Nation’s Social Hostess

Overview

First Ladies have presided over everything from formal state dinners for dignitaries and diplomats to casual teas for community and civic groups. By custom that dates to the very first presidential spouse, the First Lady has been responsible for social entertaining in the White House. This role has been institutionalized within the office to the extent that the First Lady not only is expected to host White House functions but also is seen as the United States’ social hostess.

History

The tradition of presidential spouses presiding over social affairs on behalf of the president and nation dates to Martha Washington, the first presidential wife. Lady Washington, as she was called, was uncertain of the role she would assume as the wife of the new president. Indeed, while much uncertainty remained regarding the specific functions of the president, even less certainty surrounded the duties of his wife. The Constitution was completely silent as to the nature of the roles or duties of the president’s spouse.

George and Martha Washington contemplated the protocol that would define the inaugural presidency. This was an important undertaking because the social protocol would help define the essence and image of the new experiment in popular governance. Several European powers were doubtful about the prospects of the upstart nation, and there was the need to assert the legitimacy of the new government. This would be accomplished by the Washingtons, in part, through state social affairs. Although it was George who made the decision to hold a weekly social reception hosted by the president and a weekly levee over which Mrs. Washington would preside, it was Martha who hosted the events and established the tone for the nation’s social affairs.

Another challenge for the Washingtons, in addition to the many questions surrounding the nature of presidential social functions, was attempting to balance the competing need to develop social affairs fit for dignitaries from the courts of Europe with the need to appease the popular taste for democratic simplicity. The new country opposed anything that even remotely resembled the court politics of the old European monarchies, such as titles, royalty, and the pageantry of high society. In spite of the challenge, the first couple somehow managed to walk this tightrope, setting a social tone befitting both the importance of the office and the principles upon which the country was founded.

Martha’s levees were well attended by curious citizens eager to meet the president and his lady and see their government in action. In permitting such a democratic affair, the Washingtons made a strong symbolic statement and distinguished the new nation from European powers, where such access was unattainable for the citizenry. Where George Washington was somewhat formal and aloof, Lady Washington was warm and approachable, which further highlighted the democratic image they were establishing. At the same time, she and the president started the practice of hosting members of Congress at the president’s residence, which effectively blended the social realm with the political realm, again demonstrating the importance of these early social affairs.

Martha Washington, by and large, received positive reviews for her social events. With each action, she was literally establishing precedents for the office and framing the role of social hostess for the First Lady, a duty that has remained to the present time.

John and Abigail Adams were the first to live in the newly constructed White House, moving into the “President’s House” in late 1800, only months before the end of his single term in office. Abigail Adams, who often joined Mrs. Washington at her levees, sitting at her side, continued her predecessor’s social practices. However, unlike the Washingtons, John and Abigail Adams had been to Europe and had firsthand familiarity with the social customs and practices of the ruling class.

By the time of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, the presidential spouse’s role in hosting social functions was well established. However, Jefferson was a widower, his wife, Martha, having died long before his presidency, and he was disinterested in promoting an active social calendar while president. Nevertheless, the role of social hostess remained, as official Washington favored having social affairs. Jefferson asked his oldest daughter, also named Martha, to preside over his state affairs. Martha shared this duty with Dolley Madison, the wife of Jefferson’s secretary of state. Although the president preferred simplicity, abandoning protocol, formality, and the recognition of rank, and held a limited social agenda, social hosting would be a centerpiece of the next administration.

Dolley Madison would be remembered as perhaps the most gifted and successful social hostess in the history of the White House. Arguably the most famous woman of her time, Madison’s socials were the toast of the town. They were so well attended that they were actually referred to as “Mrs. Madison’s Crush.”

Madison used these socials not only to accommodate the social interests of official Washington but also to further her husband’s agenda and political standing. Blending politics and socializing in a way that resembled art, Madison succeeded in charming her guests, bringing together political opponents, fostering viable political discussions, and obtaining valuable political information from her guests, all at her social affairs. In hosting such important and popular functions, she also enhanced her own social and political standing. She became a recognizable power in Washington during the Jefferson and Madison presidencies and, later in life after her husband’s passing, she returned to the capital city and to her former status. In fact, noted orator and politician Daniel Webster proclaimed Dolley Madison “the only permanent power in Washington, all others are transient.”

