First Lady or First Gentleman is a title used in some countries, especially presidential republics, most often for the spouse the head of state. Occasionally another relative may be designated in the role, especially for unmarried or widowed officeholders. The term may also be used for the spouses of mayors, governors, et cetera.[ First Lady, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, retrieved December 30, 2014]
In the English-Speaking world, the term is primarily associated with the United States, however the title has also occasionally been used to refer to the spouse of a head of government in some commonwealth countries.
Outside of the US, the role is most often found in Latin American countries.
The term First Lady has also seen figurative use to describe a person seen to be at the top of her profession or craft,[ First Lady, Collins English Dictionary, retrieved December 30, 2014][ First Lady, Oxford Dictionaries, retrieved December 30, 2014] and is sometimes used in some Christian churches in the United States for the wives of Christian in denominations.
History
It has been noted that the earliest use of the term "first lady" is in reference to person of a high ranking or outstanding person in their field,
and that the term, as used to describe the spouse of the president of the United States, saw its first documented use in 1838 in reference to Martha Washington, who was never referred to as such during George Washington's time as president.
The first person to have been referred to as "first lady" on a regular basis during their time in the position was Harriet Lane, who was actually James Buchanan's niece, as Buchanan was a lifelong bachelor.
Variations
The male equivalent of the title in countries where the head of state's spouse has been a man, such as the
Philippines or
Malta, is
first gentleman. In 2020,
Doug Emhoff, spouse of Vice President
Kamala Harris, became the first male spouse of a U.S. vice president. "First gentleman" is used in the United States for the male spouse of a
mayor or governor.
First spouse and first partner, both rare variations of the title, can be used in either case where the spouse of a political leader is of any gender. This term is used to promote gender equality and gender neutrality.
In the United States, collectively, the president of the United States and his spouse are known as the first couple[ Collins English Dictionary definition. Retrieved December 8, 2013] and, if they have children, they are usually referred to as the first family.
Use in non-English speaking countries
French language-speaking
Francophone have used the term
première dame for first ladies,
regardless of where the first lady is from.
At least one article, published in 2017, used the term
premier monsieur for first gentleman. For that particular article, it was used to discuss the possibility of
Louis Aliot becoming first gentleman, should his domestic partner, Marine Le Pen, win that year's presidential election.
defeated Le Pen in that year's election.
Portuguese-speaking Lusophone have used the term primeira-dama
In Spanish language-speaking Hispanophone, the term primera dama is used for first ladies,
Sinophone countries have used the term 第一夫人 ( dìyī fūrén) as a term for first ladies,
Europe
Czech Republic
The term
první dáma is used for wife of the president of the Czech Republic.
Poland
The term
pierwsza dama (literal meaning: "first lady") is used by the wife of the current president of Poland.
Russia
Foreign press reports have referred to the wife of the Russian president as first lady.
Russian first ladies have been less visible than their western counterparts due to historical reasons.
Soviet Union
It has been noted that Soviet leaders generally preferred to keep their wives and families out of the spotlight, resulting in "invisible first ladies". As a result, low-profile first ladies remain common in post-Soviet countries, due to the leaders of those countries having grown up during the Soviet era.
The wife of Mikhail Gorbachev, Raisa Gorbachev, has been referred to as a Soviet first lady.
Ukraine
The wife of the country's president has been referred to as перша леді (
persha ledi) by the country's government.
The term "first lady" has also been used by the government in English language news releases.
While some first ladies, like Maryna Poroshenko
Asia
Armenia
The wife of the president of Armenia has been referred to as "Հայաստանի Առաջին տիկին" (
Hayastani Arrajin tikin).
The term "first lady" has also been used.
The spouse of the current president, however, is only referred to as "հանրապետության նախագահի տիկին" (
hanrapetut'yan nakhagahi tikin),
or "wife of the president of Armenia".
India
First Lady of India or First Gentleman of India is the title given to the host of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually the spouse of the president of India. There are no official roles or duties assigned to the spouse. The Spouse generally attends official ceremonies, functions & accompanies the president on his or her official international tour.
Indonesia
The term ibu negara (lady/mother of the state) and bapak negara (gentleman/father of the state) is used for wife of the president of Indonesia.
The term is also used to refer to first ladies of other countries.
Iran
Before the 1979 revolution there was the queen Shahbano. There is no office of first lady or first female (or madam بانوی اول Banuye Aval). In September 2023 the Iranian wife of the president denied news of being the first lady and said that actually the wife of the Supreme leader of the revolution is the first lady. The Minister of Foreign relations also said the same thing. The wife of Supreme leader remains hidden and there exists no image of her.
Japan
In
Japan, the term
Naikaku Souri Daijin Fujin (内閣総理大臣夫人, literally "the wife of the Minister of the Comprehensive Administration of the Cabinet") is the title used for the wife of the prime minister of Japan.
Vietnam
Currently, the spouse of the President of Vietnam is called phu nhân chủ tịch nước ().
The term
đệ nhất phu nhân (lit: first lady) is also unofficially used by the press and on social media.
Central America
Costa Rica
The wife or husband of the president of Costa Rica is called
Primera dama o Primer caballero de Costa Rica ("First Lady or First Gentleman of Costa Rica"). The term was first used under Federico Alberto Tinoco Granados. The office and officeholder rely on private donations, rather than on official funding from the government budget, to cover its expenses.
Marita Camacho Quirós, First Lady from 1962 to 1966 during the presidency of Francisco Orlich Bolmarcich, was 114 years and 102 days old when she died, making her the oldest First Lady in history.
Non-spousal uses
In some situations, the title is bestowed upon a non-spouse.
