First ladies at the George W. Bush Presidential Center
First lady Michelle Obama attending the opening ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center with her predecessors, April 25, 2013. (From left) Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush, and Rosalynn Carter.
first lady
United States title
first lady, wife of the president of the United States. Although the first lady’s role has never been codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the nation. Representative of her husband on official and ceremonial occasions both at home and abroad, the first lady is closely watched for some hint of her husband’s thinking and for a clue to his future actions. Although unpaid and unelected, her prominence provides her a platform from which to influence behaviour and opinion, and popular first ladies have served as models for how American women should dress, ...(100 of 3731 words)