Top 10 Most Influential First Ladies In America

Top 10 Most Influential First Ladies In America. Photo KnowInsiders

U.S. presidents are often put in the spotlight, but what many people overlook is the work of America’s First Ladies. This list offers insight into the most influential First Ladies for global issues and their efforts to address these issues.

1.Dolley Madison

2.Sarah Polk

3.Edith Wilson

4.Eleanor Roosevelt

5.Betty Ford

6.Rosalynn Carter

7.Hillary Clinton

8.Laura Bush

9.Michelle Obama

10.Melania Trump

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Who Are The Most Influential First Ladies In The United States

1.Dolley Madison

First Lady Dolley Madison (1768 - 1849), nee Payne, the wife of American president James Madison and a renowned Washington socialite.

Born Dolley Payne Todd, Dolley Madison was 17 years younger than her husband, James Madison. She was one of the most well-loved first ladies. After serving as Thomas Jefferson's White House hostess after his wife died, she became the first lady when her husband won the presidency. She was active in creating weekly social events and entertaining dignitaries and society. During the War of 1812 as the British were bearing down on Washington, Dolley Madison understood the significance of the national treasures housed in the White House and refused to leave without saving as much as she could. Through her efforts, many items were saved that would have most probably been destroyed when the British captured and burned the White House.

2.Sarah Polk

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Sara Childress Polk was notably well-educated, attending one of the few higher learning institutions available to women at the time. As first lady, she used her education to help her husband, James K. Polk. She was known to craft speeches and write correspondence for him. Further, she took her duties as first lady seriously, consulting Dolley Madison for advice. She entertained officials of both parties and was well-respected throughout Washington.

3.Edith Wilson

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Edith Wilson was actually Woodrow Wilson's second wife while president. His first wife, Ellen Louise Axton, died in 1914. Wilson then married Edith Bolling Galt on December 18, 1915. In 1919, President Wilson suffered a stroke. Edith Wilson basically took control of the presidency. She made daily decisions about what items should or should not be taken to her husband for input. If it was not important in her eyes, then she would not pass it on to the president, a style for which she was widely criticized. It is still not completely known how much power Edith Wilson truly wielded.

4.Eleanor Roosevelt

Weeks after Franklin Roosevelt assumed his role as president, Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany. Hitler’s reign spurred a European refugee crisis. Eleanor Roosevelt used her platform as First Lady to garner U.S. support for refugees. To that end, she came out as a supporter of the Wagner-Rogers bill. This bill would allow the entry of 20,000 German children into the U.S. The Wagner-Roger bill ended up dying in committee, but the First Lady didn’t stop there. Eleanor Roosevelt proceeded to establish the U.S. Committee for the Care of European Children. USCOM was able to bring refugee children from France safely into the U.S.

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5.Betty Ford

Photo CNBC

Betty Ford was born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer. She married Gerald Ford in 1948. Betty Ford was willing as first lady to openly discuss her experiences with psychiatric treatment. She was also a major advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment and the legalization of abortion. She went through a mastectomy and spoke out about breast cancer awareness. Her candor and openness about her private life was virtually unprecedented for such a high profile public figure.

6.Rosalynn Carter

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Rosalynn Carter embarked on perhaps one of the most ambitious international missions taken by a First Lady. In 1977, she visited Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Jamaica and assumed the position of the President’s representative. She took part in meetings to discuss policy issues such as drug trafficking, arms reduction and human rights. She continued her work in 1979 when she learned of the Cambodian refugee crisis. After seeing the conditions of the crisis for herself, she urged the U.N. to get involved in the issue. As a result of her urging, the National Cambodian Crisis Committee was established.

7.Hillary Clinton

Photo Getty

Hillary Rodham was born in 1947 and married Bill Clinton in 1975. Hillary Clinton was an extremely powerful first lady. She was involved in directing policy, especially in the realm of health care. She was appointed the head of the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. Hillary Clinton formed an impressive network with female global leaders across the world. She helped establish Vital Voices, an initiative that encouraged the incorporation of women in politics. She spoke out about gender equality at home and abroad. Clinton was one of the only political figures to draw attention to the violent treatment of Afghan women by the Taliban regime.

8.Laura Bush

Photo Wall Street Journal

As First Lady, Laura Bush allocated much of her time towards improving global education and health. In 2005, she made the journey to Afghanistan to promote teacher-training institutions for women. Towards the end of her husband’s presidency, Bush continued traveling the world to promote the importance of global health. In 2007, she traveled to the Middle East to raise awareness for women’s health and breast cancer.

9.Michelle Obama

Photo White House

Another US First Lady who was particularly active in her role was Michelle Obama, the wife of President Barack Obama. A valuable asset to his team, she gave numerous speeches at the Democratic National Convention over the years (one of which was famously plagiarism by her successor, Melania Trump), and is known for being a passionate advocate for issues including childhood obesity and poverty awareness. In 2019, she released a best-selling memoir of her life to date, Becoming, and is considered an inspirational figure to many to this day.

10.Melania Trump

Melania Trump has shown that she intends on following in the steps of her predecessors. She has targeted disease, trafficking and hunger as some of her main issues. The First Lady urged the U.N. to do more to aid these causes. She most recently embarked on a trip to Kenya, Egypt and Ghana. The First Lady was touched by the experience, and according to President Trump, there are intentions of helping these regions in the future.

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