How did Lucy Hayes expand the role of first lady?: Information from Answers.com Mobile

Lucy Hayes was considered a "new" woman of the late nineteenth century. She was one of America's first presidential wives to be college educated, and the first to graduate from college (Cincinnati's Wesleyan Female College, in 1852). Her interest in social causes began on the battlefield, as she nursed her husband, Rutherford B. Hayes, during the Civil War and worked in camps and hospitals throughout the North. During her husband's three postwar terms as governor of Ohio, she accompanied him on visits to state reform schools, prisons, and asylums, and fought to improve their conditions. During the temperance movement that characterized her time in the White House from 1877 to 1881, Lucy became an advocate of the cause. For a brief time, she supported woman's suffrage, but her long-term interests involved education and alleviating homelessness.

As first lady, Lucy took an interest in refurbishing the White House to reflect its history, and was responsible for expanding the collection of portraits of former presidents and first ladies. She began the first significant art collection at the executive mansion, improved the landscaping of its grounds, and expanded the White House conservatory. She balanced her time as first lady with her time with her children. Although she supported her husband's career, she pursued her own interests and often influenced those around her; for example, as a strong believer in the value of education, she allowed the staff to take time off to pursue their studies. As a charitable personality, she consistently gave money to alleviate homelessness, and fed and clothed the impoverished who arrived at the White House steps. She was the first of the presidents' wives to travel across America, and when she did so in 1880 the press called her the "First Lady of the Land."

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