Eliza McCardle Johnson, born on October 4, 1810, in Leesburg, Tennessee, was the only child of a widowed mother living in Greeneville, Tennessee. Her modest upbringing and early life centered around Greeneville, where she would eventually meet her future husband, Andrew Johnson. On May 27, 1826, at the age of 16, Eliza married Andrew Johnson, a young tailor with limited formal education but great ambition. Eliza’s influence on Johnson's education and career would be profound; she dedicated herself to teaching him fundamental literacy skills and math, which laid the foundation for his later political rise.
Throughout Andrew Johnson's early political career, Eliza remained in Greeneville to care for their household and children, taking an active yet reserved role in his political ambitions. Her practical nature and commitment allowed her husband to pursue roles in the Tennessee legislature and, later, in the U.S. Senate. In 1861, when Johnson was serving in Washington, D.C., Eliza joined him for two months, but due to her deteriorating health, she returned to Greeneville, only to face challenging circumstances when Tennessee became a Confederate state. On April 24, 1862, she received a Confederate order to leave Greeneville for Union-controlled Nashville within 36 hours. Due to her fragile health, she was unable to comply and spent the summer under threat and isolation, enduring constant rumors of her husband’s assassination. Finally, in September 1862, she secured permission to cross Confederate lines and, with her children and son-in-law Daniel Stover, journeyed to join her husband in Nashville. Her journey was delayed at Murfreesboro by General Nathan Bedford Forrest but, with the aid of influential friends, she was granted safe passage to Nashville.
When Andrew Johnson became vice president in 1864 and ascended to the presidency in 1865 following Lincoln's assassination, Eliza Johnson moved to the White House. Her longstanding health issues, however, kept her largely confined to her quarters. Reluctant to take a visible public role, Eliza appeared sparingly in Washington society, leaving the First Lady’s duties to her eldest daughter, Martha Johnson Patterson. Born in Greeneville on October 25, 1828, Martha had been well-educated in Georgetown, D.C., and had frequented the White House during President Polk’s administration. She married Judge David T. Patterson in 1857 and took over the White House’s social functions during her father’s presidency, hosting receptions and overseeing the Congressional appropriation of $30,000 to refurbish the mansion.
Eliza and Andrew Johnson’s other daughter, Mary Johnson, born on May 8, 1832, also supported her family in Washington. She married Daniel Stover, who passed away in 1862, and later William R. Bacon in 1869. Mary resided in the White House for much of her father’s term, contributing to the management of household affairs and family duties.
Eliza McCardle Johnson passed away on January 15, 1876, in Greeneville, Tennessee, following years of quiet resilience and dedication to her husband and family. Known for her modesty, devotion, and strength during turbulent times, Eliza’s legacy as First Lady is characterized by her deep personal sacrifices, practical support for her husband’s career, and her influence on their daughters, who helped carry out the responsibilities of the First Lady’s role during Andrew Johnson's presidency.
