A First Lady is an unofficial title used in the USA and other republics for the wife of the president.^[1] Collectively, the president and spouse are known as the First Couple. If they have a family, this is usually referred to as the First Family. The term is sometimes used, particularly in the USA, to refer to the spouse of other heads of state, even if they do not have that style in their own country. Some other countries have a title, formal or informal, that is or can be translated as first lady.^[2] The title is not normally used for the wife of a prime minister or other head of government who is not head of state.

The term lady originates in England.^[3] The designation First Lady seems to have originated in the United States, where one of the earliest references was applied to Martha Washington. In an 1843 newspaper article that appeared in the Boston Courier, the author, "Mrs. Sigourney", discussing how Marttha Washington had not changed, even after her husband George became president, wrote that "The first lady of the nation still preserved the habits of early life. Indulging in no indolence, she left the pillow at dawn, and after breakfast, retired to her chamber for an hour for the study of the scriptures and devotion".^[4] Some sources say that, in 1849, President Zachary Taylor called Dolley Madison "first lady" at her state funeral, while reciting a eulogy written by himself. But, no copy of that eulogy has been found to corroborate the quote.^[5]

In the early days of the United States, 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, Mrs. President, or Mrs. Presidentress (in the case of Julia Tyler).^{[citation needed]}

Harriet Lane, niece of bachelor President James Buchanan, was the first woman to be called first lady while actually serving in that position. 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." Once Harriet Lane was called first lady, the term was applied retrospectively 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. She used the term to describe his wife, Lucy Webb Hayes.

While historically the term has generally been used to refer to the wife of a president, there were occasions when another woman, such as the President's daughter, has filled the duties of First Lady as hostess in the White House, if the President's wife was unwilling, unable, or if the President was a widower or bachelor. The current First Lady of the United States is Michelle Obama, wife of Barack Obama. In American media the term First Lady is often applied to the wife of a head of state in another country, irrespective of whether a different appellation (or none) is used in that country. The entire family of the head of state may be known familiarly as the "First Family".^[6] The spouse of the second-in-command (such as a Vice President) may be known as the "Second Lady", or Vice-First Lady. Less frequently, the family would be known as the "Second Family". The spouse of the governor of a U.S. state is commonly referred to as the First Lady or First Gentleman of that state, for example "First Lady Jessica Doyle of Wisconsin." The practice is less common for spouses of mayors but is nevertheless used for some, particularly in large cities; example: "First Lady Amy Rule of Chicago" or "First Lady Kris Barrett of Milwaukee."^[7] Mike Gregoire, husband of former Washington state governor Chris Gregoire, preferred to use his name instead of a common noun, calling himself "First Mike".^[8]

The term first lady has been used by the press to describe the female spouse of a head of state or representative thereof in countries other than the United States. For example, in Canada, a 1902 article in Munsey's Magazine said of the wife of Governor General the Earl of Minto: "As the first lady in the land, she has done much to weld together the heterogeneous components of a colonial society which includes peoples of different races and of antagonistic religions." ^[9] And the press also used this term to refer to the wife of Mexico's leader, President Porfirio Díaz. In a piece about "The Daughters of Mexico" in Munsey's Magazine in 1896, author Jeannie Marshall said of Carmen Romero Rubio de Diaz: "She is still a young woman, though she has filled the position of 'first lady of the land' for many years, with marked success." ^[10] This does not seem to be only an English-language custom. Spanish-language newspapers such as La Prensa of San Antonio TX also called her by the Spanish term "primera dama" when writing about her activities, referring to her as "La primera dama de Mexico, Doña Carmen Romero Rubio de Diaz" (for example, "Domincales," La Prensa, 19 September 1917, p. 4).

The current First Lady of Albania is Odeta Nishani.

The term "Primera Dama" is used.^[2]

During the administration of President Kamuzu Banda,^[11] Malawi had an "Official Hostess" who served in the same capacity as "First Lady" because the President was unmarried. Banda was never married and therefore Cecilia Kadzamira served in this important capacity for the nation.^[12]

The term "Primera Dama" is used.

The terms First Lady and First Gentleman are often used to refer to the spouse of the Prime Minister even though this is not officially recognised as Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state. The spouse of the Prime Minister does not have an official style of title.

In some situations, the title is bestowed upon a non-spouse. This includes terms like "First Family", "First Daughter", and "First Son".

In the past, occasionally another woman, such as the President's daughter, has filled the duties of First Lady as hostess in the White House, if the President's wife was unwilling, unable, or if the President was a widower or bachelor. Harriet Lane, niece of bachelor President James Buchanan was the first non-spouse to be called First Lady.

Park Geun-hye, the president of South Korea, has been referred to as the First Lady to South Korean President Park Chung-hee. Although she is President Park's daughter, the title was bestowed upon her after her mother's death.^[13]

In 1994, Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori officially named his daughter Keiko First Lady after he had separated from his wife Susana Higuchi.

After taking office as Puerto Rico's first female governor, Governor Sila Maria Calderón appointed her two daughters, Sila María González Calderón and María Elena González Calderón, to serve as First Ladies.^[14]

Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, is single, so his sister, Esther Morales Ayma, fulfills the role of First Lady.

Following the leadership spill which installed Julia Gillard as the first female Prime Minister of Australia on 24 June 2010, some news media referred to her de facto partner, Tim Mathieson, as the "First Bloke".

It has become commonplace in the United States 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 Television" (Lucille Ball), the "First Lady of Song" (Ella Fitzgerald), the "First Lady of Country Music" (Tammy Wynette, although Loretta Lynn was also known by the title), the "First Lady of Star Trek" (Majel Barrett), the "First Lady of American Soul" (Aretha Franklin),^[15] the "First Lady of the Grand Ole Opry" (Loretta Lynn), and the "First Lady of the American Stage" (Helen Hayes) .^[16]

The term "first lady" is also used to denote a woman who occupies the foremost social position within a particular locality.^[17]

• Bailey, Tim. "America’s First Ladies on Twentieth-Century Issues: A Common Core Unit," History Now 35 (Spring 2013) online, curriculum unit based on primary sources
• Berkin, Berkin, ed., "America's First Ladies," History Now 35 (Spring 2013) online; popular essays by scholars
• Burns, Lisa M. (2008). First Ladies and the Fourth Estate: Press Framing of Presidential Wives. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press. ISBN 978-0-87580-391-3
• Lugo-Lugo, Carmen R. and Mary K. Bloodsworth-Lugo. "Bare Biceps and American (In) Security: Post-9/11 Constructions of Safe(ty), Threat, and the First Black First Lady," Women's Studies Quarterly (2011) 39#1 pp 200-217, on media images of Michelle Obama
• Sellers, Maud (1894). "The City of York in the Sixteenth Century". The English Historical Review. 9 (34): 275–304. doi:10.1093/ehr/IX.XXXIV.275. ((cite journal)): Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• Russell, A. (1889). "Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York". 21: 494–515. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

• Current First Ladies (biographies and photo profiles)