5 First Ladies and Their Powerful Legacies

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First Ladies are rarely as well-known as their presidential husbands. The history books often relegate them to a mere footnote, and many people mention the names of America’s First Ladies only as the answer to a trivia question. A number of people can name most of the presidents of the United States, but the women who were their supporters, advisers and confidants are often forgotten. These women helped their husbands handle the stressful years spent running the nation but are rarely recognized for their contributions, although quite a few First Ladies have put their positions of power to good use.

Most First Ladies have chosen a specific cause to champion, and they have used their influence to push for improvements in areas that they felt were important. Lady Bird Johnson focused on environmental causes, and Rosalyn Carter emphasized mental health. The most recent First Ladies are no exception to this rule, but it is too soon to say for certain how their time as First Lady has influenced later history. With that in mind, here are five First Ladies who left behind powerful legacies when their husbands left the Oval Office.

Barbara Bush

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Barbara Bush is the only woman besides Abigail Adams to be both the wife and mother of a president. Her husband, George H.W. Bush, was the 41st president, and her son, George W. Bush, was the 43rd president.

Like many First Ladies, Barbara Bush chose a specific cause to champion during her husband’s time in office. Her cause was literacy, due in part to her son Neil’s dyslexia. She worked with several organizations dedicated to adult and child literacy and founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Barbara wrote “Millie’s Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush,” a portrait of the White House from the point of view of her springer spaniel, Millie. The book raised nearly a million dollars for literacy programs. Barbara continued her work after her husband left the White House and raised millions of dollars for literacy projects.

Dolley Madison

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Dolley Madison was the First Lady from 1809 to 1817 and the wife of the fourth president of the United States, James Madison. James was Dolley’s second husband. Her first husband, John Todd Jr., died in 1793 from yellow fever. When Dolley’s brother-in-law attempted to keep her from the family estate, she was left trying to raise her two sons, Payne and William, without financial support.

Dolley and James Madison were married in September of 1794. Seven years later, James became Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State. Around the same time, Dolley began to act as the female co-host for receptions held by Jefferson, who was a widower, when a female touch was needed. In 1808, she helped rally support for her husband’s presidential race despite a woman’s involvement in politics being frowned upon.

Once James Madison was elected president, Dolley became First Lady and largely defined the role for generations to come. She worked with local charities and organizations on social issues that were important to her, oversaw the decoration of the White House and hosted events for Congressmen and other important officials. All are roles that First Ladies would continue to fulfill.

Dolley is probably best known for rescuing the portrait of George Washington from the White House when British troops torched Washington during the War of 1812. She remained an important figure until her death at the age of 81. President Zachary Taylor called her the country’s “first lady,” the first public reference to the term. The name stuck, as did Dolley’s influence.

Jackie Kennedy

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Jackie Kennedy became something nearly mythological during her time as First Lady. She was always perfectly coiffed and known for her fashion sense, especially her hats. She spoke in nearly a whisper and was not someone who wished to be plastered across every newspaper and magazine in America. She was, however, an object of fascination. As such, she deliberately doled out appearances to sate the clamoring public’s hunger while trying to preserve as much privacy as the First Lady could manage.

During her time as First Lady, Jackie Kennedy restored the White House after being dismayed by how few historical furnishings were on display. During her time living in what she once called “that dreary Maison Blanche,” she worked to have the state rooms of the White House reflect the artistic and architectural history of the mansion.

Jackie expanded her interest in the historical and the arts to include more than the White House. She helped save the historic homes that lined Lafayette Square and supported the creation of a national cultural complex which would eventually become the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She also helped rescue the ancient Egyptian temples of Abu Simbel which were threatened by the Aswan Dam.

Betty Ford

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Betty Ford dragged two issues that are still swept under the rug today into the limelight by using her personal experience. Betty, the wife of the 38th president, suffered from both addiction and breast cancer. The First Lady sent the nation scrambling when she held a press conference to publically discuss her diagnosis of breast cancer in 1974. Such a topic was something to be hidden at the time of her announcement, but her frankness won over the nation. The sight of the First Lady discussing this topic publically helped destigmatize the disease and convinced thousands of other women to both come forward and seek treatment. Betty was enough of an influence on the public view of cancer that the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation would eventually name an award in her honor.

Just four years later, Betty Ford made the news again, this time for her alcohol and painkiller abuse. She once again used her own struggles to help others. She sought treatment and became a high-profile example of the damage addiction could do. Betty became a tireless advocate of addiction treatment and opened the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California with her friend, Leonard Firestone. The center remains one of the most respected treatment facilities in the nation.

Nancy Reagan

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Nancy Reagan was a novice at politics when her husband, Ronald Reagan, first ran for governor of California in the 1960’s. Soon, she was advising campaign managers on strategy and continued to advise her husband when he became president in 1981. Nancy was as protective of her husband as she was devoted to him and reportedly was unable to sleep after Ronald was shot while leaving the Washington Hilton Hotel in 1981.

Nancy’s main focus during her time as First Lady was drug and alcohol abuse especially by young people. She traveled the nation speaking out against youth substance abuse. Her tagline, “Just Say No,” is still used today and has largely become synonymous with drug and alcohol abuse prevention.

In 1994, Ronald was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His diagnosis helped throw the disease into the spotlight, and Nancy spent much of the next decade caring for him while supporting research aimed at finding a cure.