First Ladies Who Held Executive Roles Before the Presidency

A recent media inquiry to the National First Ladies’ Library pondered whether Melania Trump, were her husband to be elected President, might be the first First Lady to run her own business, having a jewelry line that is sold on the QVC network.

There are few examples to look back towards to find First Ladies who also worked in a managerial or executive capacity.

As a person who runs her own business, Melania Trump’s experience would make her only the third to come to the White House heading an enterprise from an executive position, the others being Lady Bird Johnson who ran her family’s media conglomerate, and Michelle Obama who held a number of executive positions in municipal government and higher education.

As a designer of original jewelry, she would also not be the first to have pursued a form of the fine arts professionally.

As First Lady, Ellen Wilson, the first wife of Woodrow Wilson, was a professional landscape painter who had canvases displayed in major art shows.

Eleanor Roosevelt was one of three partners in the Todhunter School and the Val-Kill furniture factory, so she did not serve in an executive capacity on her own.

She was also, at this time, First Lady of New York and did not run any daily operations.

Mrs Roosevelt was a teacher of students at the Todhunter school, but to my memory her role at the factory did not involve employee oversight.