Bella Kocharyan, Laura Bush, Lyudmila Putina and Zorka Parvanova — first ladies of Armenia, the United States, Russia and Bulgaria in 2003. Bella Kocharyan ( Armenian: Բելլա Քոչարյան born January 31, 1954 in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan Laura Lane Welch Bush (born November 4 1946 is the wife of the forty-third and current President of the United States, George W Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Putina (1=Людмила Александровна Путина Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Putina, née Shkrebneva Шкребнева born January Zorka Parvanova (Зорка Първанова (born 4 May 1958 in Razlog) is the First lady of Bulgaria. Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian

First Lady is a term applied to the wife of an elected male head of state. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state ^[1] Development of the title is credited to the United States, where it was first used in 1849, when United States President Zachary Taylor called Dolley Madison "First Lady" at her state funeral while reciting a eulogy written by himself. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Year 1849 ( MDCCCXLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Zachary Taylor (November 24 1784 &ndash July 9 1850 was an American military leader and the twelfth President of the United States. Dorothea Payne Todd "Dolley" Madison (May 20 1768 &ndash July 12 1849 was the wife of the 4th President of the United States, James Madison, and was A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony held to honour Heads of state or other important people of national significance ^[2]

Origin

In the early days of the United States republic, there was no generally accepted title for the wife of the President. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Many early first ladies expressed their own preference for how they were addressed, including the use of such titles as "Lady," "Mrs. President," "Mrs. Presidentress" and "Queen. "^[3] Dolley Madison was referred to as "first lady" in 1849 at her funeral in a eulogy delivered by President Zachary Taylor. Dorothea Payne Todd "Dolley" Madison (May 20 1768 &ndash July 12 1849 was the wife of the 4th President of the United States, James Madison, and was A funeral is a Ceremony marking a person's Death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of Beliefs and practices used by a Culture to remember A eulogy is a speech or writing in Praise of a person or thing Zachary Taylor (November 24 1784 &ndash July 9 1850 was an American military leader and the twelfth President of the United States. However, no written record of this eulogy exists. ^[4]

Harriet Lane was the first woman to be called First Lady. Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston ( May 9, 1830 &ndash July 3, 1903) niece of lifelong bachelor James Buchanan, acted as First Lady The phrase appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Monthly in 1860, when he wrote, "The Lady of the White House, and by courtesy, the First Lady of the Land. " Although Dolley Madison was also called First Lady, the title was actually bestowed upon her posthumously, when she was mentioned over a century after her time in the White House. Once Harriet Lane was called First Lady, the term was applied retroactively to her predecessors.

The title first gained nationwide recognition in 1877, when Mary C. Ames wrote an article in the New York City newspaper The Independent describing the inauguration of President Rutherford B. Hayes. Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Mary Clemmer Ames (aka Mrs Edmund Hudson) ( 6 May, 1839 - 18 August, 1884) American author was born to Abraham Clemmer An inauguration is a ceremony of formal Investiture whereby an individual assumes an office or position of authority or power Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4 1822 January 17 1893 was an American politician, lawyer, military leader and the nineteenth She used the term to describe his wife, Lucy Webb Hayes. Lucy Ware Webb Hayes sometimes credited as Lemonade Lucy ( August 28, 1831 &ndash June 25, 1889) was the wife of President Mrs. Hayes was a tremendously popular first lady, and the frequent reporting on her activities helped spread use of the term outside Washington.

Variations

The entire family of the head of state may be known familiarly as the "First Family". ^[5] Should a female hold the office, the term First Gentleman may be the alternative to First Lady, though First Consort or some other style may be used.

The spouse of the second in command (such as a Vice President) may be known as the "Second Lady", or Vice-First Lady. __FORCETOC__ For the Vice President of the United States, their roles and other information see Vice President of the United States. A Second Lady is a title sometimes used in reference to the wife of a Vice president, styled relative to the title of First Lady, the wife of a President Less frequently, the family would be known as the "Second Family". In some monarchies this title is used in reference to the spouse of a Prime Minister as it is understood that the "First Lady" of the country is the Queen regnant or queen consort. This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. List of current queens regnant A queen regnant (plural "queens regnant" is qualifying reference to a female Monarch possessing and exercising all of the monarchal A queen consort is the title given to the wife of a reigning king.

The wife of a male Governor of a U.S. state is commonly referred to as the First Lady of that state, for example "First Lady of Ohio". A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government

In some situations, the title is bestowed upon a non-spouse. Park Geun-hye, former head of the Grand National Party of Korea, has been referred to as the First Lady to South Korean President Park Chung Hee. Park Geun-hye (born February 2, 1952) is a South Korean politician The Grand National Party is a conservative-leaning political party in South Korea. Park Chung-hee ( November 14, 1917 – October 26, 1979) was a former ROK Army general and the autocratic dictator of the Republic Although she is President Park's daughter, the title was bestowed upon her after her mother's death. ^[6]

Occasionally another woman will fill the duties of First Lady, if the wife is unwilling, unable, or does not exist.

Non-political uses

It has become commonplace 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, even if that talent is non-political. For example, the term has been applied in the entertainment field to denote the First Lady of Song (Ella Fitzgerald), the First Lady of American Soul (Aretha Franklin),^[7] the First Lady of the Grand Old Opry (Loretta Lynn), and the First Lady of the American Stage (Helen Hayes). Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25 1917 &ndash June 15 1996 also known as " Lady Ella " and the "First Lady of Song" is considered one of the most influential Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25 1942 Franklin has had a total of twenty number-one singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, two of which became #1 hits on the Loretta Lynn (born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1934) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter; she was one of the leading Helen Hayes ( October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was a two-time Academy Award -winning American Actress, whose ^[8]

The term "first lady" is also used to denote a woman who occupies the foremost social position within a particular locality. ^[9]

The spouse of the president of a university or college may also be styled its first lady. University president is the title of the highest ranking officer within a University, within university systems that prefer that appellation over other variations such as In some institutions this use is official, and in some unofficial. In many it is not used.

The term is also used often in the religious setting. The wife of a senior pastor is sometimes called "first lady".

See also

• First Lady of the United States
• First Lady of the Philippines
• First Lady of Paraguay
• First Lady of Malaysia
• First Lady of Mexico
• First Lady of Venezuela
• First Gentleman

Notes

References

• Sellers, Maud (April 1894). "The City of York in the Sixteenth Century". The English Historical Review 9 (34): 275-304.  
• Russell, A. (1889). "Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York" 21: 494-515.