The elaborate affairs and her popularity earned Dolley Madison the nickname “Queen Dolley.” Yet she succeeded, as did George and Martha Washington, in balancing the tastes of Europe with the tastes of the new nation. Through these famous social events, Mrs. Madison became a fashion trendsetter, another facet of the contemporary First Ladyship. Madison was given to excess in her tastes, showcasing the very latest in French fashions, elaborate jewels and gowns, layers of makeup, and her signature peacock feather plumes and turbans. Women of Washington society wanted to see what she was wearing, and she ushered in new fashions.

Dolley Madison’s successes institutionalized the role of social hostess for all subsequent First Ladies. First Ladies following her would be held to her standard. The events helped her husband politically, by bringing the leading figures on the political scene together at the White House, and personally, by countering his rather subdued personality and small physical stature with her vivaciousness and charm. These events provided the First Lady with an ideal venue for showcasing her formidable social skills. At Dolley Madison’s funeral in 1848, President Zachary Taylor was moved to state: “She will never be forgotten because she was truly our First Lady for a half-century.”

Role and Activities

Because of the success of Dolley Madison and precedents set by other early First Ladies such as Martha Washington and Abigail Adams, First Ladies serving ever since have been expected to fulfill similar social duties. In fact, this role is so associated with the office that many First Ladies have developed identities as hostesses apart from their identity as the wife of the president. The duty has also come to be expected of them. In considering the role of social hostess, modern First Ladies are, to a degree, being asked to step back in time and fulfill a social obligation established long before any women’s movement.

Such a role was not designed for the First Lady. Rather, it developed in part from the sex-role norms of an earlier time. Because early presidents had no budget, few resources, and yet were expected to provide a social calendar for official Washington, foreign dignitaries, and the nation, such a duty naturally fell to their wives to fulfill. Social affairs of this nature were within the feminine realm. Before women’s suffrage, the only avenues to political participation and power were through marriage and presiding over such social functions. That such affairs were so political and important is an ironic twist to the story of how the role evolved. Even in more recent times, when public funds have been made available to cover such functions (early presidents were expected to pay for social events out of their own pockets, an expense that nearly bankrupted such presidents as Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe) and the first couple is served by a staff of trained ushers, butlers, chefs, and social secretaries, the First Lady remains as the social hostess ultimately responsible for all social gatherings in the Executive Mansion.

Social hosting involves many roles and activities. The First Lady must oversee a variety of social events, from state dinners for hundreds to protocol-laden diplomatic gatherings to entertainments and casual receptions. Today, she has at her disposal an extensive staff of experts on every facet of protocol and entertaining as well as a budget to assist her in organizing such events. The first presidential spouse to benefit from a staff member on the federal payroll was Edith Roosevelt, who was assisted by Isabelle “Belle” Hagner, who had been reassigned from the War Department.

Many modern First Ladies have promoted culture by showcasing the arts. White House performances are well known and have attracted internationally renowned singers, musicians, and artists as well as operas and musicals. Some First Ladies have featured American culture in their social agendas. For instance, Jacqueline Kennedy promoted American performers, as did Pat Nixon, Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and other First Ladies. Mrs. Carter had the Public Broadcast System carry these performances, and Nancy Reagan had the artistic performances shown as a televised series dubbed In Performance at the White House. Dolley Madison even solicited recipes from women around the United States and then featured them at White House dinners in an attempt to promote the United States to both her American and her foreign guests. Michelle Obama was an ardent supporter of arts education, especially in disadvantaged communities, and hosted the White House's first ever talent show to showcase performers from schools that participated in Obama's Turnaround Arts program, aimed at increasing arts education in poor-performing schools.

