Democratic Pennsylvania legislator James Buchanan became the fifteenth president of the United States in 1856. He was also the only lifelong bachelor to ascend to the nation's highest office. Since he was unmarried, Buchanan looked to family to fulfill the duties of a White House hostess. He chose his 27-year-old niece, Harriet Lane, for this very important job. She automatically became a media sensation and was actually the first woman to be referred to in the press as "America's First Lady."
A Star Is Born
Harriet Rebecca Lane was born on May 18, 1830, in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Elliot Tole Lane, a successful businessman, and Jane Buchanan Lane, sister of the future commander-in-chief. Both Elliot and Jane Lane died when their six children were very young. Their four sons and two daughters were left in the care of their wealthy Uncle James, who had become a very successful lawyer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Out of all his nieces and nephews, James was especially fond of Harriet. Uncle James was extremely overprotective of his favorite niece.
Only the Best for Rich Uncle James' Favorite NieceJames was especially concerned with Harriet's education. He set out to turn the gawky, tomboyish girl into a "proper lady." Buchanan was not happy with the school Harriet and her siblings were attending in southeastern Pennsylvania. Accordingly, Harriet was enrolled in a school in western Virginia. James believed that the Visitation Convent School in Georgetown was the ideal place for his niece. The problem was that Harriet was a high-spirited, fun-loving girl whose antics agitated the nuns who tried to teach her.
"Nunc," as Harriet called James, also attempted to control his exuberant niece's relationships with the opposite sex. He eventually realized that this was futile, for the attractive Harriet had many male admirers. Harriet completed her formal education at age 19 and returned to Lancaster to become headmistress of Wheatland, Nunc's massive estate.
Thrust Into the Spotlight
Nunc's lucrative legal career ultimately led to a political one. He served in the Pennsylvania state legislature. Then, in 1856, the Democratic Party chose him to be its presidential nominee. Nunc won the November election, and he chose Harriet to be his "First Lady," a term coined in print by Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, which ran a story about Harriet in its March 31, 1860, issue. The media fell madly in love with Harriet, who has been described by modern biographers as a "prototype of a Barbie Doll." She was tall, with violet-blue eyes and long blonde hair and a regal bearing. Harriet inspired fashion trends as well as artistic tributes. For example, she was immortalized in the popular song "Listen to the Mockingbird," which mentioned her childhood nickname "Halley." In addition, many American women named their baby girls after her. Thanks to her nightly dinner parties, Harriet's four years as White House hostess were enjoyable ones. The party would soon end, though. The nation was on the brink of civil war, and Nunc lost the 1860 election to Illinois congressman Abraham Lincoln.
Back to the Real World
Harriet, who followed Nunc's dating advice to be picky about whom she settle down with, finally married on January 11, 1866, at age 36. Her husband was Henry Elliot Johnston, a very successful Baltimore bank executive. Halley and Henry had two sons, James Buchanan Johnston and Henry Eliot Johnston. Both boys passed away when they were teenagers. Halley was widowed in 1884. In her later years, she became a philanthropist. For instance, she endowed the Harriet Lane home for Invalid Children at Baltimore's prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital and helped fund and establish St. Albans, a choristers' school at the Washington National Cathedral. After her death, the Smithsonian Institute acquired Halley's art collection, which began the National Gallery of Art. America's First "First Lady" died of cancer at age 76 on July 3, 1903, in Narragansett, Rhode Island.
Source:
Harris, Bill. The First Ladies Fact Book, p. 211-21. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2005.
