Abigail Fillmore
Abigail Fillmore, the wife of the 13th president, Millard Fillmore, served as the first lady from 1850 to 1853. A groundbreaking figure, she was not only a teacher but also the first lady to work after marriage, having initially met Millard when he was her student. If first ladies championed causes in her era, Abigail’s focus would have been literacy, as she was hailed by C-SPAN as a true intellectual staying informed about political affairs. Renowned for establishing the first White House library, Abigail, due to an ankle injury, often hosted literary salons seated alongside her daughter, Abby. Despite her contributions, she received modest scores in the Siena College study, potentially influenced by her reserved nature and chronic health issues, reflecting a challenging assessment.
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