When George Washington became the first President of the United States in 1789, his wife Martha, like her husband, had no predecessor to model for her new role. Initially, she did not have a title, but soon became known as “Lady Washington”.

It wasn’t until many years later that the term “First Lady” was used on a regular basis to identify the wife of the President and / or the White House hostess.

Over the past 233 years the First Ladies of the United States have performed many duties to support the President and his administration. In additional to upholding many traditions set by previous First Ladies, they had to adapt their roles to fit the times and circumstances of their stay in the White House. 

Some of our nation’s First Ladies have also been members of The Daughters of the American Revolution, commonly known as the DAR. The DAR was formed in 1890 and is a women’s organization made up of direct descendants of patriots of the American Revolution. 

Since its’ founding, the DAR has continued to initiate and support projects that include promoting patriotism, education, historic preservation and conservation.

In this episode of Your History Your Story, our guest is historian Larry Cook, author of “Symbols of Patriotism, First Ladies and Daughters of the American Revolution”, a book that tells the stories of twelve First Ladies who were and are, also members of the DAR. 

In addition to being an author, speaker and historian, Larry is a serious collector of Presidential memorabilia, with a collection that includes over 8,000 fascinating items.

www.larrycookhistorian.com

www.yourhistoryyourstory.com

YHYS YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC30F4NTjvr6WSj7OeUZclkw

Photo(s): Courtesy of Larry Cook

Music: "With Loved Ones" Jay Man