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Dolley Payne Todd Maison
Date of Birth: May 20, 1768
Date of Death: July 12, 1849
Age at death: 81
Married: Sept 15, 1794 - James
Madison
Children: 2 to
John Todd |
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- Dolley is the correct spelling of
the woman who would also be labeled as White House "Hostess
with the mostest"
- First married and widowed to John
Todd, she married James Madison in 1794 and was promptly expelled
from the Society of Friends for marrying a non-Quaker
- Dolley had two sons to Todd, one survived
infancy
- Mrs. Madison was emulated by other
ladies of the day including her use of snuff in public, wearing
turbans, and owning a macaw. Dolley attended and bet on horses
races as well as holding her own in poker
- While her husband served in the state
legislature, Mrs. Madison influenced him to vote against an import
tax on snuff, one of her favorite vices
- The first First Lady to attend an
inauguration in the new capital, Dolley entertained guests at
the White House with piano sing-a-longs and stimulating conversation
on the latest bestselling books
- Her portrait in the Smithsonian Institute
depicts her with a book in hand
- When the British invaded Washington
during the War of 1812, Dolley ordered the Gilbert Stuart painting
of George Washington dismantled and safeguarded. She fled the
White House just minutes before the soldiers set the home ablaz
- At her eulogy President Zachary Taylor
referred her as "...truly, America's First Lady"
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