Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur
BornApril 8, 1802 Edit this on Wikidata
Virginia, U.S.
DiedJune 20, 1850 Edit this on Wikidata (aged 48)
Oak Hill, Leesburg, Virginia, U.S.
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1820)​
Children4
Parent(s)
FamilyEliza Monroe Hay, James Spence Monroe Edit this on Wikidata

Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur (April 8, 1802 – June 20, 1850) was the younger daughter of U.S. President James Monroe. She was the first presidential offspring to be married in the White House.[1][2]

Early life

Maria Hester Monroe was the third child of James Monroe and Elizabeth Kortright Monroe. She was born in Virginia on April 8, 1802, during Monroe's first term as Governor of Virginia.[2][3][4][5] When James Monroe was sent to France the next year to assist in the negotiations over the Louisiana Purchase, he brought his family to live with him in France. Maria learned French there, and later in her childhood took a particular interest in the pianoforte.[4] From 1816 to 1819, she was enrolled in Madame Grelaud's French School in Pennsylvania.[2][4]

Marriage

Monroe became a popular part of the Washington, D.C., social scene. In 1820 she married Samuel L. Gouverneur, who was serving as private secretary to her father. They were first cousins; his mother was Elizabeth Monroe's sister. On March 9, 1820, they were married in the White House, in a small ceremony with only 42 guests, probably in the Blue Room. While it was not the first White House wedding, it was the first time a president's child was married there.[1][2]

Monroe's older sister, Eliza Monroe Hay, took charge of the wedding. Hay, who acted as an unofficial First Lady during the Monroe presidency, created a social scandal by trimming the guest list and snubbing large portions of Washington society. Complaints even were raised during a cabinet meeting. President Monroe sought the assistance of war hero Stephen Decatur and his wife Susan Decatur, popular figures in Washington society. They planned a series of lavish balls for the couple at Decatur House to appease complaints. The first one was a success, but the rest were cancelled as the next day Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel.[2][4]

New York

In 1822, the couple moved to New York City, where Samuel Gouverneur held a series of political posts. They built a two and half story house at 63 Prince Street in New York City. They were popular and threw lavish parties where the champagne flowed freely.[2] After his wife's death in 1830, James Monroe lived with his daughter and her husband in New York City until he died in 1831.[2][4]

Later life and death

Grave of Gouverneur in Hollywood Cemetery

In 1840 the couple returned to Washington. Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur died on June 20, 1850, at the Monroe family Virginia plantation, Oak Hill.[2][6]

Family

Maria and Samuel Gouverneur had four children:

  • a daughter (d. September 4, 1821), who died in infancy[3][7]
  • James Monroe Gouverneur (1822–1885), who was born a deaf mute. He died at Spring Grove Asylum in Catonsville, Maryland.[2][8]
  • Elizabeth Kortright Gouverneur (1826-1868), who was married three times.[2]
  • Samuel Laurence Gouverneur (1820-1880), who was a United States diplomat.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "How many weddings have been held at the White House?". The White House Historical Organization. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 McGrath, Tim (2020). James Monroe : a life. [New York, New York]. ISBN 978-0-451-47726-2. OCLC 1107442825.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 "Maria Monroe Gouverneur". umw.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Budinger, Meghan C. (2012). "The Domestic Life of James Monroe: The Man at Home". A Companion to James Madison and James Monroe. Stuart Eric Leibiger. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 472–488. ISBN 978-1-118-28136-9. OCLC 805947705.
  5. ↑ "To James Madison from James Monroe, 12 April 1802". National Archives and Records Administration. 1802-04-12. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  6. ↑ "Provenance of the James Monroe Papers". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  7. ↑ "Maria Monroe Gouverneur - Papers of James Monroe". Academics | Papers of James Monroe. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  8. ↑ "Founders Online: To James Madison from James Monroe, 25 August 1822". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-06.


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