The First Ladies: Elizabeth Monroe
According to James Monroe's biographer Harlow Giles Unger, Elizabeth Monroe was the perfect woman, even though she seemed to be snubbed by much of Washington society. There is apparently very little primary source material about her, but what is available does suggest that she was quite courageous, intelligent and adapted well wherever she lived.
Elizabeth Kortright Monroe was born on June 30, 1768 in New York City, the daughter of merchant Lawrence Kortright and his wife, the former Hannah Aspinwall. She had three sisters and one brother, though it is not known where Elizabeth fell in the order of siblings. She was over five feet tall, with black hair and blue eyes and was raised in the Dutch Reformed Church, but married in an Episcopalian service.
Little is known about her formal education, but she was taught French and Latin as well as literature, music, dancing and sewing.
When the American Revolution began, her father was a Loyalist officer. In spite of this, the 17 year old Elizabeth married James Monroe, 10 years her senior, on February 16, 1786 at Trinity Episcopal Church in New York. The couple spent their honeymoon on Long Island and then lived in New York with her father. Upon his retirement from Congress in 1786, they returned to his native state of Virginia where James Monroe practiced law. They lived first in Fredericksburg, and then in Charlottesville.
The Monroes had three children, two daughters and one son: Eliza Monroe Hay (1786-1840), James Spence Monroe (1799-1801) and Maria Hester Gouverneur (1803–1850). When James Monroe was elected to the Senate in 1790, the Monroes relocated to the new temporary capital city of Philadelphia. Elizabeth spent much of her time in New York with her sisters and their families. Four years later, when Monroe was named U.S. Minister to France, they relocated to Paris. Elizabeth Monroe was said to be fond of the city and she was well-received there by both the local and diplomatic communities. During the last days of the French Revolution, Elizabeth Monroe made a name for herself by her courageous visit to Adrienne de Noiolles de Lafayette, the imprisoned wife of the Marquis de Lafayette. Elizabeth, in the American Embassy’s carriage, made it a point to visit the woman in prison. The French government used Elizabeth Monroe’s "unofficial" interest in Adrienne de Lafayette to release her on January 22, 1795.
She was considered fashionable and her adoption French clothing combined with her physical beauty led to the French press referring to her as “La Belle Americane.” The Monroes hosted American Thomas Paine in their Paris home after Monroe secured the freedom of the famous writer from prison. However, Paine's criticism of President Washington, combined with Monroe's lavish praise of France (in direct contradiction of Washington's strict neutrality policy) led to Monroe's recall and return to Virginia.
Monroe was elected Governor of Virginia in 1799. During this time, Elizabeth's father and her son Spencer both died and she developed serious health problems. Many of the symptoms that were described by contemporaries suggest that it was a type of epilepsy or some illness that in later years frequently left her shaking and falling into unconsciousness.
During the Jefferson Administration, Monroe was sent to France to help negotiate with Napoleon for the purchase of Louisiana and was then named Minister to Great Britain. Elizabeth did not enjoy London society in contrast with her established circle of friends and acquaintances in Paris. Upon returning to the U.S., James Monroe served as Secretary of State (1811-1817) and he and Elizabeth Monroe lived in Washington, D.C.
James Monroe became president in 1817 and the White House was still recovering from the damage the building sustained from the 1814 burning by British troops. Repairs were not yet completed, and the public reception following the new President's swearing-in ceremony were held in the Monroe's private home on I Street. Mrs. Monroe did not appear at either the swearing-in ceremony nor greet guests at the reception in her home.
The most frequent contemporary comments about Elizabeth Monroe related to her physical appearance. Despite her age, she looked youthful. With much of her previous life spent on the Continent, she was greatly influenced by European style. Her White House dinners were served "English style," with one servant for each guest. In private, it is said that the Monroe family spoke only in French.
