Martha Washington

Martha Dandridge Parke-Custis Washington (June 2, 1731-May 22, 1802) served as the first First Lady of the United States when her second husband, George Washington, served as the first President, from 1789 to 1797.

Biography

Born near Williamsburg, Virginia, Martha "Patsy" Dandridge was the eldest daughter of Virginia planter John Dandridge. At the age of 18, she married Daniel Parke Custis, a rich bachelor twenty years her senior. She had four children by Custis, two of whom survived to adulthood, John (Jack) Parke Custis (1754-1781) and Martha "Patsy" Parke Custis. Custis' death in 1757 left Martha a rich widow, with independent control over a dower inheritance for her lifetime and trustee control over the inheritance of her minor children.

Related Topics:
Williamsburg, Virginia - 1754 - 1781

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Two years after the death of her first husband, Martha Dandridge Custis married Colonel George Washington on January 6, 1759. Shortly after the marriage, he left the colonial arm of the British military due to the British policy denying colonials command opportunities with the regular British army. They lived a prosperous and apparently happy life at Washington's Mount Vernon estate. Martha and George Washington had no children together, but they raised Martha's two surviving children. They also raised her two youngest grandchildren, Eleanor Parke Custis and George Washington Parke Custis (April 30, 1781 - October 10, 1857) after their father Jack died, probably of typhus, while serving as an aide to Washington during the siege of Yorktown in 1781. They also provided personal and financial support to nieces, nephews and other family members in both the Dandridge and Washington families.

Related Topics:
January 6 - 1759 - Mount Vernon estate - April 30 - October 10 - 1857

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Content to live a private life at Mount Vernon and her homes from the Custis estate, Martha Washington nevertheless followed Washington into the battlefield when he served as Commander in Chief of the American Army. She spent the infamous winter at Valley Forge with the General, and was instrumental in maintaining some level of morale among officers and enlisted troops. She opposed his election as president of the newly formed United States of America, and refused to attend the inauguration, but gracefully fulfilled her duties as the official state hostess during their two terms.

Related Topics:
Commander in Chief - Valley Forge - Inauguration

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Martha Washington survived her husband and died at Mount Vernon, Virginia. She was buried on May 22, 1802 at Mount Vernon. In 1831, her remains were moved from their original burial site a few hundred feet to a brick tomb that overlooks the Potomac River. In 1902 Martha Washington was the first woman to be commemorated by a U.S. postal stamp.

Related Topics:
Mount Vernon, Virginia - 1831 - Potomac River - 1902

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