Martha Custis Washington life and biography

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, also known as Mrs. George Washington born June 2, 1732 in New Kent County, Virginia, United States - died May 22, 1802 in Mount Vernon, Virginia, United States was the First Lady of the United States.

Before the term "first lady" was used for the wife of the president of the United States, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington took on the role. As the wife of George Washington, she had an important part to play in getting recognition for the newly formed United States. Although Washington preferred staying at home with her husband and family, she was a genuinely warm hostess, widely acknowledged for making guests feel welcome.

Married a Wealthy Man

Born June 2, 1732 in New Kent County, Virginia, Washington came from a respectable farming family with little wealth. Her father was John Dandridge and her mother was Frances Jones. The family lived on a plantation near Williamsburg.

Washington grew up with the typical education available for women in the 18th century. She was taught domestic skills and learned how to act properly in social circles, but she was not given the formal education available to men. At the age of 18, Washington was about five feet tall. Her hair was dark and her eyes were large. Despite having no great beauty to speak of, Washington was very dignified and friendly. She was married to Daniel Park Custis, a wealthy and older man, in 1749.

After her first marriage, Washington moved with her husband into his home, which was called "White House" and was located on the Pamunkey River. It was from that same home that Washington was later to marry again, but first she bore Custis four children. Two of the children died in childhood; the remaining two, Patsy and Jacky, were to be her only children, as her second marriage produced none.

Upon her first husband's death in 1757, Washington was left a wealthy widow. She had inherited almost 17,500 acres of land, a sizable estate. No doubt this was part of her attraction when a young colonel close to her age decided to court her.

Married Again

George Washington was a member of the militia and was looking for a suitable wife. His hopes of marrying Sally Fairfax, a neighbor in the area, ended when she married another, so Washington had to look elsewhere. The wealthy Custis widow had much to offer. Not only did she have financial means, but she herself was very gracious and composed. They married January 6, 1759, then moved to Mount Vernon with her four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter.

During their marriage of 30 years, the Washingtons seemed very much to be in harmony. For 15 years, the woman who was to be the nation's very first "first lady" enjoyed her household duties in relative peace. She and her husband were well-known for their talents at entertaining, and visitors constantly came to enjoy the Washingtons' hospitality. Even in years of crop failure when finances were tight, the Washingtons continued to welcome guests to their home.

In 1773, their daughter Patsy died of an epileptic seizure. She was just 17 years old. Jacky was at school in Kings College, New York, at the time of his sister's death, but soon came home to comfort his mother.

Political unrest was rising in the colonies. Taxes and levies were a heavy burden to the colonists; many felt that severing their connection to England was the best solution. The militia was formed and Washington's husband was called into service as commander in chief of the new Continental army, a position he took out of obligation; if circumstances had been different, he would have spent his time at Mount Vernon.

Even though Washington would have preferred her husband to be at home with his family, she supported his decision to fulfill his duty to his country. She decided to make the best of things (as quoted in her biography on the White House official website): "I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation may be, for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances."

Lifted Her Husband's Spirits

"Lady Washington," as she was called, did not stay at home during the Revolution but whenever possible joined her husband at winter headquarters. Her arrival at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78 buoyed her husband's flagging spirits and gave him the strength to continue the fight for the colonists' cause.

In 1781, the year the Americans celebrated a victory at Yorktown, Jacky died of camp fever. Washington now had no surviving children, so she took her grandchildren into her home. Her grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, and her granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Custis, were part of her household when her husband became America's first president on April 30, 1789.

The social duties as wife of the president of the United States at times made Washington feel as if she were a state prisoner, for she would much rather have lived quietly, watching her grandchildren grow up in her Mount Vernon home. She did not, however, fail her husband, but was most courteous in all her state duties, so that Abigail Adams praised her as "one of those unassuming characters which create Love and Esteem.

In 1797, Washington was at last able to return to her home at Mount Vernon when her husband's second term as president ended. Until her husband's death on December 14, 1799, "Lady Washington" was able to content herself with domestic affairs. In her remaining years, Washington continued to play hostess to appreciative visitors. She died of a fever May 22, 1802 and was buried next to her second husband at Mount Vernon.

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