First Lady of Virginia

First Lady of Virginia
Seal of the State of Virginia
Incumbent
Suzanne Youngkin
since January 15, 2022
ResidenceExecutive Mansion
Inaugural holderDorothea Dandridge Henry
FormationJuly 5, 1776; 248 years ago (1776-07-05)
WebsiteOfficial website

The spouse of the Governor of Virginia is given an honorary position, styled as First Lady or First Gentleman of the State of Virginia.[1] To date there have been no female governors of the State of Virginia, and all first spouses have been first ladies.[2]

The current first lady of Virginia is Suzanne Youngkin, the wife of incumbent Governor Glenn Youngkin, who assumed office in 2022.[3]

Role

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The position of the first lady is not an elected one, carries no official duties, and receives no salary. However, the first lady holds a highly visible position in state government. Since 1813, the role of the first lady includes serving as the host of the Executive Mansion.[4] She organizes and attends official ceremonies and functions of state either along with, or in place of, the governor. It is common for the governor's spouse to select specific, non-political, causes to promote.

List

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Picture Name Took office Left office Spouse of Notes
1 Dorothea Dandridge Henry 1777 1779 Patrick Henry 1st and 6th First Lady of Virginia
2 Martha Jefferson 1779 1781 Thomas Jefferson Died at age 33, twenty years before husband's election as U.S. President
3 Anne Christian Fleming 1781 1781 William Fleming
4 Lucy Grymes Nelson 1781 1781 Thomas Nelson Jr.
5 Elizabeth Bassett Harrison 1781 1784 Benjamin Harrison V
6 Dorothea Dandridge Henry 1784 1786 Patrick Henry
7 Elizabeth Nichols Randolph 1786 1788 Edmund Randolph
8 Martha Cocke Randolph 1788 1791 Beverley Randolph
9 Anne Hill Carter Lee 1793 1794 Henry Lee III Mother of general-in-chief of the Confederate States of America, Robert E. Lee
10 Mary Ritchie Hopper Brooke 1794 1796 Robert Brooke
11 Jean Moncure Wood 1796 1799 James Wood
12 Elizabeth Monroe 1799 1802 James Monroe 12th and 15th First Lady of Virginia, served as First Lady of the United States (1817–1825)
13 Margaret Lowther Page 1802 1805 John Page
14 Agnes Sarah Bell Cabell 1805 1808 William H. Cabell
None 1808 1811 John Tyler Sr. Tyler was a widower
15 Elizabeth Monroe 1811 1811 James Monroe
16 Jane Reade Smith 1811 1811 George William Smith
17 Lucy Johnson Barbour 1812 1814 James Barbour
18 Margaret Smith Nicholas 1814 1816 Wilson Cary Nicholas
19 Ann Barraud Taylor Preston 1816 1819 James Patton Preston
20 Martha Jefferson Randolph 1819 1822 Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. Daughter of 3rd U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, served as Acting First Lady of the United States for father (1801–1809)
21 Susanna Lawson Pleasants 1822 1825 James Pleasants
22 Letitia Christian Tyler 1825 1827 John Tyler Served as Second Lady (1841) and First Lady of the United States (1841–1842)
23 Frances Ann Gwynn Giles 1827 1830 William Branch Giles
24 Letitia Preston Floyd 1830 1834 John Floyd
25 Anne Stratton Tazewell 1834 1836 Littleton Waller Tazewell
26 Maria Hamilton Campbell 1837 1840 David Campbell
27 Anne Baker Gilmer 1840 1841 Thomas Walker Gilmer
28 Susanna Smith Preston McDowell 1843 1846 James McDowell
29 Elizabeth Bell Smith 1846 1849 William Smith
30 Sally Buchanan Preston Floyd 1849 1852 John B. Floyd
31 Sarah Johnson 1852 1855 Joseph Johnson
32 Mary Elizabeth Lyons Wise 1856 1860 Henry A. Wise
33 Susan Holt Letcher 1860 1861 John Letcher
34 Julia Augusta Robertson Pierpont 1861 1868 Francis Harrison Pierpont Early founder and adopter of "Decoration Day" (now known as Memorial Day) in the United States
35 Olive E. Evans 1869 1874 Gilbert Carlton Walker
None 1874 1878 James L. Kemper Kemper was a widower
None 1878 1882 Frederick Holliday Holliday was a widower
36 Louisa Cameron 1882 1886 William E. Cameron
37 Ellen Bernard Fowle Lee 1886 1890 Fitzhugh Lee
38 Annie Clay McKinney 1890 1894 Philip W. McKinney
39 Jennie Wickliff Knight O'Ferrall 1894 1898 Charles Triplett O'Ferrall
40 Sue Hammet Tyler 1898 1902 James Hoge Tyler
41 Elizabeth Lyne Hoskins Montague 1902 1906 Andrew Jackson Montague
42 Elizabeth Deane Lyons Swanson 1906 1910 Claude A. Swanson Official hostess of the Jamestown Exposition
43 Etta Edloe Donnan Mann 1910 1914 William Hodges Mann
44 Margaret Bruce Carter Stuart 1914 1918 Henry Carter Stuart
45 Marguerite Inman Davis 1918 1922 Westmoreland Davis
46 Helen Ball Sexton Trinkle 1922 1926 Elbert Lee Trinkle
47 Anne Douglas Beverley Byrd 1926 1930 Harry F. Byrd
48 Grace Phillips Pollard 1930 1932 John Garland Pollard Died in 1932 during husband's term
49 Violet E. MacDougall 1933 1934
50 Nancy Bane Gillespie Peery 1934 1938 George C. Peery
51 Lillian Martin Price 1938 1942 James Hubert Price
52 Constance Simons Du Pont Darden 1942 1946 Colgate Darden
53 Eva Ellis Lovelace Dillard Tuck 1946 1950 William M. Tuck
54 Janie Lipscombe Battle 1950 1954 John S. Battle
55 Anne Bassett Stanley 1954 1958 Thomas B. Stanley
56 Josephine Katherine Minter Almond 1958 1962 J. Lindsay Almond
57 Lacey Barkley Harrison 1962 1966 Albertis Harrison
58 Katherine Godwin 1966 1970 Mills Godwin 58th and 60th First Lady of Virginia
59 Jinks Holton 1970 1974 Linwood Holton Mother of 67th First Lady of Virginia, Anne Holton
60 Katherine Godwin 1974 1978 Mills Godwin
61 Edwina P. Dalton 1978 1982 John N. Dalton Served as a member of the Virginia Senate

