In the midst of an oft-forgotten 1880 presidential election between Ohio Congressman James Garfield and Civil War General Winfield Scott Hancock, the press touted the intellectual and moral qualities of their spouses, Lucretia Garfield and Almira Hancock, with one commentator declaring Lucretia to be “in more than one respect [her husband’s] superior.” The ill-fated victor publicly agreed, according to the New York Evangelist, ascribing much of his success to his wife.

It was not the first time the press or the public recognized the power of a presidential couple or the importance of the nation’s first lady — a term and a role that significantly evolved through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Martha Washington’s wealth and social standing, for example, were considered strong compliments to her husband’s military and political savoir-faire. Abigail Adams, wife of the future second president, famously reminded her husband in a 1776 letter to “remember the ladies” in considering the laws of the land. A savvy observer and prolific letter-writer, Abigail went on to broker access, express political opinions and offer advice to her husband, John.

These women were not exceptions to the rule, according to Patty Dowd Schmitz, president and CEO of the National First Ladies Library & Museum and the First Ladies National Historic Site in Canton, Ohio.

“Traditional lore holds that First Ladies have held a ‘secondary’ role to their husbands in the White House,” Schmitz said. “However, throughout history — and especially modern American history — we see that many of the First Ladies played a prominent and powerful role right alongside their husbands as their presidential terms unfolded.”

When New Yorkers Theodore and Edith Roosevelt arrived at the White House in 1901, following the assassination of William McKinley, they had six children in tow.

The young couple — the Republican president at 42 and Edith at 40 — personified the energy and excitement of the new century, a time of national transformation when women’s educational, political and social roles were expanding.

The couple caused a sensation. Newspapers across the country ran long features on the pair, giving special attention to Edith, Theodore’s childhood friend and beloved second wife. As one example, the San Francisco Call presented a lavish front-page illustrated feature of “The New Lady of the White House” in its Oct. 6, 1901, magazine, calling her “most eminently fitted for the position.” Praised as an ideal wife and mother, in line with the ethos of the era, Edith was also recognized as active, intelligent and pragmatic, having a “marvelous reserve force and … calm, cool judgment of people and things.”

While the 26th president used his “bully pulpit” to promote conservation, pursue labor and industrial reforms, and advance the nation’s role on the world stage, Edith was an important ally in her husband’s success, according to Erin Whittaker, chief of interpretation and visitor services at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, the Roosevelt homestead in Oyster Bay, New York.

“While she was busy with her family and in the social role of the first lady, Edith focused on making the White House a place where the professional and private responsibilities of the president could both be met,” Whittaker said. Edith would manage a White House renovation that separated the living and working spaces by creating the West Wing and the press corps office, among other changes.

It wasn’t long until another “Edith,” Edith Wilson, would find herself at the White House.

The second wife of Democrat Woodrow Wilson, the widow Edith Bolling married the former governor of New Jersey during his first term in the Oval Office.

A constant companion to the 28th president, Edith attended meetings with foreign and domestic political leaders, had access to classified information and even traveled with her husband to visit U.S. troops in war-torn Europe — the first presidential spouse to do so — according to a biography by the National First Ladies’ Library.

It's easy to see how the Wilsons could be considered a power couple, according to Elizabeth A. Karcher, executive director of the President Woodrow Wilson House in Washington, D.C., a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“While the president was not always comfortable in public,” Karcher said, “Edith was the kind of woman who could navigate any situation. She recognized the power of public image, the power of fashion, and understood how to ‘package’ the president on the world stage. It transformed the global perception of the American president.”

After the president suffered a severe stroke in October 1919 — an event that was kept hidden from the public — Edith’s role expanded. She managed many of the president’s daily responsibilities, closely controlled information and access, and filtered communication even with top government officials. Later, her efforts would meet with praise and criticism, much like the complicated legacy of her husband’s administration.

Surveys of the American public show the most highly regarded “power couple” in the 20th century White House was Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. The former New York governor remains the only U.S. president to be elected to four terms.

In the Oval Office during the turbulent years of the Great Depression and World War II, the Democrat Roosevelt had promised a “New Deal” for the American people, promoting a wide array of economic and social programs. His final two terms were focused on the escalating war in Europe and mobilization on the U.S. homefront.

Meanwhile, Eleanor, a niece of President Theodore Roosevelt and thus a distant cousin of Franklin, took on increasingly visible roles as an advocate for the working class, racial minorities and women.

She was a true partner to her husband, according to Franceska Macsali-Urbin, supervisory park ranger at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Sites in Hyde Park, New York.

