Lisa Marie Kendrickson

**Lisa Marie Kendrickson** (née **Bartholomew**; born June 11, 1963) is an American lawyer who has been First Lady of the United States since 2017. She is married to the current President of the United States, John Kendrickson, and is the first Jewish First Lady.

Born and raised in Holland, Michigan, Kendrickson attended Barnard College and University of Michigan Law School, working as a corporate attorney after her graduation. Kendrickson met her future husband while the two were law students at the University of Michigan in 1985. They married in 1989 and have two children.

Kendrickson campaigned for her husband during his several runs for various offices, most notably during his run for Governor of Michigan in 2010 and during his presidential campaign in 2015 and 2016. In 2011, Kendrickson became the first Jewish First Lady of Michigan, and served in this post until her husband's resignation in 2017. She subsequently became First Lady of the United States, where she has dedicated her work to women's rights and children's health.

## Early life

### Family

Kendrickson was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Holland, Michigan. Her father, Henry Bartholomew (1930–1997), was born as "Heinrich Barenboim" in Germany, while her mother, Alma Bartholomew (née Reichmann; 1934–2014), was born and raised in Detroit to a wealthy family of Polish-Jewish, Hungarian-Jewish, and Romanian-Jewish heritage. Henry and his family left Germany prior to the beginning of World War II in 1932, and settled in Brooklyn, New York. After arriving in New York, they changed their surname to "Bartholomew" and Anglicized their first names, in order to discourage name-based anti-semitism. Alma's family arrived in Detroit during the early 20th-century, and established themselves amongst Detroit's elite as bankers, lawyers, and businessmen.

Henry was raised in Brooklyn, and after graduating from high school in 1948, he studied at Columbia University, before moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan to attend University of Michigan Law School. He graduated in 1951 and became a lawyer, moving to Detroit to pursue a career in law. Alma established herself as a debutante and sought-after bachelorette by Detroit's elite Jewish community. Henry began courting Alma in 1956, and they married in 1958. The couple purchased a waterfront mansion in Holland in 1960, where they began starting their family. They had three children; Dennis Alexander (born May 2, 1961), Lisa Marie (born June 11, 1963), and Hilda May (born November 22, 1966). Dennis went on to work as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, while Hilda went on to pursue a career in law, like her father and elder sister.

### Education and career

Kendrickson and her siblings initially attended public elementary and junior high schools in Holland. In 1977, Kendrickson moved to Lake Forest, Illinois to begin studying at Lake Forest Academy, a private college preparatory boarding school where her brother had been studying. Her father was initially hesitant to send her to a coeducational boarding school, but her mother persuaded him to allow her to go, as Kendrickson eagerly wanted to attend the school. She went on to become a popular and academically successful student at Lake Forest Academy. She was her graduating class's salutatorian, class secretary, and was elected prom queen.

After graduating from high school in 1981, Kendrickson moved to New York City to attend Barnard College, an elite women's college affiliated with Columbia University. At Barnard, Kendrickson had a dual major in women's studies and human rights, graduating in 1985. After her graduation, she returned to Michigan, where she began studying at University of Michigan Law School. Kendrickson graduated from law school in 1988 and passed the Michigan Bar Exam, receiving admission to the bar. She subsequently began working as a corporate attorney at various Detroit and Ann Arbor-based law firms. After becoming First Lady of Michigan in 2011, Kendrickson left her law career to prioritize her role as First Lady.

## Political campaigns and positions

While her husband was a Michigan State Representative and U.S. Representative, Kendrickson continued her law career, and worked at Washington, D.C. firms from 2005 to 2011.

### First Lady of Michigan

Her husband announced his candidacy for Governor of Michigan in January 2010. He went on to secure the Democratic nomination, and moved on to the general election. He later won the general election, and was sworn in as governor on January 1, 2011. With his swearing in, Kendrickson became the First Lady of Michigan, and the family moved into the Michigan Governor's Mansion in Lansing. As First Lady, Kendrickson focused her platform on helping homeless and poverty-stricken youth within Michigan, specifically the Detroit-area. Kendrickson left the position of First Lady after becoming First Lady of the United States on January 20, 2017.

### First Lady of the United States

On May 27, 2015, Kendrickson's husband officially launched his campaign for President of the United States. He secured the Democratic nomination on July 26, 2016. At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Kendrickson delivered a speech which was heavily praised by the media and public. During her appearance at the convention, Kendrickson was also praised for her fashion sense and beauty, and has went on to become an international style icon.

On November 8, 2016, her husband won the 2016 presidential election, beating off Senator Theodore York of Kentucky. He was sworn in as President of the United States on January 20, 2017, and Kendrickson subsequently took office as First Lady of the United States. The couple soon after moved into the White House. As First Lady, Kendrickson has devoted her platform to women's rights and children's health, both domestically and internationally.

## Personal life

Kendrickson met John Kendrickson while both were students at University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor. They began dating in 1985, and married in 1989. After their marriage, the couple purchased a house in Ann Arbor, where John claimed residence, and where they resided permanently until John's election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005. They have two children; Elizabeth Eleanora "Ellie" Kendrickson (born January 16, 1992) and Eric Joshua Kendrickson (born December 24, 1994). After being elected as a U.S. Representative, the family purchased a townhouse in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., valued at $2.4 million. After being elected Governor of Michigan, the family moved into the Michigan Governor's Mansion in Lansing.

Lisa Marie is Jewish, while John was raised in the Lutheran religion. Both have stated that their children were raised "both Christian and Jewish", and that they'd be able to choose what faith they wanted to pursue as adults.