First Lady of the United States as White House hostess. There are four living former first ladies: Rosalynn Carter, wife of Jimmy Carter; Hillary Clinton, wife of Bill Clinton; Laura Bush, wife of George W. Bush; and Michelle Obama, wife of Barack Obama. , the only former First Lady who has run for or held public office is Hillary Clinton. The use of the title "First Lady" to describe the spouse or hostess of an executive began in the United States. In the early days of the republic, there was not a generally accepted title for the wife of the president. Many early first ladies expressed
First Lady of the United States choices: style writer Robin Givhan praised her in "The Daily Beast", arguing that the First Lady's style has helped to enhance the public image of the office. , there are four living former First Ladies, as identified below. The most recent First Lady to die was Barbara Bush (served 1989–1993), on April 17, 2018, at the age of 92. The greatest number of former First Ladies to be alive at one time was ten, during the period from June 2, 1886 to August 23, 1887, when Sarah Yorke Jackson, Priscilla Cooper Tyler, Julia Gardiner Tyler, Sarah Childress Polk, Harriet Lane,