In American history to the present, who was the best first lady, and who was the worst?

Question

Please add details, including opinion, and facts.
Thanks.

Use whatever criteria floats your boats, ma'am's, and Sir's. It's not a difficult question.

Answer 1

Mary Lincoln, the nut-case, was solidly the worst 1st lady ever. She would not only act crazy, she would beat her husband, throw things at servants, etc.

The best in my opinion was Bess Truman. She did not give interviews, except the inaguration one. She served her husband as a faithful confidant, and counseled him through the moral mine field of his day. The 1st Lady belongs to her husband first, insomuchas a wife and husband belong to one another, and to the American People 2nd. Bess understood that her role was best played as a dutiful wife rather than as a political voice. I like Bess because she recognized that though her time as 1st lady was temporary, her role as Mrs. Truman was eternal. That is why she is my favorite.

Answer 2

Some presidents didn't have first ladies. Since there is no requirement and there is no specific job stated for them that is hard to say. What criteria would one judge these women by? Would it be the valor of Dolly Madison as she saved the picture of George Washington from the burning White House, the prim, proper, pink Mamie Eisenhower, the reclusive Bess Truman, the tireless Eleanor Roosevelt, or Edith Wilson. How about the snobbish ones like Lou Hoover or superstitious like Nancy Reagan or Mary Lincoln? We could consider the glamor of Jackie Kennedy or the attention to causes such as the environment as Lady Bird Johnson. Other considerations would be influence on the President of Hillary Clinton, Rosalyn Carter, Lucy Hayes Or Abigail Adams.

So what criteria do we consider in naming who is best and worst first lady?

Answer 3

Henry VIII has a valid point. How do we determine what makes a 'good' first lady. What she did while her husband was in office or after. Also, can we judge Mary Todd Lincoln because she was noticably mentally ill and not competent (her own son put her in an institution). Do we judge Betty Ford as a drunkard, or hail her as an overcomer when she admitted her addiction and sought help, becoming an inspiration of many other? Jackie Kennedy wowwed Europe and was her husband's best ambassador, but American's questioned her 'high society' tastes and actions. Just how do we judge a job that has no description or criteria other than being married to a president.

Answer 4

Dolly Madison was the best. Rescuing the famous Stuart painting of Washington when the British overran D.C. has to be the single best thing any first lady has done.

Mary Todd Lincoln was the worst, on many levels. She was a nut, literally.

Answer 5

The best was Eleanor Roosevelt for all her humanitarian work during the Depression and during the war. Nancy Reagan was the worst... her solution to the drug problem in America was...Just say No!!!...if she could have persuaded her husband to finance a meaninful preventative or rehabilitaion program for drug abusers, it would have done more than just those empty words...But then again...the money available was only for tax-cuts for the wealthy.

Answer 6

Mary Todd Lincoln was far and away the worst first lady. She at one point was giving state secrets to the Confederates. her family was from Tennessee and she had deep sympathy for the Confederate Cause

Martha Washington was likely the best as not only did she define the role but one must think that she supported her husband's decision not to declare himself king. Just think if she had pushed him into taking a crown where we would be

Answer 7

Worse=Clinton
best= Dolly Madison

Answer 8

Dolly Madison.

She ran the risk of facing combat because she understood the value of American historical artifacts.

An American hero. Too bad her husband was a putz.

The worst. Jackie Kennedy.
She was more interested in changing the drapes in the white house than using her position to serve the country.

Answer 9

Well I've only been alive since the Carter administration and wasn't able to vote until the first Bush, so in that time I'd have to say the Hillary Clinton was the worst first lady, and probably can contend for the worst in history. Her education and health-care reform projects were an utter failure and her, as well as her husband's, entire administration was covered in scandals.

It's not so clear who was the best first lady, so I really couldn't say.

Answer 10

The best was probably Barbara Bush. The worst, of course, was Hillary. If I need to list details, that means that you haven't paid attention to the news over the last 17 years. The reasons are far too numerous to mention here, but you can start your research with Rose Law Firm, Travelgate, FBI files, Hillarycare, Vince Foster's death, Foster's files, Travelgate, and the chronic and pathological denial of 50 other White House scandals.