Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1893-04-21
WHITE HOUSE WIVES.
The Domestic Relations of the
Various Presidents.
Some Presidential Love Affairs
and Romances.

New York World, that most of the
Presidents were or had been very hap
py in their domestic relations. But,
then, the ladies of the White House,
from Martha Washington to Frances
Cleveland, have been admirable and
lovable representatives of their sex.
Buchanan was the only confirmed
bachelor among the Presidents. yet
he, too, had had his romance. He had
loved Miss Coleman, who Tilted him
without word of explanation. When
she died shortly afterwards, he wrote
to her father, saying "that he had
loved her more infinitely than any
other human being could love, and
though he might sustain the shock of
her death, happiness had fled from him
forever" Van Buren,. Jefferson and
Arthur were widowers when they en-
tered the White House. All of them
cherished most touching devotion to
the memory of their wives. Arthur
had met his wife at Saratoga and af-
ter her death he could never bear to
go to that place. Jefferson tended his
sick wife four months, and on her
death-bed solemnly promised, his hand
in hers, that he would uever marry
again. When the end came he stag
gered into his library and tainted.
When he revived he was almost out OF
his senses and for weeks was confined
to the library, pacing up and down
the room all day and all night until
exhausted nature coIld stand no
more.
One of the queerc-t couples that ever
inhabited the White House, and one of
the most devoted, were Andrew Jack
son and his wife. She was as demo-
cratic as himself, smoked pipe and
used strange country idioms and con-
fined her reading 10 the Bible. Yet
she was intensely sensitive to public
opinion. There had been some mis-
understanding about her divorce from
her first husband. which, through
confusion of State laws, had not really
taken legal effect until after her mar
riage with Old Hickory. The scandal
was revived when she entered the
White House, aud 1t was the object of
Jackson's tenderest solicitude to keep
from her all knowledge of the shame
full attacks that abounded in the news
papers. She died in the White House
and her bereaved husband ever after
wards bore around his neck and hidden
in his bosom miniature, which every
night he placed OH little table by his
bedside, so that her face might be the
first thing to greet him in the morning.
On her tombstone he had caused to be
engraved the words, "a being so
gentle and yet SO virtuous, SANDER
might wound but could not dishonor.'
General Grant during the whole of his
married life wore a ring which his
wife had given him during his en-
gagement and at his request it was
buried with him.
General Tyler and Millard Fillmore
were The only Presidents who were
twice married. The former was
President at the time of his second
marriage, but for some reason he con-
sidered it indeicate to be married in
the White House, a precedent which
Cleveland rightly honored in the
breach rather than in the observance
Fillmore's first wife was taken sick OH
the very day his term of office expired,
and died few weeks afterwards at
WilIard's Hotel, in Washington,
whittier she had been removed from
the White House.
Lincoln's romance was connected
with his first love rather than with the
lady whom he afterwards married.
The former was golden-haired little
blonde named Anne Rutledge, to
whom he was engaged at the age of
"a. She died before they could be
married, and Lincoln almost went out
of his mind. His friends thought in
deed that he was crazy. He was es-
pecially violent in gloomy or stormy
weather, when he would rave and cry
that he could never be rcconciled to
have the snow, rail or storms to beat
upon her grave. 1t was not until
nearly ten years afterwards that he
became engaged to Miss Mary Todd,
who refused Stephen A. Douglas in
order TO ACCEPT him. But he had
presentiment }hat the marriage would
not be happy one. On the day first