Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-03-05

~ dency of the United States "a diff
~ ferent women have found inches IN
American history either as First
Ladies of the Land or as the wives
of Presidents Excepting only Buchanan, every
one of our Presidents was either married, or
had been married Five of them were married
a second time, and every one of them Except
ing Washington Madison, jackson, Polk, Bu-
chanan and Hardng) had children born to
them-Tyler heading the list with IA, and Will
liam Henry Harrison coming next with 10.
Yet while the wife Of a President in Office Is
always 1.-The First Lady of the Land every
woman who has been the wife of man that
became President has not been such First
Lady" because (as will be seen later some OF
them were such wives before and some of them
were such wives after their husbands held that
high Office.
But both of Tyler's two wives, well as
both of Wilson's two wives became the First
Lady of the Land" while only the first of both
Fillmore's and Benjamin Harrison's two wives,
and only the second of Roosevelts two wives
was ever such First Lady,
However, during the IA years of the presi-
dency, 81 different American families have been
brought into more or less direct contact with 1t
80 directly through the persons of the Presi-
dents themselves and "a indirectly through the
wives of such Presidents.
The names of the different families which
have furnished the fathers of Presidents
became known through the Presidents them
selves; but the names of the different families
which have furnished either the mothers or the
wives of our Presidents have not become SO
generally known; and, while an enumeration of
both might be interesting, space permits the
present chronicling of only the latter-the fam
lilies which have furnished our presidential
wives and these will now be given in chron-
illogical orde~
CIRST, the cambridge family of Virginia
which, through Mrs Martha ,Custis, q
widow (nee Dandridge), furnished the wife of
our First President-Gen. Washington. She
was our first FIRST Lady of the Land" an
Episcopalian, bore him no children, and did
about as much toward shaping the traditions
of the feminine side of the presidency as her
Ilustrious husband did toward shaping its mas
culine side. However, her own eight years as
"the First Lady of the Land" were spent in
New York and Philadelphia which were re-
spectively the seats of Government" before it
was moved to Washington, and before 1.-THE
White House" had become the official home
of our First Ladies'"
Second, the Smith family of Massachusetts,
through Abigail, who was the wife of President
John Adams, and bore him three sons and
two daughters. woman of remarkable char
acter for courage fidelity and intelligence,
1.-THE White House"-in which she gave its first
"New Year reception in 1901.
Third, the Wayles family of Virginia, through
Mrs Martha Shelton, a widow (nee Wayles),
who was the wife of President jefferson, bore
him one son and five daughters, and was
probably Roman Catholic, since she educated
her daughters in a convent. But her famous
husband lost her before he had become Presi-
dent, and, during his first term, the incom-
parable Dolly Madison, wife of his Secretary
. Of State, was 'the First Lady" by proxy-his
own daughter, Mrs. Martha Randolph, wife Of
Thomas Mason Randolph Of Virginia, did the
honors as First Lady" during her fathers
second term, greatly aided by Mrs Madison.
Fourth, the Payne family Of North Carolina,
through Mrs. Dolly Todd, widow (nee Payne),
who was the wife of President Madison, and
bore him no children, but became the most
famous of all of our First ladies'" her eight
years as 'the First Lady, in her own right hav-
ing been the most brilliant, If not the most
exciting, period in all Of our official history.
Though only 81 years old when she took
charge in her own right she already had to
her credit Is years Of experience in high official
stations, State and Federal at home and
abroad Born of Quaker parents and quietly
reared, she always adhered to plainness of
dress that was somewhat at variance with
the pre-eminence Of her social positions and
with the mirth-loving disposition Of her char
acter It has been both claimed and denied