TOP FIVE MOST INFLUENTIAL AMERICAN FIRST LADIES

Over the years, the role of First Lady has been filled by a range of personalities. Some of these women stayed in the background, some gave contributions to their husband’s presidency, while others used their position to promote specific issues and start their own revolutions. As a result, the role of First Lady has evolved over the years. Here is a list of 5 of history’s most influential American First Ladies.

 

Eleanor Roosevelt 

 

The arrival of Eleanor Roosevelt as First Lady transformed the position into its current energetic, activist incarnation. She is considered by many to be America's most inspiring and influential first lady. She married Franklin Roosevelt in 1905 and was one of the first to use her role as first lady to advance causes she found significant.

She fought for New Deal proposals, civil rights, and the rights of women.

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. She supported the Wagner-Roger bill to host 20,000 German children in the U.S. and when the bill didn’t succeed, she didn’t give up but she established the USCOM (Committee for the Care of European Children) saving a lot of European children.

After her husband died, Eleanor Roosevelt was on the board of directors for the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP). She was a leader in the formation of the United Nations at the end of World War II. She helped draft the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" and was the first chairman of the UN Human Rights Commission.

 

Betty Ford 

 

She married Gerald Ford in 1948. Betty Ford as first lady wanted to openly discuss her experiences with psychiatric treatment and support women rights, though not always in a way her husband’s Republican supporters liked.

As part of this work, Mrs. Ford supported the Equal Rights Amendment and the legalization of abortion, she spoke publicly about the rights of women to lead their lives free of judgment and stigma, topic that was normally considered the domain of liberals in that era. Mrs. Ford also openly discussed her battle with breast cancer a topic still avoided in ‘polite’ conversation.

Mrs. Ford’s actions as First Lady earned her Time magazine’s 1975 Woman of the Year distinction, and wide public respect.

She later acknowledged her addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, helping launch the Betty Ford Centre in 1982 to assist people with chemical dependencies.

 

Rosalynn Carter 

She married Jimmy Carter in 1946. Rosalynn Carter was one of his closest advisers. Unlike previous first ladies, she actually sat in on many cabinet meetings. She was an advocate for mental health issues and became the honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health.

She realized perhaps one of the most ambitious international missions taken by a First Lady. In 1977, she visited South America 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. In 1979 she learned of the Cambodian refugee crisis and warned the U.N. about the issue. As a result of her urging, the National Cambodian Crisis Committee was established.

Hillary Clinton 

Hillary Rodham married Bill Clinton in 1975. She was an extremely powerful first lady, involved directly in policy, she was appointed the head of the Task Force on National Health Care Reform.

She spoke out on children's issues and she espoused important legislation like the Adoption and Safe Families Act.

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 and she was one of the only political figures to draw attention to the violent treatment of Afghan women by the Taliban regime.

After President Clinton's second term, Hillary Clinton ran a strong campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2008 and was selected to be Barack Obama's Secretary of State. In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first female presidential nominee of a major party.

 

Michelle Obama

In 1992, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson married Barack Obama, the first African American to become president of the United States. Together they served in the White House between 2008–2016.

As a First Lady, she focused on the "Let's Move!" program to help reduce childhood obesity, a program that led to the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which allowed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set new nutritional standards for all food in schools. Her second initiative, the "Reach Higher Initiative," continues to provide students with the guidance and resources to go on to post-high school educations and professional careers.

In 2015, Michelle Obama launched the “Let Girls Learn program”. This program focuses on getting girls worldwide into school and making sure they remain in school.

FRANCESCA, 4sc