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SPOUSESCliché alert! "Behind every great man there's a great woman"Apart from our 15th president, James Buchanan, who was a lifelong bachelor, all of our presidents can readily attest to this fact. In fact, six of them (Jefferson, Tyler, B. Harrison, Roosevelt, Harding and Reagan), could attest to it twice.The role of the spouse of the President was initially not defined, an afterthought, and in most cases, she would normally assume the role of the hostess of the manor. In fact, the term First Lady only came into prominence in the middle of the 19th century. Lucy Hayes, the wife of President Rutherford Hayes, was the first spouse of a president to be officially referred to as the First Lady. However, the inherent prestige and influence of the spouse grew over time, and her role has significantly evolved over the course of the next century and a half. In modern times, the responsibilities of the first ladies have developed into a semi-political one, while still maintaining the role of principal lead in all matters pertaining to social and ceremonial events in the White House. In addition, the First Lady is now accorded with her own office and support staff, and falls under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President. It should be noted though, that not all First Ladies were spouses of the president. Twelve of them were immediate family members, to replace either a dead or unavailable spouse. • Martha Jefferson Randolph (daughter of President Thomas Jefferson) • Emily Donelson (niece of President Andrew Jackson) • Sarah Yorke Jackson (daughter-in-law of President Andrew Jackson) • Angelica Van Buren (daughter-in-law of President Martin Van Buren) • Jane Irwin Harrison (daughter-in-law of President William Harrison) • Priscilla Cooper Tyler (daughter-in-law of President John Tyler) • Harriet Lane (niece of President James Buchanan) • Mary Arthur McElroy (sister of President Chester Arthur) • Rose Cleveland (sister of President Grover Cleveland) • Mary Harrison McKee (daughter of President Benjamin Harrison) • Margaret Woodrow Wilson (daughter of President Woodward Wilson) • Chelsea Clinton (daughter of President Bill Clinton)  Why don’t we now take a quick look at the spouses of our 2012 presidential candidates? |
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