | May 19, 2015 (aged 88) | ||
32 | Joan Adams | August 8, 1930 | Walter Mondale December 27, 1955 |
January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981 | February 3, 2014 (aged 83) | ||
33 | Barbara Pierce | June 8, 1925 | George H. W. Bush January 6, 1945 |
January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989 | Living | 1989–1993 | |
34 | Marilyn Tucker | July 29, 1949 | Dan Quayle November 18, 1972 |
January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 | Living | ||
35 | Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Aitcheson | August 19, 1948 | Al Gore May 19, 1970 |
January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001 | Living | ||
36 | Lynne Ann Vincent | August 14, 1941 | Dick Cheney August 29, 1964 |
January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009 | Living | ||
37 | Jill Tracy Jacobs | June 3, 1951 | Joe Biden June 17, 1977 |
January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017 | Living | ||
38 | Karen Sue Batten | November 18, 1958 | Mike Pence June 8, 1985 |
January 20, 2017 – present | Living |
List of living former Second Ladies
As of August 2017, there are five living former Second Ladies. The most recent second lady to die was Nelson Rockefeller's widow, Happy Rockefeller on May 19, 2015. The most recently serving second lady to die was Walter Mondale's wife, Joan Mondale, on February 3, 2014.
See also
- First Lady of the United States
- List of First Ladies of the United States
- Vice President of the United States
- List of Vice Presidents of the United States
- United States order of precedence
References
- ↑ Purcell, Edward (2010). Vice Presidents: A Biographical Dictionary. InfoBase. p. 237. ISBN 1438130716.
- 1 2 Safire, William (2008). Safire's Political Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 249. ISBN 0195343344.
- ↑ "Mrs. Karen Pence". whitehouse.gov. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ↑ "Mrs. Lynne Cheney". whitehouse.gov. The White House. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
- ↑ Abcarian, Robin Abcarian (2 February 2009). "Hi, I'm Jill. Jill Biden. But please, call me Dr. Biden". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- ↑ Hannity & Colmes (16 September 2008). "Second Lady Lynne Cheney on Her New Book, Media's Treatment of Sarah Palin". Fox News. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
External links
- "Dr. Jill Biden". Retrieved January 20, 2009. – The Official White House site for the Second Lady
- "Wives of Vice Presidents". Vice Presidents.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2005. Retrieved October 7, 2005. – List of the wives of Vice Presidents
- "Ask Yahoo! – What is the formal title for the wife of the vice president?". Archived from the original on 13 January 2013.