Eliza McCardle Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eliza McCardle Johnson
First Lady of the United States
In role April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869
President	Andrew Johnson
Preceded by	Mary Todd Lincoln
Succeeded by	Julia Grant
Second Lady of the United States
In role March 4, 1865 – April 15, 1865
Vice President	Andrew Johnson
Preceded by	Ellen Hamlin
Succeeded by	Ellen Colfax
First Lady of Tennessee
In role October 17, 1853 – November 3, 1857
Governor	Andrew Johnson
Preceded by	Frances Owen
Succeeded by	Martha Mariah Travis
In role March 12, 1862 – March 4, 1865
Governor	Andrew Johnson
Preceded by	Martha Mariah Travis
Succeeded by	Eliza O'Brien
Personal details
Born	Eliza McCardle (1810-10-04)October 4, 1810 Telford, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	January 15, 1876(1876-01-15) (aged 65) Greeneville, Tennessee, U.S.
Resting place	Andrew Johnson National Cemetery Greeneville, Tennessee
Spouse	Andrew Johnson ​ ​ (m. 1827; died 1875)​
Children	Martha Charles Mary Robert Andrew Jr.
Signature

Eliza Johnson (born McCardle; October 4, 1810 – January 15, 1876) was the First Lady of the United States from 1865 to 1869. She was the wife of President Andrew Johnson. Eliza Johnson was not very active as first lady. She mostly stayed out of public view during her husband's time as president. She was the youngest first lady to get married, at the age of 16.

Eliza Johnson helped her husband a lot in his early career. She helped him learn and encouraged him to improve his public speaking. She also encouraged him to seek political office. However, she did not take part in the social side of politics. She stayed home while her husband was in office. During the American Civil War, she had to leave her home. This was because her family supported the Union. She suffered from tuberculosis for much of her life. This limited what she could do.

Johnson was briefly the second lady of the United States. This was before she became first lady. Her husband was Vice President of the United States until Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. As first lady, Johnson let her daughter Martha Johnson Patterson handle most social duties. She only made two public appearances as first lady. Yet, she strongly influenced her husband. He often asked her for advice. After leaving the White House, Johnson returned to her home in Greeneville, Tennessee. She lived a quiet life there. She died six months after her husband and was buried next to him.

Eliza Johnson's Early Life and Marriage

Eliza McCardle was born in Greeneville, Tennessee, on October 4, 1810. She was the only child of John McCardle, a shoemaker, and Sarah Phillips. Her family moved to Warrensburg, Tennessee when she was young. They returned to Greeneville after her father died. Her mother, a widow, raised her. She earned money by weaving and taught Eliza to read and write. Eliza went to school and got a basic education. She is thought to have attended the Rhea Academy in Greenville.

Eliza met Andrew Johnson when his family moved to Greeneville in September 1826. She first saw him while talking with friends. Her friends teased her when she showed interest in the tailor's apprentice. Eliza and Andrew started dating almost right away. The Johnsons left the city later that year. The couple wrote letters until he returned in 1827. They married on May 17, 1827. Mordecai Lincoln, a relative of Abraham Lincoln, led the wedding. Eliza was 16 years old. This made her the youngest of all first ladies of the United States to marry. After marrying, they moved into a two-room house. One room was used as a tailor shop.

Eliza Johnson gave her husband much of his formal education. There is a common story that she taught him to read and write. They had five children together:

• Martha (born 1828)
• Charles (born 1830)
• Mary (born 1832)
• Robert (born 1834)
• Frank (born 1852)

Once they had children, Eliza spent most of her time caring for the home. Her husband ran his tailor shop. In 1831, they bought a bigger house. They also bought a separate building for the shop. They moved to an even larger home in 1851.

Life as a Politician's Wife

Before the Civil War

Eliza encouraged her husband to seek political office. She played a big part in his early political career. She helped him with his education and public speaking skills. As he got higher political jobs, Eliza avoided the social duties of a politician's wife. She focused on their home instead. By this time, their household included several enslaved people. It is not known how Eliza felt about owning enslaved people. As her children grew up, she enjoyed seeing her daughters find husbands and start their own families.

While at home, Eliza managed the family's money. This included their many investments. She did not travel with her husband for his work. But she supported him, giving encouragement and helping with his speeches. She suffered from tuberculosis, which made her weak. Her health got better and worse over the years. She never fully recovered. She eventually traveled to Washington, D.C. in 1860 with her sons. She stayed until the American Civil War began the next year.

During the American Civil War

During the war, Eliza Johnson supported Unionists living in the Confederate States of America. She was forced to move after the Confederate States Army took over the area. The Johnson home was captured by Confederate forces. She had to move to her daughter Mary's farm. In May 1862, she was first told to leave the whole area within 36 hours. She replied, "I cannot comply with the requirement." She was then given five more months.

