MAR 7 OUR FAVORITE FIRST LADIES

MAR 7  OUR FAVORITE FIRST LADIES

Possible future first lady Jill Biden made headlines this week. It began as something she'd done dozens of times before: Standing next to husband Joe while he delivered a victory speech. Suddenly, everything changed! A crazed pro-vegan protester jumped on stage and lurched at her hubby. "Let Dairy Die!" she shouted. Instinctively, Jill seized the vegan's wrists and wrested the delusional heckler off stage. Wow!

Often overlooked, we'd like to share our favorite First Ladies:

BRAVEST: Dolley Madison. This trailblazer defined the role of the First Lady as proactive. In fact, she started first as 'White House Hostess' for widower president Thomas Jefferson. Her famous moment came during the War of 1812. America's 'least-thought-through' conflict, we declared war on Britain, despite having no navy. The British simply sailed up the Potomac River and burned DC. With no cellphone to warn her, Dolley was caught by surprise. Rather than flee, she risked her life to save priceless treasures, like the official portrait of George Washington.

SMARTEST: Abigail Fillmore. Continually ranked as one of our most lackadaisical presidents, Fillmore's greatest accomplishment came via his wife. Abigail was scholarly and was aghast when she first arrived at the White House: There was no library! See, the Founding Fathers wanted the library only in Congress. It was 1850 now, and books were for everyone. Abigail received $2,000, which bought a lot of books back then. The complete Shakespeare catalog is still on the shelf.

MOST INDUSTRIOUS: Eleanor Roosevelt. The runaway favorite, Mrs. Roosevelt didn't spend much time in the White House. Nope, Eleanor helped out her wheelchair-restricted husband by doing his job. She went to factories to reassure workers during the Great Depression. She went to England during WWII to reassure American troops. You'd think after fourteen years, the longest-serving First Lady would retire. No way! Eleanor went on the chair the NCAAP and helped form the United Nations.

MOST GLAMOROUS: Jacqueline Kennedy. Prior to Jackie, First Ladies emphasized a domestic look. The favorite was a buttoned-up white blouse. Mrs. Kennedy changed all that. She wore Cassini strapless gowns with tailored coats and chic pillowbox hats to match. She became a worldwide fashion icon. But it didn't stop with herself. Jackie completely re-modelled the White House's dated Victorian interior. Oh! She also raised three kids under ten at the same time.

MOST INSPIRATIONAL: Betty Ford. Prior to Betty, if you went to a shrink it was because you were crazy. Prior to Betty, alcoholics were shameful failures. Then along came Mrs. Ford, who suffered from both aliments . Rather than do the expected--withdraw from society--she actually spoke about her issues. To everyone. Her unprecedented openness regarding personal problems was a game-changer. Today, it is considered the norm for politicians (and the rest of us too) to discuss such

matters.

HONORABLE MENTION: Hilary Clinton is the only First Lady to hold a public office (Senator). Edith Wilson was a de-facto president after Woodrow's stroke was kept secret. Nancy Reagan sat on Mr. T's lap.