Martha Washington Was a ‘Real Person’
‘In Pursuit’ series features historian Karin Wulf’s essay of America’s first, first lady who created the role from which future first ladies would evolve.
When historian Karin Wulf considered how one could be an American first lady when there has never been such a thing, she, like others who have studied Martha Washington, were left to piece together answers with a sparse historical record.
The task at hand for Martha Washington was similar to that of her husband George Washington, the victorious general of the American Revolution, as the first president of the United States. How they approached their roles would become the basis for future presidents and their spouses in a newly born country that is this year celebrating the 250th year of its founding.
Still, Wulf, a history professor and the director and librarian of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University, believes Mrs. Washington is a most compelling figure because “we have less of her,” she tells East Wing Magazine Monday in a phone interview.
Women in 18th century America, she notes, are invisible in the archive. But, in her newly published essay about Mrs. Washington on this President’s Day for a new national initiative—In Pursuit—Wulf illuminates Mrs. Washington as a woman equipped for the calling in “Before Women Could Hold Office, She Created One.”
The bi-partisan initiative, created by the Washington, D.C.-based organization More Perfect, which includes an alliance of 43 presidential centers and foundations and educational and civic initiatives from around the country, aims to distill wisdom about leadership and democracy from former American presidents and first ladies. When forming In Pursuit, the idea was to come up with a way to tell stories of the nation’s presidents and first ladies that “would illustrate accessible and relevant lessons of American history,” Colleen Shogan, the 11th Archivist of the United States leading the initiative, explained in a panel discussion with experts, including Wulf, at New York Historical Monday evening. The event helped kick off the series of essays, including the first one written by former President George W. Bush about George Washington, that will be released weekly throughout 2026.
That archive of Martha Washington, Wulf says, includes about 80 letters written by her during the presidency. The rest of her correspondence with her husband she burned just before she died, she explains.
“Martha is kind of a historian’s challenge,” she says. “Obviously, she’s really important because she’s the first—there’s nothing like trying to inaugurate a role.”
Wulf addresses that right off the bat when she writes that Martha Washington “was the first of a long line of women who never sought the role that she inaugurated.” Yet, Mrs. Washington “felt the weight of its responsibility and the eyes of a new nation upon her.”
Readers will also gain a sense that Martha Washington was a real person “who had a life and ambitions and ideas,” not just a caricature emblazoned on mass merchandise.
In her essay, Wulf describes Martha Washington as a firm, lively person who was astute about politics and attuned to fashion and furnishings. Other details such as the sparkling purple silk, embroidered and sequined high heeled shoes she ordered for her wedding reveal a woman who understood fine quality. Readers learn that Martha Dandridge Custis’s marriage to George Washington was her second marriage and his first. Together, they would raise Martha’s two children and not have any of their own. And, Wulf describes how Martha Washington also brought into their marriage more than 80 enslaved people.
By creating the role of “first lady,” a title that wasn’t actually used for about 100 years after Martha Washington, future presidential spouses looked to the expectations she set and the examples she set on everything from how to receive people into their home to how social gatherings are organized.
The role of first lady has always been undefined. But, Wulf says, that there was an expectation at the time that men would hold the superior position and that women were understood as hostesses. Hostessing, however, had its own soft power.
“[Martha Washington] recognized that it had some significance when you gather together all of the diplomats that are coming to first New York and then Philadelphia to see the first president [and] to meet with the first real government of the United States,” Wulf says. “That’s a form of authority.”
The evolution of the presidential spouse role changes dramatically over 250 years as does the experience of American women.
“She’s the first and being the first to anything is complicated, but also for a writer, very intriguing,” Wulf says.
And although Martha Washington exists in what Wulf describes as a “fog” in the 18th century with a limited historical record, she notes that, in fact, most people in history are hard to know.
“But, it’s worth the effort,” she says.
Read Karin Wulf’s full essay here.
