White House Weddings: Lucius Polk and Mary Eastin
On April 10, 1832, Mary Ann Eastin married Lucius Junius Polk in the East Room of the White House. The bride was the niece of the late Rachel Jackson, whose husband Andrew Jackson was nearing the end of his first term as President of the United States. The groom was a Tennessee politician who was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. His father was Colonel William Polk, a Revolutionary War Hero who had fought in a number of battles and had camped at Valley Forge with George Washington during the winter of 1777-78. Colonel Polk was a first cousin, once removed future President James K. Polk. Lucius Polk would serve as one of the groomsmen at the wedding of James K. Polk to the former Sarah Childress.
Lucius Polk moved to Maury County, Tennessee, in 1823. He served in the Tennessee Senate from 1831 to 1833 and years later he served as Adjutant General for the state of Tennessee from 1851 to 1853. Lucius was a supporter of Andrew Jackson and was also a wealthy cotton planter. He owned 30 slaves in 1836 and 52 slaves in 1840. He was a Knight Templar.
Andrew and Rachel Jackson were devoted to each other. Jackson’s political, business or military affairs frequently took him away from home, and it is said that Rachel sorely missed him during his absences. Most of her letters were destroyed in a fire that burned the Jacksons' home, the Hermitage mansion in 1834, but the few that remain show Rachel to have been an affectionate woman who cared deeply for her husband. After the couple returned from Washington, Rachel’s health began to decline. Her illness seemed centered around her heart and lungs. As Andrew Jackson began his campaign to gain the White House, personal and political attacks mounted. Degrading remarks and targeted attacks focused on the circumstances of Rachel’s marriage to Andrew. Stress over the attacks and depression compounded her health issues. As the campaign continued, her condition worsened. She reputedly told a friend “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than live in that palace in Washington.” After Jackson won the presidential election in 1828, Rachel’s final downturn in her illness began. She died on December 22, 1828. Her death devastated Andrew. Jackson always blamed his political enemies for her death.
Heading to Washington as a widower, Jackson took several members of his extended family to live with him. This group included his niece, Mary Eastin. Little is written about the wedding. The couple had 11 children together, including twins born in 1847, the year that Mary died at the age of 37. The couple lived at Hamilton Place, near Columbia, Tennessee, site of the present Polk House museum. After Mary Ann Polk had died, Lucius married Frances Anne Erwin, with whom he had an additional son and daughter. Frances Polk also died in her 30s, and Lucius died in 1870 at the age of 68.
Lucius Polk moved to Maury County, Tennessee, in 1823. He served in the Tennessee Senate from 1831 to 1833 and years later he served as Adjutant General for the state of Tennessee from 1851 to 1853. Lucius was a supporter of Andrew Jackson and was also a wealthy cotton planter. He owned 30 slaves in 1836 and 52 slaves in 1840. He was a Knight Templar.
Andrew and Rachel Jackson were devoted to each other. Jackson’s political, business or military affairs frequently took him away from home, and it is said that Rachel sorely missed him during his absences. Most of her letters were destroyed in a fire that burned the Jacksons' home, the Hermitage mansion in 1834, but the few that remain show Rachel to have been an affectionate woman who cared deeply for her husband. After the couple returned from Washington, Rachel’s health began to decline. Her illness seemed centered around her heart and lungs. As Andrew Jackson began his campaign to gain the White House, personal and political attacks mounted. Degrading remarks and targeted attacks focused on the circumstances of Rachel’s marriage to Andrew. Stress over the attacks and depression compounded her health issues. As the campaign continued, her condition worsened. She reputedly told a friend “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than live in that palace in Washington.” After Jackson won the presidential election in 1828, Rachel’s final downturn in her illness began. She died on December 22, 1828. Her death devastated Andrew. Jackson always blamed his political enemies for her death.
Heading to Washington as a widower, Jackson took several members of his extended family to live with him. This group included his niece, Mary Eastin. Little is written about the wedding. The couple had 11 children together, including twins born in 1847, the year that Mary died at the age of 37. The couple lived at Hamilton Place, near Columbia, Tennessee, site of the present Polk House museum. After Mary Ann Polk had died, Lucius married Frances Anne Erwin, with whom he had an additional son and daughter. Frances Polk also died in her 30s, and Lucius died in 1870 at the age of 68.