from the 12th district (1988–1992), Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1989

62 Lynda Bird Johnson Robb 1982 1986 Chuck Robb Daughter of 36th U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, served as chairwoman of President's Advisory Committee for Women
63 Jeannie Baliles 1986 1990 Gerald Baliles Founder of the Virginia Literacy Foundation
None 1990 1994 Douglas Wilder Wilder was divorced
64 Susan Brown Allen 1994 1998 George Allen
65 Roxane Gilmore 1998 2002 Jim Gilmore Gilmore, a classics professor at Randolph-Macon College, was the first woman to actively maintain her own, independent job and career while serving as first lady.[5][6]
66 Lisa Collis 2002 2006 Mark Warner First woman to continue using her maiden name as First Lady
67 Anne Holton 2006 2010 Tim Kaine Daughter of Governor Linwood Holton and First Lady Jinks Holton, served as 17th Virginia Secretary of Education and acting president of George Mason University
68 Maureen McDonnell 2010 2014 Bob McDonnell Sentenced to 12 months in prison after a federal corruption trial. The conviction was overturned and charges dismissed after a Supreme Court decision. [7]
69 Dorothy McAuliffe 2014 2018 Terry McAuliffe Appointed as the U.S. State Department Special Representative for Global Partnerships by President Joe Biden
70 Pamela Northam 2018 2022 Ralph Northam
71 Suzanne Youngkin 2022 serving Glenn Youngkin

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "First Lady of Virginia - Suzanne S. Youngkin". www.firstlady.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  2. ^ "Virginia". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  3. ^ "Suzanne Youngkin". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  4. ^ "Executive Mansion - Virginia's Executive Mansion". www.executivemansion.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  5. ^ Weeks, Lindon (1998-07-16). "A Life of History". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  6. ^ Stone, Gavin (2024-08-08). "Former Virginia First Lady Roxane Gilmore has died, family says". The Virginia Pilot. Archived from the original on 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  7. ^ https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-moves-dismiss-mcdonnell-charges