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First Lady Wikipedia

For the term in Italian opera, see Prima donna

Image:First ladies.jpg|thumb|right|309px|Bella Kocharian, Laura Bush, Liudmila Putina and Zorka Purvanova – first ladies of Armenia, the United States, Russia and Bulgaria respectively in 2003.

First Lady is a term that is applied to the female spouse of an elected male such as the President.

Although the words "first lady" were previously used in combination to refer to women, use of the title to refer to the spouse of an executive is credited to the United States where it was first widely used in 1877 to refer to Lucy Webb Hayes, popular wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes.

In many countries (such as the United Kingdom), the Prime Minister's spouse has no recognized function, duties or title, and the term is not used. In Canada, the closest equivalent is the Viceregal consorts of Canada|Viceregal Consort, the husband or wife of the Governor General of Canada|Governor General. (Three of these, including the current consort, have been men.)

Since the First Lady is not an elected or appointed official, she can not be impeachment|impeached. For this reason, no country explicitly grants the role of the First Lady with any formal governmental authority. Any authority granted to the First Lady is derivative of the president's authority.

In the United States, the term First Lady is never mentioned in the United States Constitution, nor is it a position that is officially acknowledged for purposes of protocol (diplomacy)|protocol. Therefore, in her official capacity as the wife of the sitting United States President, she is referred to as (present circumstances) Laura Bush| Mrs. George W. Bush; when introduced in company of her husband during official functions, the couple is introduced as President and Mrs. George W. Bush. In informal ??? non State matters ??? the wife of the President may also be identified or introduced as First Lady, Laura Bush.

Several First Ladies have, however, exerted considerable power and influence over the course of government despite the lack of a legal mandate (example, Edith Wilson, wife of Woodrow Wilson). They have exercised personal and charismatic authority and have, in some cases, been the de facto head of state acting in the name of their spouse. That use of power has also been a frequent source of controversy and scandal when discovered.

Last Modified:   2005-12-19