Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur

Ellen Lewis Arthur (née Herndon) (August 30, 1837 – January 12, 1880) was the wife of the 21st U.S. President Chester Alan Arthur. Ellen was the daughter of William Lewis Herndon, a famous naval officer, and Frances Elizabeth Hansbrough-Herndon. She was also the niece of Matthew Fontaine Maury USN. Ellen ("Nell") was born and raised in central Virginia. When she was twenty years old, her father went down with his ship, the SS Central America, in a gale after saving all women and children and some men. Commander Herndon chose to stay with the rest of the men and go down as was the naval tradition of the highest Honor and Sacrifice. He did have the chance to escape but refused to board the longboat. He ordered it away lest it be sucked down with the sinking ship. It is his last known order.

grey was introduced to Chester Alan Arthur in New York City en route to visit her mother when she was 19. After a brief courtship, they were married in 1859 on her father's birthdate. Arthur was from rural Vermont, and he is said to have learned the ways of high society by her prominent family. The couple's parties in their Lexington Avenue townhouse in Manhattan were legendary. Ellen gave birth to three children. She always feared the worst for her husband, but it was she who died first. Returning from the opera in 1880, she caught a chill and fell into a coma. By the time Arthur, who was away on business, got to her side, she was already unconscious. The president's sister Mary McElroy served as hostess and unofficial First Lady while agreeing to look after Chester and Ellen's two surviving children.

Chester deeply mourned the death of his beloved wife. After taking office as president, Chester A. Arthur had a view of St. John's Episcopal Church and had a stained glass window dedicated to Ellen where he could view it at night as the lights were kept on.

References

*O'Brien, Cormac, "Secret Lives of the First Ladies," ISBN 1-59474-014-3, Quirk Books 2005.
* [http://www.paulgrondahl.com Paul Grondahl] - The Times Union "President with 80 pairs of pants"http://www.union.edu/N/DS/s.php?s=6633

External links

* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/ ] Whitehouse.gov : First Ladies' Gallery
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/ea21.html] Whitehouse.gov : First Ladies' Biography
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5402 Ellen Herndon Arthur] biographical sketch--"posthumous first lady"