United Colonies Continental Congress | President | 18th Century Term | Age |
Elizabeth "Betty" Harrison Randolph (1745-1783) | 09/05/74 – 10/22/74 | 29 | |
Mary Williams Middleton (1741- 1761) Deceased | Henry Middleton | 10/22–26/74 | n/a |
Elizabeth "Betty" Harrison Randolph (1745–1783) | 05/20/ 75 - 05/24/75 | 30 | |
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott (1747-1830) | 05/25/75 – 07/01/76 | 28 | |
United States Continental Congress | President | Term | Age |
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott (1747-1830) | 07/02/76 – 10/29/77 | 29 | |
Eleanor Ball Laurens (1731- 1770) Deceased | Henry Laurens | 11/01/77 – 12/09/78 | n/a |
Sarah Livingston Jay (1756-1802) | 12/ 10/78 – 09/28/78 | 21 | |
Martha Huntington (1738/39–1794) | 09/29/79 – 02/28/81 | 41 | |
United States in Congress Assembled | President | Term | Age |
Martha Huntington (1738/39–1794) | 03/01/81 – 07/06/81 | 42 | |
Sarah Armitage McKean (1756-1820) | 07/10/81 – 11/04/81 | 25 | |
Jane Contee Hanson (1726-1812) | 11/05/81 - 11/03/82 | 55 | |
Hannah Stockton Boudinot (1736-1808) | 11/03/82 - 11/02/83 | 46 | |
Sarah Morris Mifflin (1747-1790) | 11/03/83 - 11/02/84 | 36 | |
Anne Gaskins Pinkard Lee (1738-1796) | 11/20/84 - 11/19/85 | 46 | |
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott (1747-1830) | 11/23/85 – 06/06/86 | 38 | |
Rebecca Call Gorham (1744-1812) | 06/06/86 - 02/01/87 | 42 | |
Phoebe Bayard St. Clair (1743-1818) | 02/02/87 - 01/21/88 | 43 | |
Christina Stuart Griffin (1751-1807) | 01/22/88 - 01/29/89 | 36 |
Constitution of 1787 First Ladies | President | Term | Age |
April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797 | 57 | ||
March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801 | 52 | ||
Martha Wayles Jefferson Deceased | September 6, 1782 (Aged 33) | n/a | |
March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817 | 40 | ||
March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825 | 48 | ||
March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829 | 50 | ||
December 22, 1828 (aged 61) | n/a | ||
February 5, 1819 (aged 35) | n/a | ||
March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841 | 65 | ||
April 4, 1841 – September 10, 1842 | 50 | ||
June 26, 1844 – March 4, 1845 | 23 | ||
March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849 | 41 | ||
March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850 | 60 | ||
July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853 | 52 | ||
March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1857 | 46 | ||
n/a | n/a | ||
March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865 | 42 | ||
February 22, 1862 – May 10, 1865 | |||
April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869 | 54 | ||
March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877 | 43 | ||
March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881 | 45 | ||
March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881 | 48 | ||
January 12, 1880 (Aged 43) | n/a | ||
June 2, 1886 – March 4, 1889 | 21 | ||
March 4, 1889 – October 25, 1892 | 56 | ||
June 2, 1886 – March 4, 1889 | 28 | ||
March 4, 1897 – September 14, 1901 | 49 | ||
September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1909 | 40 | ||
March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913 | 47 | ||
March 4, 1913 – August 6, 1914 | 52 | ||
December 18, 1915 – March 4, 1921 | 43 | ||
March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923 | 60 | ||
August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929 | 44 | ||
March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933 | 54 | ||
March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945 | 48 | ||
April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953 | 60 | ||
January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961 | 56 | ||
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963 | 31 | ||
November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969 | 50 | ||
January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974 | 56 | ||
August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977 | 56 | ||
January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981 | 49 | ||
January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989 | 59 | ||
January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 | 63 | ||
January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001 | 45 | ||
January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009 | 54 | ||
January 20, 2009 - January 20, 2017 January 20, 2017 - January 20, 2021 January 20, 2021 - Present | 45 46 47 |
Philadelphia | Sept. 5, 1774 to Oct. 24, 1774 | |
Philadelphia | May 10, 1775 to Dec. 12, 1776 | |
Baltimore | Dec. 20, 1776 to Feb. 27, 1777 | |
Philadelphia | March 4, 1777 to Sept. 18, 1777 | |
Lancaster | September 27, 1777 | |
York | Sept. 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778 | |
Philadelphia | July 2, 1778 to June 21, 1783 | |
Princeton | June 30, 1783 to Nov. 4, 1783 | |
Annapolis | Nov. 26, 1783 to Aug. 19, 1784 | |
Trenton | Nov. 1, 1784 to Dec. 24, 1784 | |
New York City | Jan. 11, 1785 to Nov. 13, 1788 | |
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New York City | March 3,1789 to August 12, 1790 | |
Philadelphia | Dec. 6,1790 to May 14, 1800 | |
Washington DC | November 17,1800 to Present |
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