MAMIE EISENHOWER .

Mamie Eisenhower's bangs and sparkling blue eyes were as much trademarks of an administration as the president's famous grin. Her outgoing manner, love of pretty clothes and jewelry, and obvious pride in husband and home made her a very popular first lady.

Born in 1896 in Boone, Iowa, Mamie Geneva Doud moved with her family to Denver, Colorado when she was seven. During winters the family made long visits to relatives in the milder climate of San Antonio, Texas. There, in 1915, Mamie met Dwight D. Eisenhower, a young second lieutenant. On Valentine's Day in 1916 he gave her a miniature of his West Point class ring to seal a formal engagement; they were married at the Doud home in Denver on July 1.

Mamie's new life followed the pattern of other army wives: a succession of posts in the United States, the Panama Canal Zone, France, and the Philippines. She once estimated that in 37 Years she had unpacked her household at least 27 times. Each move meant another step up the career ladder for her husband, with increasing responsibilities for her. Their first son Doud Dwight or "Icky," born in 1917, died of scarlet fever in 1921. A second, John, was born in 1922 in Denver. Like his father he had a career in the army. Later he became an author and served as ambassador to Belgium.

During World War II, while fame came to "Ike," Mamie lived in Washington. In 1948, the Eisenhowers purchased a farm at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the first home they had ever owned. When her husband campaigned for president, Mamie cheerfully shared his travels. When he was inaugurated in 1953, the American people warmly welcomed her as first lady. Diplomacy - and air travel - in the postwar world brought changes in their official hospitality. The Eisenhowers entertained an unprecedented number of heads of state and leaders of foreign governments, and Mamie's evident enjoyment of her role endeared her to her guests and to the public.

When their Gettysburg dream home was finally completed in 1955, the Eisenhowers celebrated with a housewarming picnic for the White House staff. In 1961, they retired there for eight contented years together. After her husband's death in 1969, Mamie continued to live on the farm, devoting more of her time to her family and friends. Mamie Eisenhower died on November 1, 1979. She is buried beside her husband in a small chapel on the grounds of the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas.

JACQUELINE KENNEDY .

The inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961 brought to the White House and to the heart of the nation a beautiful young wife and the first young children of a president in half a century.

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born in Southampton, New York, on July 28, 1929. Her early years were divided between New York City and East Hampton, Long Island, where she learned to ride almost as soon as she could walk. Educated at the best of private schools, she wrote poems and stories, drew illustrations for them, and studied ballet. Her mother, who had divorced, remarried in 1942 and brought "Jackie" to a home near Washington, D. C. "Debutante of the year" for the 1947-1948 season, social success did not keep her from continuing her education. As a Vassar student she spent her junior year in France before graduating from George Washington University. These experiences left Jackie with a great empathy for people of foreign countries.

In Washington she took a job as "inquiring photographer" for a local newspaper. Her path soon crossed that of Senator Kennedy. Their romance progressed privately, but their wedding at Newport in 1953 attracted nationwide publicity. Jackie had to adapt to a role of wife to one of the country's most energetic political figures. Her own public appearances were highly successful, but limited in number. After a miscarriage and the stillbirth of a daughter, Caroline Bouvier was born in 1957. John Jr. was born between the election of 1960 and Inauguration Day. Patrick Bouvier, born prematurely on August 7, 1963, died two days later.

To the role of first lady, Mrs. Kennedy brought beauty, intelligence, and cultivated taste. Her much publicized interest in historic preservation and the arts inspired a national attention to culture. She made the White House a museum of American history and decorative art as well as a charming family residence. But she defined her major role as "to take care of the President" and added that "if you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much."

Mrs. Kennedy's gallant courage during the tragedy of her husband's assassination won her the admiration of the world. Thereafter it seemed the public would never allow her the privacy she desired for herself and her children. She moved to New York City; and in 1968 she married the wealthy Greek businessman Aristotle Onassis, 23 years her senior, who died in March 1975. From 1978 until her death in 1994, Mrs. Onassis worked in New York City as an editor for Doubleday. At her funeral her son described three of her attributes: "love of words, the bonds of home and family, and her spirit of adventure."

CLAUDIA JOHNSON .

