Second Ladies and Gentlemen of the United States

The second spouse's visibility in the public sphere has been a somewhat recent development. Although the role of the first lady as White House hostess dates from the beginning of the republic (and was typically filled by another member of the president's family if the president was unmarried or a widower), with a few exceptions, it was generally not until the late 20th century and early 21st century that vice-presidential wives took on public roles that attracted significant media attention.

In one notable exception, Floride Calhoun, wife of Vice President John C. Calhoun, was a central figure in the Petticoat Affair, a social-political scandal which involved the social ostracism of Secretary of War John H. Eaton and his wife Margaret O'Neill Eaton, further damaging already-strained relations between Vice President Calhoun and President Andrew Jackson.

Second Lady Pat Nixon, with Vice President Richard Nixon, led a delegation to Ghana in 1957. One historian wrote that Pat Nixon "helped to define this nebulous role for an entire generation of women who would succeed her".

Pat Nixon, wife of Vice President Richard Nixon, was the first second spouse to add a great deal of substance to the role of the vice president's wife. When Nixon assumed the position in 1953, the role's only official function was to preside over the once-annual Senate Ladies Luncheon.[2] Instead, Nixon launched her own initiatives, sensing great opportunities that her role provided. She established a schedule separate from that of her husband, which often consisted of solo activities. As second lady, Nixon traveled more than 125,000 miles around the world to six continents, including a two-month, 42,000-mile journey through Asia in 1953.[2] As she undertook missions of goodwill across the world, she insisted on visiting schools, orphanages, hospitals and village markets rather than attend tea or coffee functions. In this sense, Nixon essentially created the modern role of the second lady; historian Kate Andersen Brower wrote, "she helped to define this nebulous role for an entire generation of women who would succeed her."[2]

In 1978, Muriel Humphrey, wife of Vice President Hubert Humphrey, became the only former second lady to hold public office; after her husband, who had returned to the U.S. Senate after his term as vice president, died in office, she was appointed by Minnesota governor Rudy Perpich to continue her husband's term. Tipper Gore, separated wife of Vice President Al Gore, was active in several campaigns to remove material she found objectionable from popular American entertainment like movies, television shows and music, starting when her husband was a senator. She challenged performers over their use of profane lyrics and often debated with her critics, such as Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra. Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, championed education reform, citing specific failures of the American public education system during her tenure as second lady. She is a particularly outspoken supporter of American history education, having written five bestselling books on this topic for children and their families.[3] Jill Biden, wife of President Joe Biden, works as an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, and is thought to be the first second lady to hold a paying job while her husband was vice president.[4] She has been involved in various causes, including breast cancer awareness and literacy.

The term remains an unfamiliar and uncertain one, even when it is used.[5]

There have been 17 periods of vacancy in the role, the longest of which continued for 16 years between the service of vice presidential spouses Abigail Adams and Ann Gerry when there were three widower vice presidents and a one-year vacancy in the vice presidency. The most recent second lady vacancy was for 132 days in 1974, between the service of Betty Ford and Happy Rockefeller, when the vice presidency was also vacant.

12 second ladies went on to become first lady following their husbands becoming president, the first being Abigail Adams and most recent being Jill Biden.

Various other spouses of vice presidents of the United States are not considered as second ladies of the United States because their marriages were not during the vice presidential terms of their husbands.

Nine U.S. vice presidents were widowed prior to their vice presidencies:

• Thomas Jefferson was married to Martha Wayles from 1772 until her death in 1782.
• Aaron Burr was married to Theodosia Bartow Prevost from 1782 until her death in 1794.
• George Clinton was married to Sarah Tappen from 1770 until her death in 1800.
• Martin Van Buren was married to Hannah Hoes from 1807 until her death in 1819.
• Richard Mentor Johnson deemed the enslaved Julia Chinn to be his common-law wife until her death in 1830.
• Henry Wilson was married to Harriet Howe from 1840 until her death in 1870.
• William A. Wheeler was married to Mary King from 1845 until her death in 1876.
• Chester A. Arthur was married to Ellen Lewis Herndon from 1859 until her death in 1880.
• Charles Curtis was married to Annie Baird from 1884 until her death in 1924. Curtis's half-sister Dolly Gann acted as his official hostess for social events during his vice presidency.

Five U.S. vice presidents were widowed and remarried prior to their vice presidencies:

• Hannibal Hamlin was married to Sarah Emery from 1833 until her death in 1855. He was subsequently married to Ellen Emery from 1856 to his death in 1891.
• Schuyler Colfax was married to Evelyn Clark from 1844 until her death in 1863. He was subsequently married to Ellen Wade from 1868 to his death in 1885.
• Levi P. Morton was married to Lucy Young Kimball from 1856 until her death in 1871. He was subsequently married to Anna Livingston Reade Street from 1873 to her death in 1918.
• Theodore Roosevelt was married to Alice Hathaway Lee from 1880 until her death in 1884. He was subsequently married to Edith Carow from 1886 to his death in 1919.
• Joe Biden was married to Neilia Hunter from 1966 until her death in 1972. He has subsequently been married to Jill Jacobs since 1977.

One U.S. vice president was divorced and remarried prior to his vice presidency:

• Nelson Rockefeller was married to Mary Todhunter Clark from 1930 until 1962. He was subsequently married to Happy Fitler Murphy from 1963 until his death in 1979.

One U.S. vice president was widowed before his vice presidency and remarried during his vice presidency:

• Alben W. Barkley was married to Dorothy Brower from 1903 until her death in 1947. He was subsequently married to Jane Rucker Hadley from 1949 to his death in 1956.

Three U.S. vice presidents remarried after their vice presidencies:

• Aaron Burr was married to Elizabeth Bowen Jumel from 1833 until their divorce in 1836.
• John Tyler was married to Julia Gardiner from 1844 until his death in 1862.
• Millard Fillmore was married to Caroline Carmichael McIntosh from 1858 until his death in 1874.

As of August 2022, there are five living former second ladies, as identified below.

• 
  Marilyn Quayle
  served 1989–1993
  born 1949 (age 73)
  wife of Dan Quayle
• 
  Tipper Gore
  served 1993–2001
  born 1948 (age 74)
  separated wife of Al Gore
• 
  Lynne Cheney
  served 2001–2009
  born 1941 (age 81)
  wife of Dick Cheney
• 
  Jill Biden
  served 2009–2017
  born 1951 (age 71)
  wife of Joe Biden
  (current First Lady)
• 
  Karen Pence
  served 2017−2021
  born 1957 (age 65)
  wife of Mike Pence

The most recent second lady to die, and most recently serving (1981–1989) who died, was Barbara Bush (1925–2018), wife of George H. W. Bush, on April 17, 2018.

• First Lady of the United States
• List of first ladies of the United States
• Vice President of the United States
• List of vice presidents of the United States
• United States order of precedence

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spouses of Vice Presidents of the United States.

• "Douglas Emhoff". Retrieved January 21, 2021.
• "Wives of Vice Presidents". Vice Presidents.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2005. Retrieved October 7, 2005.