Elizabeth Monroe provided a strong contrast to her predecessor Dolley Madison, who had conceived of her role as partially a public one. Because of her fragile health and reserved social nature, Elizabeth Monroe established a European-style protocol. She had few friends among Washington wives, but was said to be close with European born Louisa Adams, the wife of the Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. Dissatisfaction with Elizabeth Monroe's protocol led to a boycott of all Administration receptions by many officials in Washington. Elizabeth made few public appearances, with one notable exception being the 1824 White House dinner honoring the touring Marquis de Lafayette, whose wife the First Lady had helped get released from prison in 1795.
The White House did not release any information on the details of Elizabeth Monroe's health condition. Ignorance regarding epilepsy at the time, however, led to rumors that she suffered from a form of mental illness.
Elizabeth relied heavily on her eldest daughter, Eliza Monroe Hay, married to George Hay, the former prosecutor in the trial of Aaron Burr, and a prominent Virginia attorney. Eliza Hay frequently substituted for her mother as White House hostess. On March 9, 1820, the youngest Monroe child Maria Hester had a White House wedding - the first of a presidential child in the mansion. But the event caused further alienation of the Monroes as the event was limited to only 42 personal friends and family members. Neither official Washington nor the diplomatic corps were invited.
After James Monroe left the White House, Elizabeth Monroe was in such poor health that she and her husband had to remain there for three weeks after his Administration expired. They retired to their plantation estate in Loudon County, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. She assumed no public role and participated in no public activities. She traveled only to New York to visit her daughter Maria and her family, as well as her sisters and nieces and nephews. A year after leaving the White House, she suffered a seizure and collapsed near an open fireplace and sustained severe burns. She only lived three years after the accident. She died on September 30, 1830 at her home in Loudoun County, Virginia at the age of 62. She was buried on the grounds of her Oak Hill estate in Loudoun County, Virginia, but in 1903 her body was re-interred at Hollywood Cemetery, in Richmond Virginia.
After Elizabeth's death, James Monroe burned all their correspondence. In remembering his wife, Monroe would later write that she had shared fully in all aspects of his public service career and was always motivated by the interests of the U.S. She had apparently formed enough of a close relationship with Andrew Jackson, then the popular hero of the Battle of New Orleans, to always be mentioned in the president's letters to the general.
Upon her death, James Monroe predicted that he would not live long. He died ten months later.
Elizabeth Kortright Monroe was born on June 30, 1768 in New York City, the daughter of merchant Lawrence Kortright and his wife, the former Hannah Aspinwall. She had three sisters and one brother, though it is not known where Elizabeth fell in the order of siblings. She was over five feet tall, with black hair and blue eyes and was raised in the Dutch Reformed Church, but married in an Episcopalian service.
Little is known about her formal education, but she was taught French and Latin as well as literature, music, dancing and sewing.
When the American Revolution began, her father was a Loyalist officer. In spite of this, the 17 year old Elizabeth married James Monroe, 10 years her senior, on February 16, 1786 at Trinity Episcopal Church in New York. The couple spent their honeymoon on Long Island and then lived in New York with her father. Upon his retirement from Congress in 1786, they returned to his native state of Virginia where James Monroe practiced law. They lived first in Fredericksburg, and then in Charlottesville.
The Monroes had three children, two daughters and one son: Eliza Monroe Hay (1786-1840), James Spence Monroe (1799-1801) and Maria Hester Gouverneur (1803–1850). When James Monroe was elected to the Senate in 1790, the Monroes relocated to the new temporary capital city of Philadelphia. Elizabeth spent much of her time in New York with her sisters and their families. Four years later, when Monroe was named U.S. Minister to France, they relocated to Paris. Elizabeth Monroe was said to be fond of the city and she was well-received there by both the local and diplomatic communities. During the last days of the French Revolution, Elizabeth Monroe made a name for herself by her courageous visit to Adrienne de Noiolles de Lafayette, the imprisoned wife of the Marquis de Lafayette. Elizabeth, in the American Embassy’s carriage, made it a point to visit the woman in prison. The French government used Elizabeth Monroe’s "unofficial" interest in Adrienne de Lafayette to release her on January 22, 1795.
