Dolley Madison was wife of the fourth President of the United States, James Madison. She is often credited with saving a portrait of George Washington when 4,000 British troops landed in Maryland during the War of 1812. She presided at the first inaugural ball in Washington when James Madison became president in 1809, the first First Lady to host the Inaugural Ball.
Martha Jefferson was wife of the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. She was raised by her father, two stepmothers, tutors and became an accomplished musician, singing and playing the pianoforte and spinet. Like her mother and daughter Maria, she eventually succumbed to the difficulties of childbirth. Among the few remaining examples of her handwriting is a precise ledger of the plantation’s main cash crop, tobacco. She did not live to see Thomas Jefferson become President.
Martha Washington was the first First Lady of the United States. As first lady, she initiated a weekly reception on Friday evenings hosting members of Congress, visiting dignitaries, and men and women from the local community. She journeyed to Cambridge, Valley Forge, Philadelphia, and Morristown to support George Washington and the soldiers in their disease-ridden winter encampments.
Elizabeth Hamilton was the wife of American Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton, the 1st U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. She helped Hamilton draft political speeches (including George Washington’s Farewell Address), correspond with heads of state, and raise a family. In 1806, she became a co-founder of New York's first private orphanage.
Abigail Adams was the first woman to serve as Second Lady of United States and the second woman to serve as First Lady. She was also the mother of the sixth President, John Quincy Adams. In her most famous letter, she pleaded that the Founding Fathers “remember the ladies.” Adding, “Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could.”
