All the Presidents Wives 20

Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur

Born:

August 30, 1837 Culpepper County, Virginia

Died:

January 12, 1880 New York City

Father:

William Lewis Herndon – Navy officer, explorer of the Amazon

Mother:

Frances Elizabeth Hansbrough Herndon

Siblings: None

Physical Description:

Dark eyes, brown hair parted severely in the middle and worn in braids at the back of her head. She had a frail appearance. Her beauty was saved from being insipid by a wide jaw and strong cheekbones. Considered one of the prettiest of the presidents’ wives.
Religion: Episcopalian

Education:

Raised in rural Virginia, Ellen Lewis Herndon had a rich, cultured childhood. The Herndon’s could trace their family back to England in the seventeenth century. Her father’s death at sea, which earned him a statue at Annapolis, left a mark on Ellen’s childhood.
Little is known about Ellen’s education except that she loved music and singing, and even learned to sing opera.

Husband:

Chester Alan Arthur (1829 – 1886)

Courtship and Marriage:

The young Ellen Herndon met Chester Arthur in New York City, where she was visiting with her widowed mother. They were introduced by Ellen’s cousin, Dabney Herndon, who was a medical student. Ellen and Chester has a very brief courtship. He proposed at the U.S. Hotel in Saratoga, New York. They were married at the Calvary Episcopal Church on October 25, 1859.

Age at marriage:

22 years, 56 days

Personality:

Ellen was outgoing, very social and musical. She loved the hustle and bustle of New York life, but separation from her family and the Civil War saddened her greatly. Also an accomplished horsewoman, Ellen Arthur rode frequently. Her greatest trial was that she did not get along well with much of Chester Arthur’s family or friends, and they questioned her loyalty during the war.
Children:
1. William Lewis Herndon Arthur (1860 – 1863)
2. Chester Alan Arthur (1864 – 1937)
3. Ellen Herndon Arthur Pinkerton (1871 – 1915)

Years Before White House:

The Civil War and separation from her mother and other relatives took a heavy tool on Ellen Arthur. Eventually, the Arthurs moved into a lovely home on Lexington Avenue in New York, and Ellen became a leader in society. Often giving opera recitals and musicals to raise money for charities, Ellen Arthur was in demand. Arthur began spending much of his time with political cronies connected with his job as the Collector of Customs for the City of New York. There are stories that Ellen was unhappy with the long hours Chester spent away from home and even considered a separation.

Death:

January 12, 1880. After attending an operatic recital, Ellen Arthur became over-heated and then chilled on her way home. She lapsed into a coma and died two days later without emerging from the coma. Her husband was in Albany when she was taken ill, and did not arrive home before her death.

Age at death:

42 years, 135 days

Legacy:

Ellen left no legacy to the role of presidential wives. Beautiful, gracious and elegant, she would have been an asset to Chester Arthur’s restored, stylish White House had she not died prior to his term.

http://www.firstladies.org/