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Inspirational Stories of Women
Who Made a Difference!
March 2008
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Welcome to History's
Women!
March is Women's History month. I'm looking to do
profiles on women who are changing their worlds. If you have
a woman you think would qualify for the History in the
Making column, send me her name and a short description of
what that woman is doing to affect her sphere of influence.
If I want to find out more, I will email you back for contact
information. Send the name and your description to me at
patti@historyswomen.com.
I will then enter your name into a contest where the winner will
receive a copy of A Second Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul
by Jack Canfield.
Enjoy the
issue!
Patti
If you have trouble reading
this issue, you can view it online.
MEMORABLE QUOTE
"A bird doesn't sing because it has an
answer, it sings because it has a song." ~ Maya Angelou
First Ladies
Harriet
Lane
First Lady to a Bachelor President
By Anne Adams
Despite their
many individual differences, all of the American presidents have
something in common – except one of them. For though all
presidents entered the White House with their wife or as a
widower, only one, James Buchanan (1857-1861) was a lifelong
bachelor. However, he did not lack a “First Lady” and though
she was not a wife but a niece, she fulfilled the traditional
responsibilities with charm and skill. And as she did so she
endeared herself to not just her uncle but also the entire
nation.
Harriet
Rebecca Lane, born in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in January,
1830, was orphaned ten years later when her parents died. The
gawky tomboy then came to live with her mother’s brother, James
Buchanan, whom she called “Nunc.” Preferring to climb trees than
apply herself to her studies to become a proper lady, “Hal”, as
the future president called her, was certainly a challenge to a
bachelor. Still, he was determined to provide her the proper
education and cultural opportunities and as she grew up in his
Lancaster, Pennsylvania home, Harriet and her uncle became very
close.
Even at a
young age, Harriet demonstrated at a life long sensitivity to
the needs of others. According to Mrs. John A. Young in her 1901
book Thirty Years in Washington when Harriet was eleven,
one day Buchanan looked out his window one winter day and saw
her trying to push a wheelbarrow filled with wood down the
street. When he rushed out to question her about what she was
doing, she told him that she was taking the wood to a local
elderly local because it was so cold.
Harriet
received her education at local schools, as well as a
Charlestown, West Virginia boarding school. Then when President
James K. Polk appointed Buchanan Secretary of State, Harriet
enrolled in a prestigious convent school in Georgetown in the
Washington area. She completed her schooling in 1848.
A happy,
generous and fun loving young woman with numerous friends,
Harriet proved a charming hostess for Buchanan as he continued
in public service. Though she was in love with a young man named
Henry Elliot Johnston, and they would later wed, she put off
marriage so she could assist her uncle in his public life. Then
while she was still in her early 20s she did just that when
President Franklin Pierce appointed Buchanan American Minister
to Great Britain. Beginning in 1854, Harriet accompanied her
uncle to London, and then was presented at court to Queen
Victoria and the royal family. She so impressed the young
monarch with her charm and perfect manners that the Queen
decreed her a distinct honor. As Mrs. Young described it: “Queen
Victoria, upon whom her surpassing brightness and loveliness
seemed to make a deep impression, decided that her rank should
be the same as that of wife of a United States Minister. Thus
the youthful American girl became one of the leading ladies of
the Diplomatic Corps of Saint James.”
Then when her
uncle and poet Alfred Lord Tennyson received honors at the
University of Oxford, the student body greeted Harriet with a
standing ovation. Also, during her time in Britain, Harriet
developed a life long interest in collecting art. Then when
Buchanan returned to the U.S. he was elected President and
Harriet joined him in the White House.
Though there
had previously been White House hostesses who were not the wife
of a President, they were usually family members filling in for
a deceased or incapacitated Presidential spouse. Yet when
Buchanan entered the Executive Mansion in March, 1857, it was
the first time a Chief Executive had never married and so by
serving as “First Lady” Harriet occupied a unique position.
However, as they entered the White House they briefly postponed
social events because of the death from fever of Elliot,
Harriet’s brother, who was Buchanan’s secretary. When
entertaining resumed and Harriet began her duties as “First
Lady,” her beauty and charm assured her popularity. Frequently
in attendance at events with her uncle, she was often the center
of attention at White House receptions and dinners. “At White
House receptions,” said Mrs. Young, “and on all state occasions,
the sight of this stately beauty, standing beside her
distinguished grey-haired uncle, made a unique and delightful
contrast which thousands flocked to see.” Admirers copied her
hair and clothing styles, and innumerable little girls were
named for her. She was particularly flattered when the popular
song “Listen to the Mockingbird” was dedicated to her. Harriet
also began the tradition for First Ladies to promote a special
cause and with Miss Lane it was improving the living conditions
of American Indians on reservations. She also was intentional in
inviting promising and talented artists and musicians to the
White House.
Mrs. Young
was effusive in her praise of the young woman. “Her eyes, of
deep violet, shed a constant, steady light, yet they could flash
with rebuke, kindle with humor, or soften in tenderness. Her
mouth was her most peculiarly-beautiful features, capable of
expressing infinite humor or absolute sweetness, while her
classic head was crowned with masses of golden hair.” Another
honor she received was when a warship was named for her but when
she entertained a group of friends on the ship at a private
party, her uncle was not so happy. The president as well as the
press chided her because of her inappropriate use of government
property.
Since the
sectional differences that would culminate in the Civil War
meant opposing political factions, these were reflected in the
White House guests. It meant Harriet had to be particularly
careful in her planning to assure proper diplomats precedence
and also to keep political foes separated. Eventually as
emotions about the current issues became more intense she often
could not please everyone.
In 1860 the
year before her uncle left office, Harriet welcomed the Prince
of Wales (Later King Edward VII) to the White House as he toured
America. Though dancing was not a part of the entertainment at
that time, there was abundant music and an elegant atmosphere
suitable for visiting royalty. According to Mrs. Young, the
Prince “presented his portrait to Mr. Buchanan and a set of
engravings to Miss Lane, as ‘a slight mark of his grateful
recollection of the hospitable reception and agreeable visit at
the White House.’ “ The bedroom occupied by the future king was
known for many years as the Prince of Wales room, though the
chamber attained another place in history when Willie Lincoln
died there in 1862.
When Buchanan
left office in 1861, Harriet resumed her private life. Her
engagement to Henry Johnston was announced in October, 1864, and
to her uncle’s great happiness, they were married at Buchanan’s
Pennsylvania home in January, 1866. She and Johnston would have
two sons who died while still young.
Harriet
continued to collect art and at her death her collection was
willed to the Smithsonian and formed the basis of the National
Gallery of Art. Her husband died in 1882 and Harriet herself
lived till January, 1903.
She also left
a generous bequest to establish a home for invalid children, a
facility that would become a major pediatric care center. The
Harriet Lane Outpatient Clinics today serve many youngsters.
Eventually
there were three Coast Guard cutters named for Harriet. The
first was in 1857, a vessel that became part of the American
Navy in the Civil War and that was later captured by the
Confederate Navy in 1863. (This was probably the setting of her
“inappropriate” party.) The second cutter was commissioned in
1926, and taken out of service twenty years later, and the third
was commissioned in 1984 and is still in service.
Anne Adams, a freelance writer
living in Houston, Texas, is the author of a new e-book “First
of All, a Wife: Sketches of American First Ladies,” available
from pcpublications.org. She has published in Christian and
secular publications, taught history on the junior college
level, and spoken at national and local writers' conferences.
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|
History's Women Review |
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Reading about the lives of great women from history always
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faithfully walked with God. This book by Noel Piper is a fine
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Women Newsletter is for informational purposes only.
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