Julia Dent Grant’s 200th Anniversary of Her Birth Honored With Wreath Ceremony
In collaboration with the National First Ladies Day Commission, presidential descendants (from left) Massee McKinley (second great nephew of William and Ida McKinley and second great grandson of Grover and Frances Folsom Cleveland), Ulysses Grant Dietz (second great grandson of Ulysses and Julia Grant), and Michelle Strauss (cousin of Warren and Florence Harding) in honor of former First Lady Julia Dent Grant recently laid a wreath commemorating her 200th birthday year at the General Grant National Memorial, Grant’s Tomb, in New York City. (Photo courtesy of National First Ladies Day Commission)
Calendar
Feb. 19, 2026
Third Thursday: Innovation, Business & Work from the East Wing
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents visitors an opportunity to explore innovation, leadership, and the behind-the-scenes work of America’s First Ladies at this in-person Third Thursday Wine & Cheese program from 6:30 to 8 p.m. EST on February 19, 2026. Read more
Feb. 22, 2026
Eleanor Roosevelt’s Nightly Prayer – Book Event
The Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill presents an in-person book discussion at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 22, 2026, with Donn Mitchell, author of Eleanor Roosevelt’s Nightly Prayer. Eleanor Roosevelt’s faith nurtured a lifetime of courage and justice. The event will include a reading, presentation, and Q&A, followed by a reception and book signing in the Parish Hall. Copies of Eleanor Roosevelt’s Nightly Prayer will also be available to purchase. The event will take place at St. James’ Episcopal Church, 4526 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park, in New York.Registration is not required, walk-ins are welcome. Read more
Feb 23, 2026
White House History Live: An Unusual Path
The White House Historical Association presents its Facebook Live series, White House History Live, featuring author John Wrory Ficklin who will discuss his new book, An Unusual Path: Three Generations From Slavery to the White House. Ficklin, who retired in 2015 after forty years of White House service, will share his family’s remarkable story and how the Ficklins became a multi-generational institution at the White House. Ficklin, who began working part-time for his father John Woodson Ficklin at the White House, ultimately went on to become the longest serving member of the National Security staff, faithfully serving seven U.S. presidents.
This virtual event will be live streamed on the White House Historical Association’s Facebook and YouTube pages starting at 5:30 pm ET on February 23. Read more
Feb. 25, 2026
First Ladies on the Page Book Club: Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents a free, virtual program about the remarkable story of Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a formerly enslaved woman whose extraordinary skill as a dressmaker earned her freedom and the friendship of First Lady Mary Lincoln. In Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini explores their deep bond during the Civil War, providing a sweeping portrait of resilience, loyalty, and life inside the White House. Read more
Feb. 27, 2026
Jackie & Monte – A Legacy of Style
Join television personality Monte Durham as he honors the timeless elegance of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The National First Ladies Library & Museum invites guests to “Jackie & Monte—A Legacy of Style.” This evening, hosted by beloved fashion director and television personality Monte Durham honors the timeless elegance of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a woman whose influence on fashion and culture still inspires the world today. This exclusive event will be held at the luxurious Zazu Salon, located at 445 5th Avenue South, Unit 205 in Naples, Florida, on February 27, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Tickets are $125 per guest and can be reserved here.
Feb. 28-March 8
‘First Ladies and Their Orchids’ Exhibit at the Philadelphia Flower Show
Internationally recognized orchid authority Arthur Chadwick, owner of Chadwick & Son Orchids and author of First Ladies and Their Orchids, will present a one-of-its-kind exhibit commemorating America’s first ladies who were known for showcasing cattleya orchids as part of their attire. The installation traces 10 consecutive first ladies from Edith Wilson through Pat Nixon. Read more about the show.
March 3, 2026
Learn about the Life, Times, and Tragedies of Former First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln at the Brick Library
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Brick Branch of the Ocean County Library in New Jersey will host “Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life, Times, and Tragedies” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3.
Historian Greg Caggiano will present the program, covering the former First Lady’s early life, marriage to Abraham Lincoln, her effects on his presidency, as well as a focus on reevaluating popular misconceptions about her mental health following his assassination and other deaths throughout her life. Registration is required for this free program. To register, visit tinyurl.com/BrickLincoln. Read more
March 4-6, 2026
Women’s Leadership Summit
George Washington’s Mount Vernon presents the Women’s Leadership Summit from March 4-6, 2026, which will feature Doris Kearns Goodwin, Judy Woodruff, Anne Applebaum, and other distinguished voices as they explore women’s pioneering roles in preserving history, shaping American memory, and defining the nation’s legacy. Taking place on March 5 during the Summit will be the panel discussion “First Ladies as Legacy Architects: Shaping History from the White House” featuring Colleen Shogan, Senior Advisor at More Perfect, Co-chair of Women’s Suffrage Monument Foundation and 11th Archivist of the United States; and Stephanie Bohnak, Director of Education & Curatorial Services, National First Ladies Library & Museum. The discussion will be moderated by Ali Vitali, journalist, MSNBC’s Way Too Early. Read more
March 13, 2026
Legacy Lecture: Mary Lincoln’s Photograph Album
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents a free virtual lecture from noon to 1 p.m. ET by Laura Keyes, librarian and scholar, who will present the history of this personal album, showing attendees which photographs Mary Lincoln preserved and which she chose to leave out, offering a unique glimpse into her life and legacy. Read more
March 14, 2026
Book Launch Event with author Shannon McKenna Schmidt
The Eleanor Roosevelt Center in honor of Women’s History Month presents an in-person, free book talk at 1:30 p.m. ET on March 14, 2026, with author Shannon McKenna Schmidt for her new book You Can’t Catch Us: Lady Bird Johnson’s Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode with Her. The event will include a presentation by Schmidt, followed by an audience Q&A and a book signing. This event is presented by the Eleanor Roosevelt Center and hosted by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Museum & Library. It will take place at The Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, 4079 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park in New York. A donation of $10 is appreciated. Read more