The following is a list of works about the spouses of presidents of the United States. While this list is mainly about presidential spouses, administrations with a bachelor or widowed president have a section on the individual (usually a family member) that filled the role of First Lady. The list includes books and journal articles written in English after c. 1900 as well as primary sources written by the individual themselves.
The books included here were selected because they were either published by an academic press or major nationally known publisher or were reviewed in mainstream academic journals. [lower-alpha 1] These works are generally intended for an adult audience; works specifically intended for a youth or children are not included.
Several presidents were unmarried for all or part of their administration.
Because this list also serves as a bibliography of first ladies, in these cases, when someone regularly filled the role of White House hostess and informal first lady while the president was unmarried, an entry is provided.
Books
Journal articles
Martha Washington, née Dandridge; (born June 2, 1731 – died May 22, 1802); (in position April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797); The wife of George Washington.
Books
Biographies of George Washington with significant information about Martha Washington
Journal articles
Primary sources
Abigail Adams, née Smith; (born November 22, 1744 – died October 28, 1818); (in position March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801); The wife of John Adams. The mother of John Quincy Adams and grandmother of Charles Francis Adams Sr.
Books
Biographies of John Adams with significant information about Abigal Adams
Journal articles
Primary sources
Martha Jefferson, née Wayles; (born October 19 or 30, 1748 – died September 6, 1782); (in position: never); The wife of Thomas Jefferson. Martha Jefferson died before her husband assumed the presidency, so she never served as first lady. Since she died young (age 33) comparatively little is written about her independent of biographies of Thomas Jefferson. [lower-alpha 6] Her daughter Martha served as informal first lady (see below).
Books
Fiction books
Other
Martha Jefferson Randolph, née Jefferson; (born September 27, 1772 – died October 10, 1836); (in role: March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1809); She was the eldest daughter of Thomas Jefferson and his wife Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson. By the time Jefferson was President, she was his only surviving child with his wife. Since Jefferson never remarried, she served as needed in her mother's place as White House hostess and informal first lady during Jefferson's administration. [lower-alpha 7]
Books
Journal articles
Dolley Madison, née Payne; (born May 20, 1768 – died July 12, 1849; (in position: March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817); The wife of James Madison. There is a variety of ways her first name is spelled; depending on the era of writing a different form of her first name may be used. Dollie, appears to have been her given name at birth. [42] Her birth was registered with the New Garden Friends Meeting as Dolley and her will of 1841 uses Dolly. [43]
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of James Madison with significant information about Dolley Madison
Elizabeth Jane Monroe, née Kortright; (born June 30, 1768 – died September 23, 1830); (in position: March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825); The wife of James Monroe.
Books
Louisa Adams, née Johnson; (born February 12, 1775 – died May 15, 1852); (in position March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829); The wife of John Quincy Adams. The mother of Charles Francis Adams (1807—1886). The first First Lady to be born outside of the United States or the American colonies.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of John Quincy Adams with significant information about Louisa Adams
Rachel Jackson, née Donelson; June 15, 1767 – December 22, 1828; The wife of Andrew Jackson. The aunt of Emily Donelson (1807—1836). Rachel Jackson died just after Jackson's election but before his inauguration as President; she never served as First Lady. The role was assumed by her niece, Emily Donelson until 1834 and from then by Sarah Yorke Jackson, Jackson's daughter-in-law. She was the final first lady to be born before the Declaration of Independence. [lower-alpha 11]
Biographies of Andrew Jackson with significant content on Rachel Jackson
Emily Donelson, née none; (born June 1, 1807 – died December 19, 1836); (in position March 4, 1829 – November 26, 1834); The niece of Andrew Jackson. She served as acting First Lady and White House host in the place of her mother, Rachel Jackson. [lower-alpha 14]
Books
Sarah Jackson, née Yorke; (born July 16, 1803 – died August 23, 1887); (in position November 26, 1834 – March 4, 1837); The daughter-in-law of Andrew Jackson; she served as White House hostess and acting First Lady in the place of her mother in law.
Relatively little has been written about Sarah York Jackson. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Andrew Jackson.
Hannah Van Buren, née Hoes; (born March 8, 1783 – died February 5, 1819); The wife of Martin Van Buren. She died before Van Buren was elected President, so never held the position of First Lady. Acting as First Lady and White House host in her place was her daughter in law, Sarah Van Buren. Because she died at age 35 before Martin Van Buren became widely known, very little is known about her. [lower-alpha 14]
Books
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Hannah Van Buren. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Martin Van Buren.
