Sarah Jackson ( ''née'' Yorke; July 1805August 23, 1887) was an American woman who was the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

hostess and acting

first lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

from November 26, 1834, to March 4, 1837. She served in this role as the daughter-in-law of U.S. president

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

after marrying his adopted son, Andrew Jackson Jr. She had initially been named as mistress of the Jackson residence in Tennessee, the Hermitage, but she moved to the White House and became co-hostess with Emily Donelson after the Hermitage was damaged in a fire. When Donelson fell ill, Jackson took on the position of White House hostess in its entirety for the remainder of the term. After leaving the White House, she returned to the repaired Hermitage, living there for the remainder of her life.

Early life

Sarah Yorke was born in July 1805, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, into a wealthy

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family. Her father Peter Yorke, a sea captain and successful merchant, died in 1815. Her mother Mary Haines Yorke died during a trip to

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in 1820, leaving Sarah and her two sisters orphaned. She was raised by two aunts, Mrs. George Farquhar and Mrs. Mordecai Wetherill. Sarah Yorke married Andrew Jackson Jr., the adopted son of President Andrew Jackson, in Philadelphia on November 24, 1831. The president's schedule prevented him from attending the wedding, but the couple was invited to stay at the

over the following months. Their stay in the White House served as an extended honeymoon, and several parties were held in their honor. She bonded with the president, who considered her to be like a daughter. There was speculation as to whether she would become the new White House hostess, but the role remained with the president's niece, Emily Donelson. Upon leaving the White House, the new couple went to The Hermitage, Jacksons'

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Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. Wishing to clearly distinguish Sarah Jackson's role from that of White House hostess Donelson, the president had appointed Jackson as the "mistress of the Hermitage". This was in part to avoid any potential animosity between them, but the decision was primarily to ensure that Donelson's husband remained in the White House as the president's secretary. Jackson gave birth to all five of her children at the Hermitage, beginning with her daughter Rachel in 1832. Their stay at the Hermitage was interrupted on October 13, 1834, when a fire destroyed much of the main house. They found a home to stay in at Hunter's Hill, but the incident had a severe emotional effect on Jackson. As winter approached, they decided it would be preferable to stay at the White House.

White House hostess

The family arrived at the White House on November 26, 1834, and Jackson made extensive purchases to replace their lost belongings at the president's expense. Jackson immediately began to take on the role as co-hostess of the White House along with Donelson. It was the only time in history when there were two women simultaneously acting as White House hostess. As Donelson became seriously ill, Jackson become the White House hostess in its entire capacity in October 1836. She remained the sole hostess for the remainder of her father-in-law's presidency. Jackson was not terribly active as a hostess. The death of

Rachel Jackson Rachel Jackson ( ''née'' Donelson; June 15, 1767 – December 22, 1828) was the wife of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States.

had limited any significant social activity in the White House, and this was compounded by the death of Emily Donelson. She remained at the White House for the final ten months of President Jackson's term, though she made several lengthy trips, including one to the Hermitage to oversee its reconstruction. The family left the White House when President Jackson's term ended in March 1837.

Later life and legacy

Jackson continued to oversee the Hermitage after leaving the White House. She remained close to the former president and cared for him for the remainder of his life. In 1838, she assisted him in his crisis of faith that led him to join her in the

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—something that he had considered doing even before his presidency. Upon his death, the former president left her four of his female slaves. The family sold the Hermitage to the state of Tennessee in 1856, but Sarah Jackson was allowed to continue living there for the remainder of her life. Her sons fought with the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, and her son Samuel died during the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southe ...

. Her husband died in 1865. Sarah Yorke Jackson died on August 23, 1887, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 82. Jackson had little influence on the position of first lady, as her short tenure and the social circumstances of the Andrew Jackson presidency offered her little opportunity to stand out. By the time she reached old age, she had largely been forgotten by the American public, and she has since been the subject of very little scholarly analysis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Sarah Yorke 1803 births 1887 deaths 19th-century American women First ladies of the United States People from Nashville, Tennessee People from Philadelphia Family of Andrew Jackson 19th-century American people