
The role of First Lady comes with no job description, no pay, and no written requirements. Yet America’s presidential spouses have wielded great influence and have always been subject to intense public scrutiny. In this illustrated lecture, historian Leslie Goddard, Ph.D. explores which First Ladies have rated highest and lowest—or most “in-between”—with historians. Why were some so vilified? And what might the future hold for the role of American First Lady?