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 Bedchamber keeper of the sovereigns stole or official robe. When the sovereign was female, the post of Groom of the Stoles was given to the First Lady of the Bedchamber. This created some confusion between the office of First Lady of the Bedchamber and the office of Mistress of the Robes, who was originally in charge of the queen's robes or "stoles". The result was a blur between the offices of First Lady of the Bedchamber and Mistress of the Robes, who were often combined during the 17th-century and 18th-century, until a strict organisation was finally set between them in the