Christened Claudia Alta Taylor when she was born in near Karnack, Texas, in 1912, she received her nickname as a small child; and as "Lady Bird" she was known and loved throughout America. Perhaps the name was prophetic, as there has seldom been a first lady so attuned to nature and the importance of conserving the environment.

Her mother died when Lady Bird was five, so she was reared by her father, her aunt, and family servants. From her prosperous father she learned much about the business world. An excellent student, she also learned to love classical literature. At the University of Texas she earned bachelor's degrees in arts and in journalism. In 1934 she met Lyndon Baines Johnson, then a congressional secretary. He courted her from Washington with letters, telegrams and telephone calls. Seven weeks later he proposed. They were married in November 1934.

The years that followed were devoted to her husband’s political career. Lady Bird helped keep his congressional office open during World War II when he volunteered for naval service; and in 1955, when he had a severe heart attack, she helped his staff keep things running until he could return to his post as Senate majority leader. He once remarked that voters "would happily have elected her over me." After repeated miscarriages, she gave birth to Lynda Bird in 1944. Luci Baines was born three years later.

In the election of 1960, Lady Bird successfully stumped for Democratic candidates across 35,000 miles of campaign trail. As wife of the vice president, she became an ambassador of goodwill by visiting 33 foreign countries. Moving to the White House after Kennedy's assassination, she did her best to ease a painful transition. She soon set her own stamp of Texas hospitality on social events, but these were not her chief concern. Mrs. Johnson created a First Lady's Committee for a More Beautiful Capital, then expanded her program to the entire nation. She took a highly active part in her husband's war-on-poverty program, especially the Head Start project for preschool children.

When the presidential term ended, the Johnsons returned to Texas, where Lyndon died in 1973. Mrs. Johnson's White House Diary, published in 1970, and a 1981 documentary film, The First Lady, A Portrait of Lady Bird Johnson, give sensitive and detailed views of her contributions to the president's Great Society administration. Today Lady Bird leads a life devoted to her husband's memory, her children and grandchildren. She still supports causes dear to her - notably the National Wildflower Research Center, which she founded in 1982, and The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library. She also serves on the Board of the National Geographic Society as a trustee emeritus.

PAT NIXON .

Born Thelma Catherine Ryan on March 16, 1912, in Ely, Nevada, "Pat" Nixon acquired her nickname within hours. Her father called her his "St. Patrick's babe in the morn" when he came home from the mines before dawn.

Soon the family moved to California and settled on a small truck farm near Los Angeles - a life of hard work with few luxuries. When her mother died in 1925, 13-year-old Pat assumed household duties for her father and two older brothers. At 18, she lost her father after nursing him through months of illness. Determined to continue her education, she worked her way through the University of Southern California. She held part-time jobs on campus, as a sales clerk and as an extra in the movies, and she graduated cum laude in 1937. Pat met Richard Nixon after accepting a position as a high-school teacher in Whittier. They became acquainted at a Little Theater group when they were cast in the same play, and were married on June 21, 1940.

During World War II, she worked as a government economist while Richard served in the navy. She campaigned at his side in 1946 when he entered politics. Within six years she saw him elected to the vice presidency on the ticket with Dwight D. Eisenhower. Despite the demands of official life, the Nixons were devoted parents to their two daughters, Tricia and Julie. .A tireless campaigner when her husband ran unsuccessfully for president in 1960, Pat was again at his side when he won in 1968.

Mrs. Nixon used her position as first lady to encourage volunteer service – "the spirit of people helping people." She invited hundreds of families to nondenominational Sunday services in the East Room and instituted a series of performances by artists in varied American traditions. She took quiet pride in adding 600 paintings and antiques to the White House Collection.

Travels with her husband included the historic visit to the People's Republic of China and the summit meeting in the Soviet Union. Her first solo trip was a journey of compassion to take relief supplies to earthquake victims in Peru. Later Pat visited Africa and South America with the unique diplomatic standing of personal representative of the president.

Mrs. Nixon met the troubled days of Watergate with dignity. "I love my husband," she said, "I believe in him, and I am proud of his accomplishments." She died at home in Park Ridge, New Jersey, on June 22, 1993. Her husband followed her in death ten months later. She and the former president are buried at the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda, California.