Jane Irwin Harrison

Jane Irwin Harrison
Jane Harrison (née Irwin; July 23, 1804 – 1845–1847) was the acting first lady of the United States from March 4 to April 4, 1841, during the presidency of her father-in-law William Henry Harrison. She took the position as a substitute for the president's wife, Anna Harrison who was unable to travel to the White House. Harrison was only acting first lady for thirty days, as the president died in office after this time. In addition to being the daughter-in-law of President William Henry Harrison, she was both the maternal aunt and the paternal aunt-by-marriage of President Benjamin Harrison.
Early life
Jane Irwin was born in her family's limestone mansion in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, on July 23, 1804. She was a granddaughter of James Ramsey, the owner of Millmont Farm in Montgomery Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Her father was Archibald Irwin Jr, a miller, and her mother was Mary Ramsey Irwin, the daughter of a miller. She had a sister, Elizabeth, and three brothers: James, John, and Archibald. Her father later married Sidney Grubb. From this marriage, Jane received seven more siblings: Joseph, William, Mary, Nancy, Louisa, Sarah, and Sydney.
While Irwin and her sister were visiting their aunt in North Bend, Ohio, they met the Harrison family. Irwin married William Henry Harrison Jr on February 18, 1824. Jane Harrison had two sons: James and William. The marriage was a difficult one, as her husband suffered from alcoholism and severe problem gambling. She was widowed upon the death of her husband in 1838. In 1840, her father-in-law was elected president of the United States.
White House hostess
When William Henry Harrison became president, it was decided that his wife Anna Harrison would not travel to Washington, D.C. until the weather was more suitable for travel given her poor health. Jane Harrison was chosen to serve as the White House hostess, the traditional role of the first lady of the United States, in her stead, and she made the journey to Washington with the incoming president. Also accompanying them was her paternal aunt Jane Findlay. Harrison had asked her aunt to join them as a social adviser, as she had previously lived in Washington, D.C as the wife of a congressman.
The Harrisons originally intended to have Anna arrive in Washington the following spring to serve as first lady, at which point Jane would possibly be relegated to a role of an assistant hostess. This never came to be, as Harrison's tenure as acting first lady ended abruptly upon the death of President Harrison, only thirty days after his inauguration. Due to the short nature of her father-in-law's tenure as president, she hosted only two social events.
Death and legacy
After returning to North Bend, Harrison married widower Lewis Whiteman, and she died of tuberculosis a few years later. The exact year of her death is unknown, though it was some time between 1845 and 1847.
It was common for younger women to act as surrogate first ladies during this period in American history, and Harrison was one of many such women to serve as White House hostess in the stead of the president's wife. Carl Sferrazza Anthony described Harrison as the least influential of all acting U.S. first ladies, citing the short duration of her tenure. Many of the details of her tenure have been lost, as she left no written record of her experiences as first lady. She has sometimes been confused with her aunt, Jane Findlay, who had assisted her at the White House.
Harrison's sister Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin married William Henry Harrison's son John Scott Harrison in 1831, and their son Benjamin Harrison later became president of the United States. As Benjamin was the son of her sister and her brother-in-law, Harrison became both the maternal aunt and the paternal aunt-by-marriage of a future president.
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References
Jane Harrison
1804 births
1840s deaths
19th-century American women
19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
First ladies of the United States
People from Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Tuberculosis deaths in Ohio