The First Lady

The Constitution says nothing about the President's spouse, and the role has been shaped by custom since Martha Washington hosted formal receptions in New York and Philadelphia. The title First Lady came into common use in the late nineteenth century. The position is unelected and unpaid, but a 1978 law authorizes White House staff and funds to assist the President's spouse, and the Office of the First Lady, part of the White House Office, includes a chief of staff, a social secretary, a press secretary, and policy and events staff.

The First Lady directs the social life of the White House, planning state dinners and official entertaining, overseeing the care and decoration of the residence, and hosting events such as the holiday season and the Easter Egg Roll. Most modern first ladies have championed causes, from literacy and highway beautification to drug prevention, child nutrition, and military families. Some have played substantial political roles: Edith Wilson screened access to her husband after his 1919 stroke, and Eleanor Roosevelt held her own press conferences, wrote a newspaper column, and traveled widely as the President's eyes and ears.

Because the First Lady is neither elected nor confirmed, policy roles have raised questions of accountability. In 1993 a federal appeals court held that the First Lady could be treated as a government official for purposes of the Federal Advisory Committee Act when she chaired a health care task force. The First Lady's offices have traditionally been in the East Wing, which was demolished in October 2025 to make way for a new ballroom, and the staff was relocated. Admirers say the role gives presidents a trusted partner and a powerful public voice, while critics say an unelected spouse can wield influence without oversight.