Eliza eventually made a three-week journey to Nashville, Tennessee. During this trip, she was bothered and threatened. This was because she was the wife of a Unionist senator. The journey greatly affected her health. But when she got to Nashville, she reunited with her husband. She had not seen him in almost a year. She later traveled north, passing through Confederate lines without protection. She went to Ohio and Indiana to visit her children. She returned to Nashville in May 1863. The Johnsons' oldest son, Charles, died later that year. He was thrown from his horse. She had little rest in Nashville. She rarely saw her husband, especially after he started campaigning in the 1864 United States presidential election. Eliza's husband became the Vice President of the United States in March 1865.

As First Lady of the United States

Eliza Johnson traveled to Washington with her remaining children, her son-in-law David T. Patterson, and her grandchildren. They arrived on August 6, 1865. After arriving, she chose a room on the second floor. It was directly across from the president's office. Eliza could not serve well as first lady because of her poor health. She mostly stayed in her bedroom. Her daughter Martha handled the social duties. Even though she disliked being the president's wife, she enjoyed having her whole family living together.

Eliza would receive her husband's guests at the White House. But she only appeared publicly as first lady two times. One was for a celebration for Queen Emma of Hawaii in 1866. The other was a children's ball for the president's sixtieth birthday in 1868. In both cases, she stayed seated while greeting guests. She also received many letters from the public as first lady. These often asked for political favors or access to the president. Her daughter and the White House staff managed her letters. Even though she was not active publicly, Eliza could do things with her family with some help.

While living in the White House, Eliza spent her time sewing, knitting, and reading. Each day, she would walk around the White House. She would check on her husband and the staff. She also spent time with her grandchildren. She was close to the staff. She treated both white and black servants "as members of the household." Eliza also supported her own causes. She gave money to orphanages in Baltimore, Maryland and Charleston, South Carolina. She also managed to travel as first lady. She visited nearby cities like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia in 1867.

Eliza Johnson did not have an active role in her husband's government. But she fully supported him during his presidency. This included during his impeachment. She was interested in the impeachment process. The president would visit her each morning for her advice. She had a strong influence on the president. He often thought about her advice. She regularly checked newspaper stories about the presidency. She would clip stories she thought the president should see. She sorted them each day. She showed him positive stories each night and negative stories the next morning.

Eliza helped the president with his speeches. She had done this in his earlier political jobs. She also worked to prevent his temper outbursts. She worried about her husband's safety during his presidency. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln was still fresh in everyone's minds. In one letter, her daughter Martha said Eliza was "almost deranged" with worry. She feared her husband would also be assassinated. Despite her illness, she still helped her husband in some ways. She chose his clothes for him. She also made sure he was happy with his food. Eliza disliked living in the White House. She was glad when her husband's term ended.

Later Life and Death

The Johnsons returned to Greeneville after leaving the White House in March 1869. Their son Robert died the next month. Eliza lived a quieter life after being first lady. She often spent time with her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed some freedom. Sometimes she traveled without her husband. Her health got worse by the time her husband was elected to the United States Senate in 1875. She moved in with her daughter Mary. She became a widow shortly after, on July 31, 1875. Eliza's poor health and sadness kept her from attending the funeral. She died on January 15, 1876. Her death happened six months after her husband's. She was buried next to him.

Eliza Johnson's Legacy

Eliza Johnson was one of the least active first ladies. She played little part in the political or social life of the White House. Her influence was mostly as a teacher and adviser to her husband. She did not change the role of first lady much during her time. Historians usually describe Eliza Johnson as humble and unable to fully do the first lady's job. But they also say she was a smart partner for her husband. Even though her husband's reputation went down over time, Eliza Johnson's reputation as first lady stayed mostly the same. Her personal papers have been lost, mostly because of the Civil War. Most old documents about her are found among her husband's papers. In a 1982 poll of historians, Eliza Johnson was ranked 21st out of 42 first ladies.

Eliza Johnson went back to a common practice for 19th-century first ladies. She let a younger person do many of her duties. This brought back the practice after Mary Todd Lincoln's very public time as first lady. Eliza was the last first lady to use illness as a reason to avoid public duties until Ida Saxton McKinley much later. Eliza may have avoided public attention because of the strong criticism her predecessor faced. She might have feared similar criticism because her husband's presidency was controversial. She also might have worried that she was not good enough at social events. By the end of her time as first lady, she was described as "almost a myth" because she had so little public contact.

See also

In Spanish: Eliza McCardle Johnson para niños