- Née:
- Martha Dandridge
- Also called (1749–59):
- Martha Custis
- Born:
- June 2, 1731, New Kent county, Virginia [U.S.]
- Died:
- May 22, 1802, Mount Vernon, Virginia, U.S. (aged 70)
- Title / Office:
- first lady (1789-1797)
Martha Washington
-
Who was Martha Washington?
Martha Washington (1731–1802) was the inaugural First Lady of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797, and wife to George Washington, the first president. Born in New Kent County, Virginia, she was raised among wealthy plantation families, receiving an education focused on domestic skills and arts.
At 18, she married Daniel Parke Custis, a plantation owner 20 years her senior, and had four children, two of whom died in infancy. After Custis' death, she married George Washington in 1759, bringing her children to Mount Vernon. Martha was known for her hospitality at Mount Vernon. During the Revolutionary War, she spent winters with George at military quarters, encouraging officers' wives to support the war effort. As First Lady, she set precedents for the role, though she faced criticism for lavish entertaining. Following George's death in 1799, she remained at Mount Vernon until she died in 1802.
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How did Martha Washington become the first First Lady of the United States?
As the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States, Martha Washington became the first First Lady, though the title wasn't used at the time.
After her husband's inauguration in 1789, Martha joined him in New York City, then the capital. She was celebrated as "Lady Washington" and known for her graciousness and hospitality. While she took no stand on political issues, she was criticized for opulent entertaining. As First Lady, Martha set many customs for the president’s wife.
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What was Martha Washington's role during her husband's presidency?
As the inaugural first lady (1789–97), Martha Washington set precedents for the role. Affectionately known as "Lady Washington," she was hailed as a public figure after joining President George Washington in New York City a month after his inauguration.
Living with her husband in combined office and residence spaces, Martha was involved in political discussions and received callers. Though she took no public stands, she was criticized for opulent entertaining. Despite the criticism, her willingness to embrace the public role shaped the position of first lady for those who followed.
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How did Martha Washington support George Washington during the American Revolution?
During the American Revolution, Martha Washington supported George Washington by spending winters with him at his military quarters. She lived simply and encouraged other officers’ wives to support the war effort by economizing and assisting their husbands. Known for her graciousness and hospitality at Mount Vernon, Martha set standards for the proper treatment of the president’s wife.
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What were some challenges Martha Washington faced as First Lady?
As the inaugural First Lady, Martha Washington faced several unique challenges. With no precedent to guide her, she had to define the role while navigating public expectations.
Some criticized her entertaining style as too extravagant for a republican government. Despite these challenges, her willingness to embrace the public role helped solidify the position of First Lady for those who followed. She was also closely watched and widely hailed as "Lady Washington".
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How has Martha Washington influenced the role of First Ladies who came after her?
As the inaugural First Lady of the United States, Martha Washington established precedents for future holders of the position. Despite her initial reluctance, she embraced the public role, setting standards for how a president's wife should behave and be treated.
Known as "Lady Washington," she was hailed and celebrated, which underscored the importance of the First Lady in the public eye. Washington's hospitality became well-known as she opened her home for official functions, which allowed her to participate in political discussions and be carefully watched by the public. Though she took no stand on public issues, her willingness to assume a public role contributed to the position's strength and influence.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Martha Washington (born June 2, 1731, New Kent county, Virginia [U.S.]—died May 22, 1802, Mount Vernon, Virginia, U.S.) was an American first lady (1789–97), the wife of George Washington, first president of the United States and commander in chief of the colonial armies during the American Revolutionary War. She set many of the standards and customs for the proper behavior and treatment of the president’s wife.
Daughter of farmers John and Frances Jones Dandridge, Martha grew up among the wealthy plantation families of the Tidewater region of eastern Virginia, and she received an education traditional for young women of her class and time, one in which domestic skills and the arts far outweighed science and mathematics. In 1749, at age 18, she married Daniel Parke Custis, who was 20 years her senior and an heir to a neighboring plantation. During their life together she bore four children, two of whom died in infancy. Her husband’s death in July 1757 made her one of the wealthiest widows in the region.
In the spring of the following year George Washington, then a young plantation owner and commander of the Virginia forces in the French and Indian War, began to court her, and their attachment grew increasingly deep. The couple married at Martha’s home on January 6, 1759, and she and her children joined Washington at Mount Vernon, his plantation on the Potomac River. Washington later resented suggestions, which were undoubtedly true, that his wife’s considerable property had eased his life in the early years of their marriage.
At Mount Vernon Martha became known for her graciousness and hospitality. After George was chosen to command the American forces in the Revolutionary War, Martha spent winters with him at his various military quarters, where she lived simply and encouraged other officers’ wives to help in the war effort by economizing and assisting their husbands. After the war, during which her only surviving son died, Martha virtually adopted two of her grandchildren, and they substituted in many ways for the children she and George never had.
In 1789, shortly after her husband’s inauguration as president of the United States, Martha joined him in New York City, then the national capital. Martha was widely hailed and often feted along the route, and she became known to Americans as “Lady Washington.” The couple’s rented home on Broadway also served as the president’s office, exposing her to her husband’s callers and drawing her into political discussions more than would have been the case had home and office been separated. When Philadelphia became the seat of government in 1790 and the Washingtons moved to a house on High Street, Martha’s hospitality became even more elaborate. The first lady took no stands on public issues, but she was criticized by some for entertaining on a scale too opulent for a republican government, and she was only too glad to retire to Mount Vernon after her husband completed his second term of office in 1797.
Following George’s death in 1799, Martha continued to reside at Mount Vernon. In 1800 Congress granted her a lifetime franking privilege, which it continued to grant to any president’s widow who applied for it. After Martha died in 1802, there was considerable discussion in Congress about burying the Washingtons in the capital city that bore their name, but instead she was buried beside George in a family tomb at Mount Vernon.
As wife of the first president of the United States, Martha Washington had no examples to follow. Although she was reluctant to assume a public role, her willingness to do so contributed to the eventual strength and influence of the position of first lady.
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