The incoming first lady Melania Trump made news recently after it was confirmed that she and her son Barron wouldn't be staying in the White House after the inauguration ceremony when Donald Trump assumes office.
The reason the Trumps gave was that the election campaign has been very disturbing for Barron and they would prefer to maintain normalcy for the 10-year-old. They will not be moving until the end of his school year. The 10-year-old studies in a private school, which is closer to the Trump Tower in New York.
However, she is not the only first lady to have been known for her not conforming to the norms associated with the position of the first lady.
Here are 8 former first ladies who broke the norm with their actions.
1. Elizabeth Monroe
Wife of President James Monroe, she put an end to the custom of a president's wife making the first social call on the wives of other officials in Washington. Her action led to her social boycott by the other women, who felt insulted.
2. Sarah Polk
Wife of President James Polk not only worked as the president's secretary, but without taking a salary, she also stopped dancing and card playing at the White House.
3. Mary Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln's wife was widely criticised for spending lavish amounts of money to decorate the White House during civil war in the US. She is also the first to hold séances in the White House.
4. Lucy Hayes
If you think Sarah Polk was a Debbie-downer, Rutherford B. Hayes' wife will seem even more stringent in her policies. She was the first to ban all alcoholic beverages from the White House. However, one interesting event begun by involves the first Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn, a tradition still carried on.
5. Abigail Adams
Wife of President John Adams, she was called Mrs. President instead of Lady Adams due to her political acumen and sharp tongue. She was also the first first lady to live in the White House in Washington. She is believed to have hung laundry in the East Room.
6. Edith Wilson
It is believed that Woodrow Wilson's wife took over the office unofficially when the president suffered a severe stroke and took all decisions during the period. She controlled who could visit the president and many of the decisions from the White House were taken by the 'Petticoat Government'.
7. Eleanor Roosevelt
A First Lady with an identity beyond the position, she wrote a column 'My Day' in a popular newspaper about her personal life and political ideas. She was an activist and diplomat as well. She had refused protection from the secret service and learnt to shoot.
8. Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton has contested in the presidential race multiple times, losing every time. When she was the First Lady she hosted the first White House webcast. She is the only first lady elected to public office—the U.S. Senate and Secretary of State.