Sarah Angelica Van Buren, née Singleton; February 13, 1818 – December 29, 1877; The daughter in law of Martin Van Buren. She was married to the President's son, Abraham Van Buren and served as acting First Lady and White House host in the place of her mother in law, Hannah Van Buren. [lower-alpha 14]
Books
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Sarah Van Buren. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Martin Van Buren.
Anna Tuthill Harrison, née Symmes; July 25, 1775 – February 25, 1864; The wife of William Henry Harrison and grandmother of Benjamin Harrison. Since Harrison died less than a month into his term in office, she is the individual who spent the shortest time as First Lady. She was too ill to travel from Ohio to Washington, D.C., when her husband became President, so Jane Irwin Harrison, Harrison's daughter-in-law, served as White House hostess during his short time in office. [lower-alpha 14]
Relatively little has been written about Anna Harrison. For information about her, see the Bibliography of William Henry Harrison
Letitia Christian Tyler, née Christian; November 12, 1790 – September 10, 1842; The wife of John Tyler. When John Tyler became the first vice president to ascend to the presidency, Letitia Tyler became First Lady. She was the first of three people to die while in the position.
Journal articles
Relatively little has been written about Letitia Tyler. For information about her, see the Bibliography of John Tyler
Priscilla Cooper Tyler, née Cooper; June 14, 1816 – December 29, 1889; The daughter in law of John Tyler. She was married to the President's son, Robert Tyler and served as acting First Lady and White House host after the death of her mother in law, Letitia Tyler, from September, 1842 – March, 1844. [lower-alpha 14]
Journal articles
Relatively little has been written about Priscilla Tyler. For information about her, see the Bibliography of John Tyler.
Letitia "Letty" Christian Semple, née Tyler; May 11, 1821 – December 28, 1907; The daughter of John Tyler. She served as acting First Lady and White House host from March, 1844 – June 26, 1844, after her sister in law, Priscilla Tyler left the White House. She was succeeded in the position by Tyler's second wife Julia. [lower-alpha 14]
Relatively little has been written about Letitia Semple. For information about her, see the Bibliography of John Tyler.
Julia Gardiner Tyler, née Gardiner; May 4, 1820 – July 10, 1889; The daughter in law of Martin Van Buren. She was the second wife of John Tyler. She served the second shortest period of time as First Lady after Anna Harrison, from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845.
Journal articles
Relatively little has been written about Julia Tyler. For information about her, see the Bibliography of John Tyler.
Sarah Polk, née Childress; September 4, 1803 – August 14, 1891; She was the wife of James Polk.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of James Polk with significant information about Sarah Polk
Margaret "Peggy" Mackall Taylor, née Smith; September 21, 1788 – August 14, 1852; She was the wife of Zachary Taylor.
Relatively little has been written about Margaret Taylor. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Zachary Taylor.
Abigail Fillmore, née Powers; March 13, 1798 – March 30, 1853; She was the wife of Millard Fillmore. She was the final first lady to be born in the eighteenth century.
Biographies of Millard Fillmore with significant information on Abigail Fillmore
Relatively little has been written about Abigail Fillmore. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Millard Fillmore.
Jane Means Pierce, née Appleton; March 12, 1806 – December 2, 1863; She was the wife of Franklin Pierce.
Relatively little has been written about Jane Pierce. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Franklin Pierce.
Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston, née Lane; May 9, 1830 – July 3, 1903; She was the niece of James Buchanan. Buchanan was never married and Harriet Lane acted as First Lady during his presidency.
Relatively little has been written about Harriet Lane. For information about her, see the Bibliography of James Buchanan.
Mary Todd Lincoln, née Todd; December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882; She was the wife of Abraham Lincoln.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of Abraham Lincoln with significant content on Mary Todd Lincoln
Eliza McCardle Johnson, née McCardle; October 4, 1810 – January 15, 1876; She was the wife of Andrew Johnson.
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Eliza Johnson. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Andrew Johnson.
Julia Boggs Grant, née Dent; January 26, 1826 – December 14, 1902; She was the wife of Ulysses S. Grant.
Primary sources
Biographies of Ulysses S. Grant with significant information about Julia Grant
Relatively little has been written about Julia Grant. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Ulysses S. Grant.
Lucy Webb Hayes, née Webb; August 28, 1831 – June 25, 1889; She was the wife of Rutherford B. Hayes.
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Lucy Hayes. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Rutherford B. Hayes.
Lucretia Garfield, née Rudolph; April 19, 1832 – March 13, 1918; She was the wife of James A. Garfield.
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Lucretia Garfield. For information about her, see the Bibliography of James A. Garfield.
Nell Arthur, née Herndon; August 30, 1837 – January 12, 1880; She was the wife of Chester A. Arthur, but died two years before he became President, so never assumed the position.
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Nell Arthur. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Chester A. Arthur.