First Ladies have also used these social functions to enhance their husbands’ popularity and to promote their own visibility, power, and influence. Social events remain an opportune way to enhance the president’s image. Rarely is the news coverage of such affairs negative, and most guests come away touched by the majesty of their visit to the White House. Mindful of image, Edith Roosevelt and Nancy Reagan were known to screen photos of White House social events, selecting those to be released to the media and public. Many First Ladies were conscious of the image portrayed through the guest lists, which have often been announced in social publications in the capital city. Dignitaries from Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Booker T. Washington to relatives of Napoleon and several kings and queens have been guests at White House affairs. The process for receiving such guests at White House socials is itself molded by tradition and protocol. Guests’ names are called as each enters to her or his own introduction, and receiving lines allow guests to meet the president’s party. Some early First Ladies such as Martha Washington and Julia Tyler even received their guests while seated on thronelike chairs on raised platforms. Yet the White House has been and remains accessible to a broad cross-section of its citizens. Frances Cleveland held socials for working women, even accommodating their work schedules. Lady Bird Johnson held her “Women Doer Luncheons” to honor achievements of women, and Julia Grant invited both celebrities and common folk to her events.

Many First Ladies have held one or two formal dinners a week, one or two evening or afternoon receptions, and perhaps one large party per month. However, ample discretion exists for each First Lady to tailor her events to her own liking. It is a time-honored custom to throw a large party on July 4 in honor of the United States’ birth, and it used to be customary to hold an open house for the general public every New Year’s Day—something that attracted thousands and was ended in 1933 by the Hoovers. Abigail Fillmore wanted to curtail her social calendar but compromised on offering receptions on Friday evenings and Tuesday mornings and dinner parties on Thursdays. Like Fillmore, most First Ladies have felt obligated to accommodate the public and maintain a full social schedule.

White House social events have reflected the style and tastes of the First Ladies. Nancy Reagan preferred formality, while Rosalynn Carter preferred informality in her social events. Carter reduced her social calendar and the number of dinners in a symbolic effort to reduce costs on behalf of taxpayers. She also ended the practice of printing the White House menus in French.

First Lady Julia Tyler, on the other hand, hosted parties for up to three thousand guests while surrounded by her court of female attendants. She required female guests to wear hats, male guests were forbidden to smoke or wear swords or guns at her events, and the White House staff was ordered to don white gloves for these regal and popular affairs. Lady Bird Johnson was the first to host a barbecue cookout, and she also entertained guests at her family’s LBJ Ranch in Texas, where she featured the tastes of the region’s cuisine. First Ladies have offered dinners in the White House Rose Garden, on the South Lawn, and even atop the roof in summer.

Not all the functions associated with the early First Ladies remain. One of the early customs was to call, whereby guests would visit and leave a calling card. First Ladies were expected to return the call promptly. The practice occupied too much time, and First Ladies such as Martha Washington complained about its impracticality. Elizabeth Monroe eventually ended the practice, in part because of her poor health, but she was criticized for doing so. Similarly, it was customary for women to visit the White House only when the wife or presidential hostess was present or presiding. Elizabeth Monroe often declined to appear at her husband’s events. As a result, many of the women of the capital city felt snubbed by both her non-response to their calls and their inability to attend White House functions because of her absence. Such a fury was raised that President Monroe was forced to convene a meeting of his cabinet to determine what to do about the dilemma.

Sarah Polk cut back on alcohol served at White House events for religious reasons, as did Lucy Hayes, earning her the nickname “Lemonade Lucy.” Sarah Polk even forbade dancing at many affairs, and numerous First Ladies observed the Sabbath, offering no social events or dinners on Sundays. Abigail Fillmore limited her duty of standing in the long receiving lines because of a bad ankle, and several First Ladies, including Eleanor Roosevelt, have complained of afflictions they termed “White House feet” or “White House hand,” conditions resulting from standing in endless receiving lines and shaking so many hands of guests. Dolley Madison chose to sit at the head of her dinner table, so as to be able to oversee and manage the conversation of her guests, while Ida McKinley sat next to her husband, so that he might tend to her in the event she suffered one of her frequent epileptic seizures. Such breeches of protocol in seating were met with mixed responses.

Significance

Social affairs are an important component of diplomacy and national politics, especially in Washington. Food, drink, and conversation are key components to the body politic. The White House is the center of US national political life, and its social events represent the United States to all guests and the world. Every aspect of state affairs has significance, including the guest list, seating chart, menu, and choice of entertainment. So, too, does a bewildering array of sensitive social etiquette and protocol issues which govern social hosting.

