The second lady of the United States or second gentleman (SLOTUS or SGOTUS) is the informal title held by the spouse of the vice president of the United States, concurrent with the vice president's term of office. The current second lady is Usha Vance, wife of JD Vance.
Coined in contrast to "first lady" – albeit used less commonly – the title "second lady" was apparently first used by Jennie Tuttle Hobart (wife of Garret Hobart, vice president 1897–1899) to refer to herself. The first second gentleman of the United States was Doug Emhoff, the husband of Kamala Harris, the vice president from 2021 to 2025.
Twelve second ladies have gone on to become first ladies during their husbands' terms as president. The first was Abigail Adams, who was married to John Adams, the first vice president from 1789 to 1797 and then the second president from 1797 to 1801. The most recent was Jill Biden, married to Joe Biden, the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and then the 46th president from 2021 to 2025.
Since the 1970s, the vice presidential official residence is Number One Observatory Circle in Washington, D.C.
Contents
History
The second spouse's visibility in the public sphere is a recent development. Although the role of the first lady as White House hostess dates from the beginning of the republic (and was typically filled by another member of the president's family if the president was unmarried or a widower), it was not until the late 20th and early 21st century that vice-presidential wives took on visible public roles.
One exception was Floride Calhoun, wife of Vice President John C. Calhoun, who was a central figure in the Petticoat Affair, a social-political scandal involving the social ostracism of Secretary of War John H. Eaton and his wife Margaret O'Neill Eaton.
In 1978, Muriel Humphrey, wife of Vice President Hubert Humphrey, became the only former second lady to hold public office; after her husband, who had returned to the U.S. Senate after his term as vice president, died in office, she was appointed by Minnesota governor Rudy Perpich to continue her husband's term.
There have been 17 periods of vacancy in the role, the longest of which continued for 16 years between the service of vice presidential spouses Abigail Adams and Ann Gerry when there were three widower vice presidents and a one-year vacancy in the vice presidency. The most recent second lady vacancy was for 132 days in 1974, between the service of Betty Ford and Happy Rockefeller, when the vice presidency was also vacant.
Role in practice
The role of the second lady or gentleman is unpaid and not formally defined. The wife of the vice president of the United States was traditionally expected to serve as a hostess and appear at society functions. Jennie Tuttle Hobart, wife of Vice President Garret Hobart (1897–1899) is often said to be the first woman to style herself as "Second Lady". Hobart took over the hostess duties on behalf of First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley, who had chronic health issues including epilepsy. Starting in 1917, the wife of the vice president took on the unofficial role of convener of the Red Cross Senate Wives, presiding over their lunches; the organization later became known as the Senate Spouses Club. The question of the second lady's status became a topic of debate in 1929 when Dolly Curtis Gann, the sister of Vice President Charles Curtis (1929–1933), assumed the role of hostess on his behalf, since he was widowed. Gann had waged a public "battle of precedence" against Alice Roosevelt Longworth, the wife of former speaker of the House Nicholas Longworth.
Over time, the spouse of the vice president started to become more visible as the Office of the Vice President itself gained power and influence, and assumed additional responsibilities. In 2010, Marie Claire magazine described the role of second ladies as being "relegated to roast-chicken charity dinners and sit-and-smile political functions. They cherry-pick a cause or two...and pretty much stay out of the way." Presidential historian Gil Troy noted that during the Kennedy administration, one of Second Lady Lady Bird Johnson's roles was to replace First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy when she withdrew from public appearances, often at the last minute; Johnson replaced Kennedy on more than 50 occasions.
Pat Nixon, wife of Vice President Richard Nixon, was the first second spouse to add a great deal of substance to the role of the vice president's wife. When Nixon assumed the position in 1953, the role's only official function was to preside over the once-annual Senate Ladies Luncheon. Instead, Nixon launched her own initiatives, sensing great opportunities that her role provided. She established a schedule separate from that of her husband, which often consisted of solo activities. As second lady, Nixon traveled more than 125,000 miles around the world to six continents, including a two-month, 42,000-mile journey through Asia in 1953. As she undertook missions of goodwill across the world, she insisted on visiting schools, orphanages, hospitals and village markets rather than attend tea or coffee functions. In this sense, Nixon essentially created the modern role of the second lady; historian Kate Andersen Brower wrote, "she helped to define this nebulous role for an entire generation of women who would succeed her." Historian Cormac O'Brien says that Pat Nixon "may have well been the most extraordinary second lady in American history" because of her role in accompanying Vice President Richard Nixon on a tour of the world as a goodwill ambassador. She also traveled independently of the vice president and attended events, including campaign tours, on her own. According to O'Brien, Second Lady Nixon proved popular "as a paragon of graciousness, composure, and elegance", and made a conscious effort to travel to locations where local women were banned, to spread a subtle message for equal rights.
Causes and initiatives
Joan Mondale: Art
Barbara Bush: Literacy
Marilyn Quayle: Early diagnosis of breast cancer
Tipper Gore: Removing objectionable materials in popular American entertainment
Lynne Cheney: History of the United States
Jill Biden: "Joining Forces"; military families
Karen Pence: Art therapy; military families
Doug Emhoff: Food security; climate change; combatting antisemitism
Usha Vance: Childhood literacy
Other spouses of U.S. vice presidents
Various other spouses of vice presidents of the United States are not considered as second ladies of the United States because their marriages were not during the vice presidential terms of their spouses.
Nine U.S. vice presidents were widowed prior to their vice presidencies:
Thomas Jefferson was married to Martha Wayles from 1772 until her death in 1782.
Aaron Burr was married to Theodosia Bartow Prevost from 1782 until her death in 1794.
George Clinton was married to Sarah Tappen from 1770 until her death in 1800.
Martin Van Buren was married to Hannah Hoes from 1807 until her death in 1819.
Richard Mentor Johnson deemed the enslaved Julia Chinn to be his common-law wife until her death in 1830.
Henry Wilson was married to Harriet Howe from 1840 until her death in 1870.
William A. Wheeler was married to Mary King from 1845 until her death in 1876.
Chester A. Arthur was married to Ellen Lewis Herndon from 1859 until her death in 1880.
Charles Curtis was married to Annie Baird from 1884 until her death in 1924. Curtis's half-sister Dolly Gann acted as his official hostess for social events during his vice presidency.
Five U.S. vice presidents were widowed and remarried prior to their vice presidencies: