All The Presidents' Dates
Jean A. Pupeter

The term, "Mr. President, Widower", has been used 15 times in U.S. history. Fifteen presidents became widowers at the death of their wives, five of whom remarried: Tyler, Fillmore, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, and Wilson. The other ten did not. Five president's wives died before they became first ladies. The five were Martha Jefferson, Rachel Jackson, Hannah Van Buren, Ellen Arthur and Alice Roosevelt. Three first ladies died while their husbands were in office: Letitia Tyler, Caroline Harrison, and Lou Wilson. The other seven first ladies predeceased their husbands after his presidency had been completed.

Abigail Smith Adams was the wife of one president and the mother of another. She was also third cousin to her husband, John Adams. In 1775, Abigail urged her husband to support independence. She believed in the abolition of slavery and in more education for women. Years later she was rated the second most influential first lady, behind Eleanor Roosevelt. John and Abigail Adams retired to Massachusetts after his term as president. They lived there for 17 years until Abigail died at age 73 of typhoid on October 28, 1818. President Adams outlived her for 7 years and wrote of the love and admiration he had for her and his gratitude for her support of his political career. After her death, he lived to see his son, John Quincy Adams, become president.

Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson was born on October 19, 1748 and was married to Thomas Jefferson for 10 years. Her physical health was weakened by her six pregnancies and she never gained strength after her last child was born in May of 1782. Thomas Jefferson was very devoted to Martha. When she died on September 6, 1782, he wrote in his diary, "My dear wife died this day at 11:45 a.m.". He spent the next three weeks shut in his room, pacing till almost exhausted. Two years later he went to France. It would be 19 years before he became president of the United States and, besides the loss of his wife, four of his children died before he became president. He was the first president to serve as a widower. He had promised Martha on her deathbed that he would never remarry, and he did not. He lived almost 44 years after Martha's death.
Elizabeth Kortwright Monroe died on September 23, 1830, five years after she and James Monroe left the White House. She had been a very aristocratic first lady and was referred to as hauty and a snob by many in the public. James Monroe died a year later, after their brief retirement at Monroe Mansion in Oak Hill, Virginia. Elizabeth Monroe had spent money freely and James Monroe was in serious financial trouble at the time of his death.

Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson was born on June 15, 1767 in Virginia and moved to Tennessee at age 13. Her abusive first husband, Lewis Robards, caused her to flee to Nashville to get away from continuing harassment. Future president Andrew Jackson took her to Mississippi where, upon receiving word of Mr. Robard's divorce from Rachel, they were married in 1791. They later discovered that Robards had only applied for the divorce and it was not decreed until 1793. Thus, Andrew Jackson and Rachel remarried on January 17, 1794. A gossipy public repeated a story of Rachel's adultery because her marriage to Andrew Jackson was not legal the first time. During his presidential campaign, she overheard people gossiping about this, as well as her pipe smoking, and she was found weeping hysterically. A few days later she had a heart attack and died on September 22, 1828. She was buried in the inaugural gown she had selected to wear the day her husband would become president. Andrew Jackson was the second widower inaugurated into the executive office. He was heartbroken by Rachel's death and wore a miniature picture of her during his years in the White House. He never remarried.

Hannah Hoes and Martin Van Buren were wed on February 21, 1807. Hannah was a shy, modest, loving and gentle Christian. Hannah died at age 35 of tuberculosis on February 5, 1819, thus making President Van Buren the third widower to be inaugurated president of the United States. Although he never remarried and lived another 43 years, he proposed to Margaret Sylvester, age 40, in 1851. She declined, stating that she wished to remain single, and they remained good friends. Hannah Van Buren was buried in Albany, New York, but Martin Van Buren later had her reburied in Kinderhook.