Perhaps no one understood this better than Dolley Madison: The social is the political and vice versa. Madison embraced the political nature of her social affairs and employed her gift for reading people and her charm, using these talents in political service to her husband. Entertainment and lobbying went hand in hand at the Madison White House, and the political significance of social hosting has continued to the present time.

Social events help lend credibility to new administrations, as they continue the rich tradition first shaped by George and Martha Washington. These affairs provide a nonpolitical setting in which public officials can conduct political business. Louisa Adams hosted an elaborate and high profile social at the outset of the 1824 presidential campaign in honor of Andrew Jackson, an event which was designed to build support for her husband among the key officials in attendance. Several other First Ladies followed this example. Like Louisa Adams, whose husband was entirely deficient in social charm, Dolley Madison, Julia Tyler, Frances Cleveland, and other popular First Ladies used their grace to the benefit of presidential standing.

A Multifaceted Role

There have been enormously successful social hostesses in the history of the office, including Dolley Madison, Angelica Singleton Van Buren (Martin Van Buren’s hostess), Julia Tyler, Harriet Lane (James Buchanan’s hostess), Frances Cleveland, and Edith Roosevelt, to name a few. There have also been those First Ladies who were not as successful in discharging the duty. Jane Pierce, grieving from the recent death of her last surviving son, curtailed not only her social calendar but her appearances at her husband’s events. Mary Lincoln was a gracious and capable hostess and a well-intentioned one as well. However, her attempt to provide credibility for the Union and her husband’s presidency by hosting regal social affairs backfired. Even though she saw such social events as a form of enhancing political power, the public and her husband’s many critics saw her efforts as too extravagant. Her purchases of expensive gowns and china service, her decision to redecorate the White House, and her extensive dinner menus only provided ammunition for a country in the midst of a devastating war.

Some First Ladies, such as Dolley Madison, Julia Tyler, Julia Grant, Helen Taft, and Mamie Eisenhower, have thoroughly enjoyed functioning as hostess, while others, such as Elizabeth Monroe, Margaret Taylor, Eliza Johnson, and Melania Trump attempted to avoid the duty. Some spouses were unable to fulfill the full range of social duties because of poor health. In such instances, young daughters, nieces, and daughters-in-law often assisted in meeting the social demands of life in the White House. In the last year of her husband's administration, Hillary Rodham Clinton had to reduce her hosting duties after she announced her intention to run for a US Senate seat—the first First Lady in history to seek elective office while in the White House. During her election campaign, she managed to continue hosting some state dinners and other events, though fewer than in the past. First Lady Jill Biden, who assumed the role when her husband, Joe Biden, was elected in 2020, balanced her hostess duties with her job as an educator. Jill Biden continued to teach after her husband assumed office.

The role of social hostess has allowed First Ladies to enhance their popularity and serve issues larger than the particular social affair at hand. For instance, Edith and Theodore Roosevelt saw their grand socials as a way of complementing the president’s internationalist and imperialist view of the United States. To their minds, a grand nation with ambitions of being a military and political world power ought to have grand social affairs. Caroline Harrison recognized the deteriorating condition of the White House and even had plans drawn up to build a new White House, expanding upon her role as social hostess. Harrison also used her talents as an artist to design her own china service, which featured scenes celebrating natural America, and in so doing promoted the country while serving food. Michelle Obama planted a kitchen garden on the South Lawn of the White House, from which vegetables were prepared and served during official dinners by White House chefs. Obama also frequently hosted events in the garden, such as annual spring planting gatherings. The garden helped promote her initiatives encouraging healthy eating and exercise and also served to support her husband, Barack Obama's healthcare reform policies.

The importance of social events is such that only in times of war, severe economic crisis, or a death in the presidential family have they been drastically curtailed. In the eraly 2020s, the global coronavirus pandemic greatly limited the size and number of social events held at the White House. The First Lady has, since the inaugural presidency, functioned as the White House’s and the United States’ social hostess. Most First Ladies have discharged this responsibility with grace and dignity, even though they have had little formal training to prepare them for events of this magnitude, and, in doing so, fulfilled a vital component of the presidency and offered a necessary service to the nation.

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