“While Franklin was not able to travel easily [because of his disability], Eleanor went into the schools, into the prisons, into the coal mines,” Mascali-Urbin said. “When she returned, she would give him the report on how the average American was doing and what they needed.”

Eleanor herself perfectly summarized their relationship as a power couple when she said, “I was the agitator, and he was the politician,” according to Mascali-Urbin.

Just as FDR developed a close relationship with the American public through his “fireside chats,” Eleanor fostered her own connection through extensive traveling and media engagement.

For 25 years beginning in 1936, she wrote weekly newspaper columns about her life and work. She was the first “first lady” to hold her own press conferences, often restricted to women journalists. She also wrote editorials, published an advice column and hosted radio and television shows.

Following Franklin’s death in 1945, Eleanor was appointed ambassador to the United Nations by President Harry S. Truman, serving as first chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, and continued her advocacy work. President John F. Kennedy ordered flags to be flown at half-mast following her death in 1962.

While first ladies of the 1950s — Bess Truman and Mamie Eisenhower — took on more conservative roles, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy would join her husband, 35th President John F. Kennedy, in the national spotlight.

It was Jacqueline’s intellect and experience on the global stage that would make her a powerful ally to the president, according to the First Ladies National Historic Site’s Patty Dowd Schmitz.

“Jackie was extremely well-read and had a passion for arts, culture and travel,” Schmitz said. “She was fluent in five languages, and early in the pair’s relationship, Jacqueline translated and summarized an entire dossier on the Vietnam conflict from French to English for Jack to present to the Senate. Kennedy saw that she could be an equal partner in his efforts to ascend to the presidency.”

The Kennedy administration would be characterized by mounting political tensions in Cuba and Southeast Asia, decolonization and political transformation in Africa, and growing civil unrest at home. But public attention would also focus on the Kennedys and their private lives.

At 31 years old and an icon of fashion and beauty, the new first lady interacted with cultural and intellectual leaders, traveling independently or in partnership with the president. At home, she managed a White House restoration and received a special Emmy for a 1962 prime-time special showcasing the project.

After her husband’s assassination, Jacqueline remarried and later worked as an editor at Viking Press and Doubleday. She continued to capitalize on her public influence by advocating for the arts and historic preservation.

If the Kennedys could be considered to have movie-star appeal, the same could be said for Ronald and Nancy Reagan, a “power couple” in the White House from 1981-1989.

After working briefly as a sports broadcaster, the future governor of California was featured in more than four dozen Hollywood films, about 400 military training films and dozens of television shows from the late 1930s through the 1960s, while the former Nancy Davis appeared in numerous stage, film and television productions beginning in the 1940s.

Elected president by a sweeping Electoral College count of 489-49 in 1980 — and an even larger reelection margin of 525-13 in 1984 — the Republican would leave office with an improved economy and credit for bringing the Cold War with the Soviet Union to an end.

As first lady of the U.S., Nancy became a fashion trendsetter often compared to Jacqueline Kennedy 20 years earlier. But she also was a “prominent example of a first lady who used her podium to advocate on behalf of citizens,” according to Natalie Gonnella-Platts, director of global policy at the George W. Bush Institute, citing initiatives related to drug abuse, foster care and historic preservation.

The first lady’s signature cause, the “Just Say No” campaign, was part of an ongoing war on drugs. Her efforts included traveling, speeches, media appearances and visits to drug and alcohol rehab programs, ultimately contributing to the passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act in 1986. She was also credited with promoting the need for regular mammograms after disclosing a breast cancer diagnosis in 1987.

With a proclivity toward public displays of affection, the Reagans were well-known for their devotion through 52 years of marriage. Following her husband’s diagnosis in 1994, Nancy became an active supporter of Alzheimer’s disease research and awareness.

Katrina Jesick Quinn teaches strategic communication and media at Slippery Rock University. She is an editor of The Civil War Soldier and the Press (Routledge 2023) and Adventure Journalism in the Gilded Age (2021).

For More Information

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Most of the presidential libraries and historical sites referenced in this article are not too far from the Keystone State.

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (nps.gov/sahi) in Oyster Bay, New York.

The President Woodrow Wilson House (woodrowwilsonhouse.org) in Washington, D.C. is commemorating the 100th anniversary of President Wilson’s death in 1924 with a new exhibit.

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Sites, (nps.gov/hofr, nps.gov/elro) in Hyde Park, New York.

National First Ladies Library & Museum and the First Ladies National Historic Site (firstladies.org) in Canton, Ohio, coincidentally hosting an exhibit on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis through April.