Mary Arthur McElroy, née Arthur; July 5, 1841— January 8, 1917; She was the sister of Chester A. Arthur; she assumed the role of acting First Lady in the place of Arthur's deceased wife.
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Mary Arthur McElroy. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Chester A. Arthur.
Frances Clara Cleveland Preston, née Folsom; date – date; She was the wife of Grover Cleveland. She was the youngest person (age 21) to fill the position of First Lady and is one of two who remarried after the deaths of their Presidential husbands and one of two First Ladies to marry a sitting President.
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Frances Cleveland. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Grover Cleveland.
Rose Elizabeth Cleveland, née Name; date – date; She was the sister of Grover Cleveland. Since Cleveland entered the White House unmarried, Rose Cleveland served as acting First Lady and White House host until her brother married fourteen months into his first term. She is the only LGBTQ individual to serve in the position of First Lady and White House hostess.
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Rose Cleveland. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Grover Cleveland.
Caroline Lavinia Harrison, née Scott; October 1, 1832 – October 25, 1892; She was the wife of Benjamin Harrison.
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Caroline Harrison. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Benjamin Harrison.
Mary Harrison McKee, née Harrison; April 3, 1858 – October 28, 1930; She was the daughter of Benjamin Harrison. She assumed the role of acting First Lady after the death of her mother.
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Mary Harrison McKee. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Benjamin Harrison.
Ida Saxton McKinley, née Saxton; June 8, 1847 – May 26, 1907; She was the wife of William McKinley.
Books
Primary sources
Relatively little has been written about Ida McKinley. For information about her, see the Bibliography of William McKinley.
Edith Kermit Roosevelt, née Carrow; August 6, 1861 – September 30, 1948; She was the wife of Theodore Roosevelt.
Books
Primary sources
Helen Louise "Nellie" Taft, née Herron; June 2, 1861 – May 22, 1943; She was the wife of William Howard Taft.
Books
Primary sources
For information about Helen Herron Taft, see the Bibliography of William Howard Taft
Ellen Louise Axson Wilson, née Axson; May 15, 1860 – August 6, 1914; She was the first wife of Woodrow Wilson. She died in 1914 and was succeeded as First Lady (acting) by her daughter, Margaret.
Biographies of Woodrow Wilson with significant information about Ellen Axson Wilson
Primary sources
Margaret Woodrow Wilson, née Wilson; April 16, 1886 – February 12, 1944; She was the daughter of Woodrow Wilson and filled in for her mother Ellen as acting First Lady until her father remarried in 1915.
Relatively little has been written about Margaret Woodrow Wilson. For information about her, see the Bibliography of Woodrow Wilson.
Edith Wilson, née Bolling; October 15, 1872 – December 28, 1961; She was the second wife of Woodrow Wilson.
Biographies of Woodrow Wilson with significant information about Edith Wilson
Florence Mabel Harding, née Kling; August 15, 1860 – November 21, 1924; She was the wife of Warren G. Harding.
Books
For information about Florence Harding, see the Bibliography of Warren G. Harding
Grace Anna Coolidge, née Goodhue; January 3, 1879 – July 8, 1957; She was the wife of Calvin Coolidge.
Books
For information about Grace Coolidge, see the Bibliography of Calvin Coolidge.
Lou Henry Hoover, née Henry; March 29, 1874 – January 7, 1944; She was the wife of Herbert Hoover.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, née Roosevelt; (born October 11, 1884 – died November 7, 1962); (in position March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945); She was the wife of Franklin Roosevelt. Because her husband was the longest serving President, Eleanor Roosevelt is the longest serving First Lady.
Elizabeth Virginia Truman, née Wallace; (born February 13, 1885 – died October 18, 1982); (in position April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953 ); She was the wife of Harry S. Truman.
Books
Primary sources
Biographies of with significant information about
Mamie Geneva Eisenhower, née Doud; (born November 14, 1896 – died November 1, 1979); (in position January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961); She was the wife of Dwight Eisenhower. She was the last First Lady to be born in the nineteenth century.
Books
Primary sources
Biographies of with significant information about
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis, née Bouvier; (born July 28, 1929 – died May 19, 1994); (In position January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963); She was the wife of John F. Kennedy.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of with significant information about
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson, née Taylor; (born December 22, 1912 – died July 11, 2007); (in position November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969); She was the wife of Lyndon B. Johnson.
Books
Journal articles
Biographies of Lyndon Johnson with significant information about Lady Bird Johnson
Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon, née Ryan; (born March 16, 1912 – died June 22, 1993); (in position January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974); She was the wife of Richard Nixon.
