what is the meaning of first lady?

Question

what does first lady or first family mean?

Answer 1

First Lady of the United States is the unofficial title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is sometimes taken to apply only to the wife of a sitting president. However, several women other than wives of presidents have served as First Lady, as when the president was a bachelor or widower, or when the wife of the president was unable to fulfill the duties of the First Lady herself. In these cases, the position has been filled by a female relative or friend of the president.

Origins of the title

The use of the title first lady to describe the spouse or hostess of an executive began in the United States.

In the early days of the republic, there was no generally accepted title for the wife of the president. Many early first ladies expressed their own preference for how they were addressed, including the use of such titles as "Lady," "Queen," "Mrs. President," and "Mrs. Presidentress."[1] Martha Washington was often referred to as "Lady Washington."


According to legend, Dolley Madison was referred to as "first lady" in 1849 at her funeral in a eulogy delivered by President Zachary Taylor. However, no written record of this eulogy exists.

Sometime after 1849, the title began being used in Washington, D.C. social circles. The earliest known written evidence of the title is from the November 3, 1863 diary entry of William Howard Russell, in which he referred to gossip about 'the First Lady in the Land.'"

The title first gained nationwide recognition in 1877, when newspaper journalist Mary C. Ames referred to Lucy Webb Hayes as "the First Lady of the land" while reporting on the inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes. Mrs. Hayes was a tremendously popular First Lady, and the frequent reporting on her activities helped spread use of the title outside Washington.

A popular 1911 comedic play by playwright Charles Nirdlinger titled The First Lady in the Land popularized the title further. By the 1930s it was in wide use. Use of the title later spread from the United States to other nations.

The acronym FLOTUS is sometimes used for "First Lady of the United States," by analogy to the more well-known acronym "POTUS" for "President of the United States."

Answer 2

Harriet Lane was the first woman to be called 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 Dolly 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 book, Harriet Lane, America's First Lady, is an excellent account and the first biography of the first woman to be called First Lady.

Answer 3

The first lady is the president of the United State's wife.

First Family is his family.

Answer 4

The first lady is the President's wife (or better half) and the first family is the family of that couple. Basic history, look it up!

Answer 5

First family is the presidents family and the first lady is the presidents wife.

Answer 6

She is the President's Wife.....Sometimes other high political positions refer to their wives as the First Lady. Such As Governor First Lady Andrea Conttie.

She typically is not the one that is having sex with her husband of power.

Answer 7

She is the lady of the 1st man. The President !

Answer 8

like the pres is the man of the countery the wife or family is the 1st family ar lady

Answer 9

She's the first woman

Answer 10

Laura is trying to figure that one out also.