Fractured First Ladies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Betty Ford

Elizabeth Bloomer Ford, President Gerald Ford's wife, was born in 1918. Remarkably open about her own struggle with drugs and alcohol, she helped to found a now-famous substance abuse treatment center in Rancho Mirage, California. The Betty Ford Center is so well known that even soap opera characters went there for help (such as Erica Kane of "All My Children").

Answer: Nancy Reagan

Born in 1921, Nancy Davis married 'The Great Communicator,' Ronald Reagan. Both were actors, though Nancy soon left the silver screen to be a wife and mother. While Reagan was in office, Nancy popularized the catch phrase 'Just say no.' Sadly, her beloved husband developed Alzheimer's and died in 2004.

Answer: Michelle Obama

Our first African American First Lady, her husband is of course Barack Obama, the first African American elected to the U.S. presidency (in 2008).

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born on January 17, 1964. She was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. Michelle graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School. While working for the Sidley Austin law firm in Chicago, she met her husband-to-be. Later Michelle worked on Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley's staff and for the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Michelle and Barack have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

Answer: Mary Todd Lincoln

Mary Todd Lincoln, 1818-1882, was Abraham Lincoln's wife. A Southern belle from Kentucky, she married the man who signed the Emancipation Proclamation and led the Union to defeat the Confederacy. Mary was a relatively unpopular First Lady who led a tragic life: she lost two sons and her husband.

She never recovered from Lincoln's assassination. She died in the same house (her sister's) in which she and Abe were married.

Answer: Hillary Rodham Clinton

Born in 1947, Hillary Rodham married William Jefferson Clinton. A lawyer, she worked for a more equitable health care system while her husband was in office. In 2000 when New Yorkers elected her, she became the first First Lady to become a U.S. Senator.

She ran for president in 2008, but Barack Obama defeated her and became the Democratic Party's nominee. After he won the presidency, Obama nominated Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State.

Answer: Jackie Kennedy

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, 1929-1994, married John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Known for her beauty, grace, and style, she mourned with dignity when her husband was assassinated in 1963. Raising her children Caroline and John Jr. as far from the public eye as she could, she shocked many Americans by marrying a fabulously wealthy--and much older--second husband, Aristotle Socrates Onassis, a Greek financier.

The press consequently dubbed her 'Jackie O.' In the last part of her life, Jackie worked in New York City as a book editor for Doubleday.

Answer: Abigail Adams

Abigail Smith Adams, 1744-1818, like Barbara Bush, was a President's wife and a President's mother. John Adams, second U.S. Prez, was her husband, and John Quincy Adams was her son.

Answer: Bess Truman

Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman, 1885-1982, was married to President Harry S. Truman.

Answer: Lady Bird Johnson

Claudia 'Lady Bird' Alta Taylor Johnson was born in 1912. She received her nickname as a child. Lady Bird was married to President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who was responsible for much of the groundbreaking Civil Rights legislation of the 1960s. He was also despised by Baby Boomer students and others for escalating the Vietnam War.

In 1982 Lady Bird and actress Helen Hayes founded the National Wildflower Research Center, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving and reintroducing native plants. Lady Bird Johnson passed away in 2007.

Answer: Pat Nixon

Thelma Patricia Catherine Ryan Nixon, 1912-1993, was married to Richard M. Nixon, whose presidency was shattered by the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. They had two daughters, Julie and Tricia. Julie married President Eisenhower's grandson David. Tricia was a White House bride in 1971 when she married Ed Cox.

Answer: Laura Bush

Born in 1946, Laura Welch married George W. Bush, who was President from 2001 to 2009. A former teacher, after 9-11-01 Laura Bush concentrated on helping families help their children cope with the emotional impact of the terrorist attacks. The Bushes' twin daughters are Jenna and Barbara, whose grandma is of course former First Lady Barbara Bush.

Answer: Eleanor Roosevelt

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962, married her distant cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eleanor's uncle was President Theodore Roosevelt, who gave her away when she married Franklin. One of the most popular First Ladies, Eleanor traveled all over the U.S., giving speeches and radio addresses to help her disabled husband keep in touch with the nation during the Great Depression and World World II.

After his death she was appointed a U.S. spokesperson in the United Nations.

Answer: Rosalynn Carter

Eleanor Rosalynn Smith was born in 1927. She married Jimmy Carter, who became Georgia's governor before he was elected President. As of the early 2000s, Rosalynn and her husband run the Carter {Center;} its mission is promoting peace and human rights.

Answer: Martha Washington

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, 1731-1802, was a widow when she married George Washington. When her husband became the first U.S. President, she was a gracious First Lady, but told family members that she did not enjoy her role very much.

Answer: Barbara Bush

Born in 1925, Barbara Pierce married George Herbert Walker Bush. A very popular First Lady, she worked for family literacy during and after her husband's presidency. Like Abigail Adams, she became a 'First Mom' as well as a First Lady. Her son George W. Bush was President from 2001 to 2009.