![]() ![]() Upon his death in 1978, the governor appointed Muriel Humphrey to serve the last year of her husband’s term. After serving as vice president, Hubert Humphrey was elected to the United States Senate from Minnesota. The Wall Street Journal described Muriel Humphrey as one of the vice president’s “key advisers.” 7 She traveled extensively on official visits as Second Lady of the United States. Muriel Humphrey fulfilled the role of second lady when her husband, Hubert Humphrey, served as vice president during Lyndon Johnson’s full elected term of office (1965-1969). She often visited hospitals, orphanages, and other local community organizations during her travels. Nixon traveled independently of the vice president, set her own schedule, and attended events without her husband. Patricia Nixon began the transformation of the role of second lady during the Dwight Eisenhower administration when her husband Richard Nixon served as vice president (1953-1961). The group evolved to the current “Senate Spouses” club when women began serving elected terms in the Senate. The second lady typically presided over the lunches hosted by the group, which consisted of the wives of United States senators. The only institutional role for the spouse of the vice president was to serve as the unofficial convener of the Red Cross Senate Wives, an organization formed in 1917 to aid American efforts during World War I. The public role of the second lady did not expand throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Later in life, Jennie Hobart wrote that she did this, “Not because I was Second Lady, but because I was their good friend.” 4 Likewise, Jennie Hobart and Ida McKinley grew close, and their mutual friendship led to Hobart’s willingness to assume the traditional hostess duties of the First Lady. Most notably, Hobart viewed the office as a source of influence and power rather than serving a primarily ceremonial function. With the growth of the federal government in size and complexity, as well as the emergence of the United States on the world stage during the Spanish-American War, Hobart made “historically significant expansions of vice-presidential power” during his time in office. In some regards their relationship was similar to that of Martin Van Buren and Andrew Jackson, but much had changed since the 1830s. As vice president, Garret Hobart became a trusted adviser and confidante of President McKinley. Jennie Hobart and her husband lived in a house on Lafayette Square which came to be known as the “Little Cream White House.” Located at 21 Lafayette Square, it was formally the Benjamin Ogle Tayloe House, constructed in 1828. Ida McKinley, who was married to President William McKinley, suffered from epilepsy and other chronic ailments, which made it impossible for her to host receptions or greet guests at the White House. Jennie Hobart, the spouse of Vice President Garret Hobart (1897-1899), called herself “Second Lady” when she assumed the hostess duties typically performed by the First Lady of the United States. The term “Second Lady,” the honorific used to designate the wife of the vice president, was first used publicly years after the inception of the title “First Lady,” which began with Frances Folsom Cleveland in 1886. ![]() Martin Van Buren served as Andrew Jackson’s vice president during his second presidential term. ![]() Since Jackson himself strongly supported the Eatons, an estrangement developed between Jackson and Calhoun, eventually resulting in the resignation of the vice president. This led to dissension within Andrew Jackson’s cabinet. Floride Calhoun served as the unofficial leader in the persecution of Margaret Eaton. According to the gendered moral code of the time, Eaton was unfit for polite society, including social gatherings in Washington, D.C. This episode became known popularly as the “Petticoat Affair.” Floride Calhoun and her accomplices believed Margaret Eaton was a woman of low morals who had committed adultery. During the latter’s presidency, Floride Calhoun led a group of Cabinet wives who ridiculed Margaret Eaton, the wife of the Secretary of War John Eaton. Calhoun, who occupied the office from 1825 to 1832 under two presidents, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. One notable historical exception is Floride Calhoun, the wife of Vice President John C. However, as the Office of Vice President has evolved over time to include more responsibilities, power, influence, and resources, the “Second Spouse” has also grown in recognition and stature. ![]() For much of American history, the spouse of the Vice President of the United States did not maintain a prominent public role. ![]()
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