Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #FirstLadyFriday
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It’s #FirstLadyFriday, and today we’re highlighting the life of First Lady Jane Pierce, born in New Hampshire on this day in 1806.
Image: Library of Congress
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Image: Library of Congress
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Jane Appleton married Franklin Pierce in 1834, though she was uninterested in politics and the spotlight that came with it.
Image: White House Collection/White House Historical Association
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Image: White House Collection/White House Historical Association
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Their marriage was marked by tragedy, as they had lost two young children before Pierce’s election to the presidency in 1852. Unfortunately, death followed them to the White House.
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This #FirstLadyFriday, we recognize the many women who served as “surrogate” White House hostesses. Typically, first ladies are the wives of presidents, but daughters, nieces, sisters, daughters-in-laws, and friends have stepped into this significant role.
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President Thomas Jefferson, whose wife, Martha, passed away nearly two decades before his inauguration, was the first president to be joined by surrogate hostesses at the White House.
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His daughters, Martha Jefferson Randolph (pictured here) and Maria Jefferson Eppes, welcomed guests to the Executive Mansion, dined with visitors, and managed enslaved and free servants.
Image: Library of Congress
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Image: Library of Congress
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