Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur (April 8, 1802 – June 20, 1850) was the younger daughter of

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

. She was the first presidential offspring to be married in 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 ...

Early life

Maria Hester Monroe was the third child of

and Elizabeth Kortright Monroe. She was born in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

on April 8, 1802, during Monroe's first term as

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...

. When James Monroe was sent to France the next year to assist in the negotiations over the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

, 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 A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an action mechanism where hammers strike strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a chromatic scale in equal temp ...

. From 1816 to 1819, she was enrolled in Madame Grelaud's French School in Pennsylvania. She was 14 years old when her father became President.

Marriage

Monroe became a popular part of the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, social scene. In 1820, when she was 17, she married 21 year old Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur, son of Nicholas 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 officiated by Reverend William Hawley, with only 42 guests in attendance. The wedding was probably held in the Blue Room (then known as the Elliptical Salon) and the wedding feast was held in the State Dining Room. While it was not the first White House wedding, it was the first time a president's child was married there. Monroe's older sister,

Eliza Monroe Hay Elizabeth Kortright Monroe Hay (December 1786 – January 27, 1840) was an American socialite who acted as unofficial First Lady during her father James Monroe's presidency, as her mother's health kept her away from many White House duties. She ...

, 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 A cabinet in governing is a group of people with the constitutional or legal task to rule a country or state, or advise a head of state, usually from the executive branch. Their members are known as ministers and secretaries and they ar ...

. President Monroe sought the assistance of war hero Commodore

Stephen Decatur Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy officer. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County. His father, Ste ...

and his wife Susan Decatur, popular figures in Washington society. They planned a series of lavish balls for the couple at

Decatur House Decatur House is a historic house museum at 748 Jackson Place in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It is named after its first owner and occupant, the naval officer Stephen Decatur Jr. Built in 1818, the house is located at ...

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.

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. After his wife's death in 1830, James Monroe lived with his daughter and her husband in Prince Street, New York City until he died on 4 July 1831.

Later life and death

In 1840 the couple returned to Washington. Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur died on June 20, 1850, at the Monroe family Virginia plantation, Oak Hill. She was interred at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

Family

Maria and Samuel Gouverneur had four children: *a daughter (d. September 4, 1821), who died in infancy * James Monroe Gouverneur (1822–1885), who was born a

deaf mute Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either deaf and used sign language or both deaf and could not speak. The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people who cannot speak an oral language or have som ...

. He died at Spring Grove Asylum in

Catonsville, Maryland Catonsville () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland. The population was 44,701 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 US Census. The community is a streetcar suburb of Baltimore along the cit ...

. * Elizabeth Kortright Gouverneur (1826-1868), who was married three times. * Samuel Laurence Gouverneur (1820-1880), who was a United States diplomat.

References

External links

*
Oil painting of Maria Monroe
by

Charles Bird King Charles Bird King (September 26, 1785 – March 18, 1862) was an American portrait artist, best known for his portrayals of significant Native American leaders and tribesmen. His style incorporated Dutch influences, which can be seen most promi ...

, c. 1820, at The White House Historical Association. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gouverneur, Maria Hester Monroe Created via preloaddraft 1802 births 1850 deaths Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) James Monroe Monroe family Children of presidents of the United States People from Virginia