Books
Biographies of Richard Nixon with significant information about Pat Nixon
Elizabeth Anne Ford, née Bloomer, formerly Warren; (born April 8, 1918 – died July 8, 2011); (in position August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977); She was the wife of Gerald R. Ford.
Books
Journal articles
Biographies of Gerald Ford with significant information about Betty Ford
Eleanor Rosalynn Carter, née Smith; (born August 18, 1927 – died November 19, 2023); (in position January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981); She was the wife of Jimmy Carter.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of Jimmy Carter with significant information about Rosalynn Carter
Nancy Davis Reagan, née Robbins, later Davis (adoption); (born July 6, 1921 – died March 6, 2016); (in position January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989); She was the wife of Ronald Reagan.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of Ronald Reagan with significant information about Nancy Reagan
Barbara Pierce Bush, née Pierce; (born June 8, 1925 – died April 17, 2018); (in position January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993); She was the wife of George H. W. Bush. She is one of two individuals to be both a wife and mother of a President.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of George H. W. Bush with significant information about Barbara Bush
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, née Rodham; October 26, 1947; She is the wife of Bill Clinton. After her time as First Lady, she became a United States Senator and later Secretary of State. She is the only First Lady to have held national office. She became the first woman to run for President on a major party ticket and the first First Lady to run for President in 2016.
Laura Lane Welch Bush, née Welch; (born November 4, 1946); (in position January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009); She is the wife of George W. Bush.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of with significant information about
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, née Robinson; January 17, 1964; She is the wife of Barack Obama. She is the first and only African American First Lady.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of with significant information about Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama
Melania Trump, née Knavs, born Melanija Knavs; April 26, 1970; She is the wife of Donald Trump. She is the second first lady, after Louisa Adams, born outside the United States.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of with significant information about Melania Trump
Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden, née Jacobs, born June 3, 1951; She is the second wife of Joe Biden; his first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden died in 1972 prior to his becoming President of the United States.
Books
Journal articles
Primary sources
Biographies of with significant information about Jill Biden
First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the United States.
Nancy Reagan was an American film actress who was the first lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989, as the second wife of President Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States.
Abigail Adams was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, the second president of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. She was a founder of the United States, and was both the first second lady and second first lady of the United States, although such titles were not used at the time. She and Barbara Bush are the only two women in American history who were both married to a U.S. president and the mother of a U.S. president.
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, who was the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, she served as the inaugural first lady of the United States, defining the role of the president's wife and setting many precedents that future first ladies observed. During her tenure, she was referred to as "Lady Washington". Washington is consistently ranked in the upper half of first ladies by historians.
Mercy Otis Warren was an American activist poet, playwright, and pamphleteer during the American Revolution. During the years before the Revolution, she had published poems and plays that attacked royal authority in Massachusetts and urged colonists to resist British infringements on colonial rights and liberties. She was married to James Warren, who was likewise heavily active in the independence movement.
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln served as the First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, in 1865.
Louisa Catherine Adams was the first lady of the United States from 1825 to 1829 during the presidency of John Quincy Adams.
The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Great Britain, established the United States of America, and crafted a framework of government for the new nation.
Robert P. Watson is an American political scientist and a historian of US politics, and the author of many books on US political and military history. He is Distinguished Professor of American History and Avron Fogelman Research Professor at Lynn University.
The bibliography of Ronald Reagan includes numerous books and articles about Ronald Reagan. According to J. David Woodard, a political science professor, more than 11,000 books on Reagan have been published.
Events from the year 1798 in the United States.
The following is a list and discussion of scholarly resources relating to John Adams.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States, from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945; as the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Because her husband was the longest-serving president, Eleanor is the longest-serving First Lady.
Edith Belle Gelles is an American author and historian. She grew up in Lake Placid, New York, and attended Cornell University, Yale University, and the University of California, Irvine. She is currently a Senior Scholar at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University where she has been a faculty member since 1983. Her scholarship is primarily in the area of early American history, concentrating on biography and women. She is known for her scholarship and writing about Abigail Adams and her husband John.
Catherine Allgor is an American historian focusing on women and early American history; she has written and lectured extensively on Dolley Madison and the founding generation of American women. Since 2017 she has served as the president of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Previously Allgor was appointed to the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation by President Barack Obama and has served as the Nadine and Robert A. Skotheim Director of Education at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Formerly she was a Professor of History and UC Presidential Chair at the University of California, Riverside, and has taught at Claremont McKenna College, Harvard University, and Simmons University. Allgor was a Frances Perkins Scholar at Mount Holyoke College and received her PhD from Yale University where she was awarded the Yale Teaching Award. Her dissertation was awarded best dissertation in American history at Yale and received the Lerner-Scott Prize for the Best Dissertation in U.S. Women's History.