Though the persona, activities, and initiatives of the first lady have always been significant to the history of the United States, the first first lady to hire federally funded staff was Edith Roosevelt, who hired Belle Hagner as the first White House social secretary on October 2, 1901.[10] Eleanor Roosevelt became the first first lady to expand the office beyond social and administrative secretaries by hiring Malvina Thompson as her personal secretary[11] and Jackie Kennedy was the first to employ a press secretary.[12][4]