Australia
Following the leadership spill which installed
Julia Gillard as the first female prime minister of Australia on June 24, 2010, some
news media referred to her partner,
Tim Mathieson, as the "first
bloke".
The Australian Government has referred to Mathieson as Gillard's partner, and has also recognized him as a prime ministerial spouse.
Bolivia
Evo Morales, the former president of
Bolivia, is single, so during his presidency his sister,
Esther Morales, fulfilled the role of first lady.
Chile
Irina Karamanos, the domestic partner and girlfriend of
Gabriel Boric, accepted the title of first lady despite both Karamanos and Boric's initial opposition to the position's existence.
Karamanos said that taking on the role would involve "adapting it to the times."
Ireland
During the first half of
Bertie Ahern's term as
Taoiseach, he was separated from his wife Miriam (née Kelly) and the role of first lady was filled by his then domestic partner,
Celia Larkin.
Republic of Korea (South Korea)
During the last five years of Park Chung Hee's time as president, his daughter,
Park Geun-hye, served as first lady following her mother,
Yuk Young-soo's death.
She has been regarded as a de facto first lady of South Korea by some modern sources.
Peru
Keiko Fujimori took over the duties of first lady at the age of 19, after the divorce of her father
Alberto Fujimori and her mother
Susana Higuchi.
United States
Thomas Jefferson was a widower by the time he took office as president, and his daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph, who served as the lady of the president's house on occasion,
has been recognized by the First Ladies National Historic Site as being a first lady,
even though the White House website recognizes her mother,
Martha Jefferson, as first lady.
While
Dolley Madison also served as hostess and Jefferson's escort on occasion,
she is recognized as a spousal first lady by way of her husband's presidency following Jefferson.
Andrew Jackson's wife, Rachel Jackson, died before Jackson's presidency. Jackson's niece, Emily Donelson, carried out the duties of first lady until her death, and Jackson's daughter-in-law, Sarah Jackson, presided over the White House during the final months of Jackson's presidency.
James Buchanan was a lifelong "bachelor". During his time in office, his niece, Harriet Lane, served as "hostess". She is recognized as having acted in the capacity of a contemporary first lady during her uncle's time in office, and is listed among other spousal first ladies on the White House website.
Colorado
Jared Polis, who was elected as governor in 2018, is openly gay,
and was in a long-term relationship with his partner,
Marlon Reis, at the time of his election. Reis was referred to as "first man" by Polis during a speech on the night of his election, and members of Polis' campaign said that Reis will take on the title of "first gentleman".
The pair subsequently married in 2021.
Not all non-married partners of Colorado governors are called first lady or first gentleman, as Robin Pringle was referred to by The Denver Post as John Hickenlooper's girlfriend prior to their marriage.
Puerto Rico
After taking office as
Puerto Rico's first female governor, Governor Sila María Calderón appointed her two daughters, Sila María González Calderón and María Elena González Calderón, to serve as first ladies.
Non-political uses
It has become commonplace in the United States for the title of "first lady" to be bestowed on women, as a term of endearment, who have proven themselves to be of exceptional talent or unique notoriety in non-political areas. The phrase is often, but not always, used when the person in question is either the wife or "female equivalent" of a well-known man (or men) in a similar field. For example, the term has been applied in the entertainment field to denote the "first lady of television" (
Lucille Ball), the "first lady of song" (
Ella Fitzgerald), the "first lady of country music" (
Tammy Wynette, although
Loretta Lynn was also known by the title), the "first lady of
Star Trek" (actor/producer
Majel Barrett), the "first lady of American
Soul music" (
Aretha Franklin),
the "first lady of the Grand Ole Opry" (
Loretta Lynn), "the first lady of American cinema" (
Lillian Gish), the "first lady of the American stage" (
Helen Hayes),
and "the first lady of (American) football" (
Norma Hunt).
The term has also been used to refer to wives of college and university presidents in some cases.
The term "first lady" is also used to denote a woman who occupies the foremost social position within a particular locality, in this sense being particularly popular in Africa, where the pre-eminent female noble in some chieftaincy hierarchies, such as those of the Yoruba people, is often referred to by the title.
In recent years, the term has also been used to refer to the Presbytera, especially in predominantly .[DuBois, Joshua. "First Ladies of the Church". The Daily Beast, March 20, 2013.]
See also
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List of spouses of heads of state
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List of spouses of heads of government
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List of first gentlemen in the United States
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List of spouses of national leaders born abroad
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Second lady
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Queen consort
Further reading
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Abrams, Jeanne E. First Ladies of the Republic: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and the Creation of an Iconic American Role (NYU Press. 2018) online review
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Bailey, Tim. "America's First Ladies on Twentieth-Century Issues: A Common Core Unit", History Now 35 (Spring 2013) online , curriculum unit based on primary sources
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Berkin, Berkin, ed., "America's First Ladies", History Now 35 (Spring 2013) online ; popular essays by scholars
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Burns, Lisa M. (2008). First Ladies and the Fourth Estate: Press Framing of Presidential Wives. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press.
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Horohoe, Jill, "First Ladies as Modern Celebrities: Politics and the Press in Progressive Era" (PhD dissertation, Arizona State University, 2011). DA3452884.
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Lugo-Lugo, Carmen R. and Mary K. Bloodsworth-Lugo. "Bare Biceps and American (In) Security: Post-9/11 Constructions of Safe(ty), Threat, and the First Black First Lady", Women's Studies Quarterly (2011) 39#1 pp 200–217, on media images of Michelle Obama
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Watson, Robert P. "Toward the Study of the First Lady: The State of Scholarship", Presidential Studies Quarterly (2003) 33#2 pp 423–441.
External links
