Eliza McCardle Johnson

Eliza McCardle was born in Greeneville, Tennessee on October 4, 1810.[1]^: 108 She was the only child of John McCardle, a cobbler and innkeeper, and Sarah Phillips.[2]^: 116 The family moved to Warrensburg, Tennessee while McCardle was young, but they returned to Greeneville following her father's death.[3]^: 191 McCardle was raised by her widowed mother, who financially supported her by weaving[4] and taught her to read and write.[2]^: 116 McCardle attended school and received a basic education.[4] She is believed to have attended the Rhea Academy in Greenville.[5]^: 203

McCardle met Andrew Johnson when his family moved to Greeneville in September 1826. She is said to have first seen him while talking amongst her friends, who began to tease her when she expressed her interest in the tailor's apprentice.[3]^: 191[6]^{: 131–132} McCardle and Johnson began courting almost immediately. The Johnsons left the city later that year, and the couple exchanged letters until he returned in 1827. They married on May 17, 1827.[2]^: 117 Mordecai Lincoln, the cousin once removed of Abraham Lincoln, presided over the nuptials.[3]^{: 191–193} McCardle was 16-years-old, making her the youngest to marry of all the first ladies of the United States.[2]^: 117[7]^: 231 After marrying, the couple moved into a two room house, where one of the rooms served as a tailor shop.[6]^: 130

Eliza Johnson provided her husband much of his formal education,[2]^: 117 though a common myth suggests that she even taught him to read and write.[3]^: 193 They had five children together: Martha in 1828, Charles in 1830, Mary in 1832, Robert in 1834, and Frank in 1852. Once they began having children, much of Johnson's time was spent tending to the household while her husband operated his tailor shop.[2]^: 117 In 1831, they purchased a larger home as well as a separate facility for the shop. They moved to a larger home again in 1851.[3]^: 193

Johnson traveled to Washington with her surviving children, her son-in-law David T. Patterson, and her grandchildren.[2]^: 119 They arrived on August 6, 1865.[3]^: 196 After arriving, she chose a room on the second floor directly opposite the president's office.[6]^: 129 Johnson was not able to serve effectively as first lady due to her poor health, and she remained largely confined to her bedroom, leaving the social chores to her daughter Martha.[3]^: 196 Though she disliked being the president's wife, she enjoyed the fact that her entire family all lived together.[1]^: 109

Johnson would receive her husband's guests at the White House,[1]^: 109 but she appeared publicly as first lady on only two occasions: a celebration for Queen Emma of Hawaii in 1866 and a children's ball for the president's sixtieth birthday in 1868.[2]^: 120 In both instances, she did not rise while receiving guests.[6]^: 131 She also received many letters from the public while she was the first lady, often asking for political favors or access to the president. Her correspondences were managed by her daughter and the White House staff. Though she was not active publicly, Johnson was able to regularly engage in activities with her family with some assistance.[3]^: 197

While living in the White House, Johnson often sewed and knitted, and she was frequently reading.[2]^{: 119–120} Each day, she would make her way through the White House residence, checking on her husband and the staff or spending time with her grandchildren.[3]^: 198 She was close to the staff, treating both the white and black servants "as members of the household".[5]^: 205 Johnson took up causes of her own, including a financial contribution to orphanages in Baltimore, Maryland,[3]^: 198 and Charleston, South Carolina.[7]^: 233 She also managed to travel while she was first lady, visiting nearby cities such as Boston, New York, and Philadelphia in 1867.[3]^: 198

Johnson did not have an active role in the politics of her husband's administration, though she gave him full support during his presidency, including during his impeachment.[4] She took an interest in the proceedings,[2]^: 120 and the president would visit her each morning for her advice.[6]^: 128 She held a strong influence over the president, and he regularly considered her advice.[5]^: 205 She regularly monitored newspaper coverage of the presidency, clipping stories that she felt deserved the president's attention. She sorted them each day, showing him positive stories each night and then negative stories the following morning.[9]^: 57

Johnson assisted the president with his speeches as she did in his previous political positions, and she worked to prevent the outbursts caused by his temper.[2]^: 120 Her fear for her husband's safety persisted throughout his presidency, as the assassination of Abraham Lincoln was still in recent memory.[2]^: 119 Despite her illness, she would still tend to her husband in certain areas, selecting his wardrobe for him and ensuring he was satisfied with the food provided for him.[6]^: 129 Johnson disliked living in the White House, and she was glad when her husband's term ended.[6]^: 131

The Johnsons returned to Greenville after leaving the White House in March 1869. Their son Robert took his own life the following month.[3]^: 199 Johnson lived a quieter life after ending her tenure as first lady, often spending her time with her children and grandchildren.[7]^: 234 She enjoyed a level of independence, sometimes traveling without her husband.[2]^{: 120–121}Her health declined by the time her husband was elected to the United States Senate in 1875, and she moved in with her daughter Mary. She was widowed shortly afterward on July 31, 1875.[3]^: 199 Johnson's poor health and her grief prevented her from attending the funeral,[2]^: 121 but she was appointed to execute his estate.[9]^: 58 She died on January 15, 1876,[2]^: 121 and she was buried beside her husband in Andrew Johnson National Cemetery.[7]^: 234

Johnson was one of the least active first ladies, playing little role in the political or social aspects of the White House. Her influence was that of an educator and adviser to her husband.[2]^: 121 She did not meaningfully change the position of first lady during her tenure.[3]^: 200 Historians generally describe Johnson as unassuming and unable to fulfill the role of first lady, but also as a capable intellectual partner for her husband. Though her husband's reputation declined considerably over the following century, Johnson's reputation as first lady remained largely unchanged.[7]^{: 234–235} Johnson's personal papers have been lost, in large part due to the Civil War.[7]^: 230 Most primary documents associated with her are among her husband's papers.[3]^: 200 In the 1982 Siena College Research Institute poll of historians, Johnson was ranked as the 21st of 42 first ladies.[10]

Johnson returned to the practice common among 19th century first ladies in which she allowed a younger surrogate to perform much of her duties, reestablishing the practice after the highly public tenure of her predecessor Mary Todd Lincoln.[11] She would be the last first lady to invoke illness in this fashion until Ida Saxton McKinley much later.[9]^: 58 Johnson may have avoided public attention specifically because of the intense criticism levied at her predecessor and the potential for similar criticism given her husband's controversial presidency. She may also have feared that she lacked the social talents required of a hostess.[9]^: 56 By the end of her tenure, she was described as "almost a myth" due to her limited public contact.[9]^: 57

• Eliza McCardle Johnson at Find a Grave
• Eliza Johnson at 'History of American Women'
• The White House Web Site
• National First Ladies' Library Archived 2012-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
• Eliza Johnson at C-SPAN's First Ladies: Influence & Image