13 Forgotten Scandals of First Ladies Throughout History
The role of the First Lady is an important one: stand by your husband, smile, and do not draw negative public attention. These tasks may sound small and insignificant, but more often than not, first ladies play a pivotal role in shaping the cultural and social landscape of the day.
Not all first ladies are created equal and some draw more public attention than others. These scandals weren’t only the hot topic of the day but continue to stir conversation today.
1. Nancy Reagan
Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter to secure the presidency in 1980, even though most critics were surprised at his victory over such a clean-cut, likable Christian incumbent. However, people were even more taken aback when it was revealed that she was a strong astrology fan, consulting with her personal astrologer, Joan Quigley, on policy matters.
The Reagan administration denied all of this, of course.
2. Mary Todd Lincoln
Big Abe became the savior of America’s values when his Union Army defeated the Confederate Army in the American Civil War. However, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, suffered various mental disorders, manifesting in a spendthrift lifestyle.
She even garnered accusations of stealing through manipulated White House invoices and once racked up $2,000 on clothes, an equivalent of $70,000 today.
3. Jill Biden
The current first lady is no stranger to controversy, and recent accusations from her former husband paint Jill Biden negatively. In a recent interview, Bill Stevenson, a former friend — and self-proclaimed bankroller for Biden’s Senate run — claimed that Biden dated his wife while they were still married.
Of course, First Lady Jill Biden denied these claims and assured the public that they first dated a year after her divorce from Stevenson.
4. Edith Wilson
After President Woodrow Wilson suffered a devastating stroke during his Treaty of Versailles tour that eventually ended the Great War, he was partially paralyzed and unable to carry out his duties effectively. This event occurred before the 25th Amendment was ratified, meaning Vice President Thomas Marshall couldn’t step in.
Instead, Edith Wilson acted as an executive proxy, keeping her husband’s ailing health from the public eye until his death. Nobody knew until her memoir was released in 1939 that she effectively ran the nation during this period.
5. Eleanor Roosevelt
When your nickname is “The Meddler,” you can probably guess that the proletariat is not a fan. However, this is what people remembered First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt as during her tenure as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wife.
However, Roosevelt’s biggest controversy was an affair — discovered posthumously — with journalist Lorena Hickok, who followed Roosevelt’s first presidential campaign. After 3,000 love letters between the two were uncovered in 1978, their steamy affair was confirmed. In her defense, she was getting back at her husband’s extramarital transgressions.
6. Betty Ford
The Betty Ford Clinic is synonymous with celebrity rehab stints, and for a good reason — Betty Ford herself struggled with substance and alcohol abuse most of her adult life. Moreover, Gerald Ford courted controversy with his Republican base for marrying a former dancer and divorcee.
The couple also dared to share a single bedroom — the first executive couple to do so since President Coolidge and his First Lady.
7. Grace Coolidge
Grace Coolidge had a good record as a first lady, having secured a college education and becoming an icon for women’s education. However, in 1927, President Calvin Coolidge went on vacation with his wife to South Dakota’s Black Hills. Grace had a friendly relationship with her secret service detail, James Haley.
After returning from a hike with the dashing young man, Grace was suspected of collecting more than flowers. It was an unfair accusation because of the lack of evidence on an otherwise unblemished record.
8. Jackie Onassis (Kennedy)
First Lady Jackie Kennedy had a flawless record throughout her marriage to the revered President John F. Kennedy. She was always a picture of elegance, showing steadfast loyalty to the president, even in light of his philandering. However, six years after her husband’s death, Kennedy married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis and became Jackie Onassis.
Since Onassis was a divorcee, the Vatican decreed Kennedy was unable to receive communion if she married him. Citing the desire to protect her family’s future, she married him anyway.
9. Laura Bush
First Lady Laura Bush avoided controversy for most of husband George’s controversial presidential tenure. However, at the end of his reign, a story about Laura’s past caught up with them.
A Midland, Texas, Police report resurfaced after an Associated Press inquiry showed the first lady was guilty of killing a young man in a car wreck, though escaping charges. It didn’t make much difference to President Bush; his bid for the White House tenancy was successful.
10. Melania Trump
Former First Lady Melania Trump had to deal with a rollercoaster four years for her husband Donald’s presidency. From day one, the Trumps subverted tradition and protocol; the loose-cannon rhetoric and informal conduct upset people across America.
However, Melania’s biggest faux pas was allegedly plagiarizing First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2008 Democratic National Convention speech.
11. Dolley Madison
In a strange turn of events, widower Thomas Jefferson had no first lady to host White House events when he became president. Therefore, he turned to his best friend James Madison, whose wife, Dolley, agreed to become the official presidential hostess, even becoming embroiled in national and state debates with foreign guests and supporting Lewis and Clark’s Western exploration.
Naturally, the press had a field day constructing rumors of infidelities between her and President Jefferson, designed to harm husband James’ chances at winning the presidency. The press failed; Dolley Madison assumed her rightful first lady status when James was elected in 1808.
12. Julia Tyler
There are a lot of things first ladies can’t get away with today, but I’m sure no one would be scandalized by what First Lady Julia Tyler did.
Before she married President John Tyler, then-Gardiner had an independent spirit and actually modeled in an advertisement for a dry goods chain. Even worse to everyone, she was standing close to a man who was not her husband. At the time, such an act was tantamount to infidelity. Feeling ashamed, Gardiner’s family sent her to Europe before she eventually returned and tied the knot with Tyler.
13. Hillary Clinton
As the wife of President Bill Clinton, Hillary managed to incite a lawsuit in 1993 following her attempt at healthcare reform. President Clinton appointed his wife to lead a panel rejuvenating the American healthcare system.
However, First Ladies were not meant to shape policy or influence decisions. Even though Hillary received no salary, she still incurred the wrath of several healthcare lobbies, who duly sued the administration, albeit unsuccessfully.
Of course, while it didn’t take place while she was first lady, Clinton’s personal email scandal is still part of the zeitgeist.
