First Ladies of the United States According to the White House, there has been 47 First Ladies. Here are just a few: Former model, Slovene-American, Melania Trump has become the 47th First Lady. She is the second foreign-born First Lady, the other being Louisa Adams in 1825. Lawyer and writer, Michelle Obama, was the first African-American to become First Lady. She became a fashion icon, a role model and an advocate for the awareness of poverty. American politician and former First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, fought for gender equality and healthcare reform. Her marriage survived the Monica Lewinsky scandal in 1998. Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Ford was First Lady from 1974 to 1977. She was the First Lady to announce that she had a long running battle with alcoholism and substance abuse and went on to establish the Betty Ford Centres. Jackie Kennedy stated that her priority of First Lady was to take care of th...