Being the First Lady of any country is a very important role and although women who hold this office are not elected into the position or get salaries, they are a big part of the elective and subsequent administrative process. Of all the fifty-three women who have been First Ladies in America, only four are still living to this day. This number excludes Melania Trump, the current First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS).
How Many First Ladies are Still Living and Where are They Now?
Eleanor Rosalynn Smith
This former First Lady is mostly known as Rosalynn Carter and she was the forty-seventh person to serve as a First Lady of the United States but she served during the thirty-eighth presidency. Rosalyn is the wife of Jimmy Carter and while she held the position, she was actively involved in not just the running of the house but was also part of the political activities in the country. Rosalyn was born on the 18th of August 1927 in Georgia. In 1946 she gave up her dreams of studying Interior Design to get married to him. Before Rosalyn became the First Lady of the United States, she was initially the first lady of the state of Georgia and was a big part of her husband’s campaign during his run for governor and subsequently president.
During her political career, Rosalyn advocated for many causes, but at the top of all of this was her advocacy for mental health and its awareness in the country. This is something she still continues to do to date.
Hilary Diane Rodham
Also known as Hilary Clinton, she is arguably the most recognizable woman that has ever served as First Lady. Hilary was born in Chicago, Illinois on the 26th of October 1947. For most of her life starting from childhood, her gender has been thrown in her face as a reason for why she cannot succeed at different things from being an Astronaut to winning class president. All of which just served as motivation.
Hilary Clinton’s first stint in politics was as a First Lady of the State of Arkansas, then she moved on to become the First Lady of the country on the 20th of January 1993 a position she had for eight years. After the First Ladyship, she became a Senator of New York, afterward the Secretary of State and her biggest achievement is becoming the first woman to be nominated to take on the position of the President. Currently, she mostly makes commentary on political happenings in the United States while pushing for the passing of a health bill that makes healthcare accessible to a lot of people.
Laura Lane Welch
Laura Bush served as the FLOTUS from 2001 to 2009 and she is married to George W. Bush. Laura served as the First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before becoming First Lady of the Country. She was born on the 4th of November 1946. Laura Lane studied Education at the Southern Methodist University and had a master’s in Library science. These two degrees fostered her advocacy for education in Texas and the country at large. She has always been a supporter of gay rights, legal abortions and the state of the lives of women in Afghanistan which she continues to advocate for till this date.
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Michelle LaVaughn Robinson
When her husband, Barack Obama became the first black president of America, she also became the first black First Lady. Michelle Obama is a lawyer and a writer, who was born in Chicago, her birth took place on the 17th of January 1964. While Michelle was First Lady, her major goal was to make sure kids got healthy meals at school cafeterias. Education, LGBT rights, poverty awareness and the importance of cultivating a healthy lifestyle were key aspects of the work she did as well. Michelle has stated that she does not have a drive for politics and because of this, she will not be pursuing any positions in politics. The release of her memoir Becoming in 2018 is the most significant thing she has done in recent times.
Melania Knavs
She currently occupies the office of the First Lady of the United States and is the third wife of President Trump. Melania was born in 1970 on the 26th of April, as a citizen of Yugoslavia. In the past, she worked as a fashion model and one of the agencies she worked with was Trump Model Management. During her husband’s campaign which she was part of, it came to light that her speeches were plagiarized from Michelle Obama’s. Melania’s legacy as First Lady is one that she is still forging.