She was considered fashionable and her adoption French clothing combined with her physical beauty led to the French press referring to her as “La Belle Americane.” The Monroes hosted American Thomas Paine in their Paris home after Monroe secured the freedom of the famous writer from prison. However, Paine's criticism of President Washington, combined with Monroe's lavish praise of France (in direct contradiction of Washington's strict neutrality policy) led to Monroe's recall and return to Virginia.
Monroe was elected Governor of Virginia in 1799. During this time, Elizabeth's father and her son Spencer both died and she developed serious health problems. Many of the symptoms that were described by contemporaries suggest that it was a type of epilepsy or some illness that in later years frequently left her shaking and falling into unconsciousness.
During the Jefferson Administration, Monroe was sent to France to help negotiate with Napoleon for the purchase of Louisiana and was then named Minister to Great Britain. Elizabeth did not enjoy London society in contrast with her established circle of friends and acquaintances in Paris. Upon returning to the U.S., James Monroe served as Secretary of State (1811-1817) and he and Elizabeth Monroe lived in Washington, D.C.
James Monroe became president in 1817 and the White House was still recovering from the damage the building sustained from the 1814 burning by British troops. Repairs were not yet completed, and the public reception following the new President's swearing-in ceremony were held in the Monroe's private home on I Street. Mrs. Monroe did not appear at either the swearing-in ceremony nor greet guests at the reception in her home.
The most frequent contemporary comments about Elizabeth Monroe related to her physical appearance. Despite her age, she looked youthful. With much of her previous life spent on the Continent, she was greatly influenced by European style. Her White House dinners were served "English style," with one servant for each guest. In private, it is said that the Monroe family spoke only in French.
Elizabeth Monroe provided a strong contrast to her predecessor Dolley Madison, who had conceived of her role as partially a public one. Because of her fragile health and reserved social nature, Elizabeth Monroe established a European-style protocol. She had few friends among Washington wives, but was said to be close with European born Louisa Adams, the wife of the Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. Dissatisfaction with Elizabeth Monroe's protocol led to a boycott of all Administration receptions by many officials in Washington. Elizabeth made few public appearances, with one notable exception being the 1824 White House dinner honoring the touring Marquis de Lafayette, whose wife the First Lady had helped get released from prison in 1795.
The White House did not release any information on the details of Elizabeth Monroe's health condition. Ignorance regarding epilepsy at the time, however, led to rumors that she suffered from a form of mental illness.
Elizabeth relied heavily on her eldest daughter, Eliza Monroe Hay, married to George Hay, the former prosecutor in the trial of Aaron Burr, and a prominent Virginia attorney. Eliza Hay frequently substituted for her mother as White House hostess. On March 9, 1820, the youngest Monroe child Maria Hester had a White House wedding - the first of a presidential child in the mansion. But the event caused further alienation of the Monroes as the event was limited to only 42 personal friends and family members. Neither official Washington nor the diplomatic corps were invited.
After James Monroe left the White House, Elizabeth Monroe was in such poor health that she and her husband had to remain there for three weeks after his Administration expired. They retired to their plantation estate in Loudon County, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. She assumed no public role and participated in no public activities. She traveled only to New York to visit her daughter Maria and her family, as well as her sisters and nieces and nephews. A year after leaving the White House, she suffered a seizure and collapsed near an open fireplace and sustained severe burns. She only lived three years after the accident. She died on September 30, 1830 at her home in Loudoun County, Virginia at the age of 62. She was buried on the grounds of her Oak Hill estate in Loudoun County, Virginia, but in 1903 her body was re-interred at Hollywood Cemetery, in Richmond Virginia.
After Elizabeth's death, James Monroe burned all their correspondence. In remembering his wife, Monroe would later write that she had shared fully in all aspects of his public service career and was always motivated by the interests of the U.S. She had apparently formed enough of a close relationship with Andrew Jackson, then the popular hero of the Battle of New Orleans, to always be mentioned in the president's letters to the general.
Upon her death, James Monroe predicted that he would not live long. He died ten months later.