Jane Harrison (néeIrwin; July 23, 1804 – c. 1846) was the acting first lady of the United States from March 4 to April 4, 1841, during the presidency of her father-in-law William Henry Harrison. She took the position as a substitute for the president's wife, Anna Harrison who was unable to travel to the White House. Harrison was only acting first lady for thirty days, as the president died in office after this time. In addition to being the daughter-in-law of President William Henry Harrison, she was both the maternal aunt and the paternal aunt-by-marriage of President Benjamin Harrison.
Early life
Birthplace of Jane Irwin Harrison in Irwinton Mills, near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.
Jane Irwin was born in her family's limestone mansion in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania,[1] on July 23, 1804.[2] She was a granddaughter of James Ramsey, the owner of Millmont Farm in Montgomery Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania.[3] Her father was Archibald Irwin Jr, a miller, and her mother was Mary Ramsey Irwin, the daughter of a miller.[4] She had a sister, Elizabeth, and three brothers: James, John, and Archibald. Her father later married Sidney Grubb. From this marriage, Jane received seven half-siblings: Joseph, William, Mary, Nancy, Louisa, Sarah, and Sydney.[5]
While Irwin and her sister were visiting their aunt in North Bend, Ohio, they met the Harrison family. Irwin married William Henry Harrison Jr on February 18, 1824. Jane Harrison had two sons: James and William.[4] The marriage was a difficult one, as her husband suffered from alcoholism and severe problem gambling.[1] Her husband died in 1838. In 1840, her father-in-law was elected president of the United States.[2]
White House hostess
When William Henry Harrison became president, Anna Harrison did not travel to Washington, D.C., instead waiting until the weather was more suitable for travel given her poor health. William Henry Harrison appointed Jane Harrison as the White House hostess, the traditional role of the first lady of the United States, in her stead.[6] She made the journey to Washington with the president-elect.[2] Accompanying them was her paternal aunt Jane Findlay. Jane Harrison had asked her aunt to join them as a social adviser, as Findlay had previously lived in Washington, D.C as the wife of a congressman.[1][4]
The Harrisons originally intended to have Anna arrive in Washington the following spring to serve as first lady, at which point Jane would possibly be relegated to a role of an assistant hostess.[7] This never came to be, as Harrison's tenure as acting first lady ended abruptly upon the death of President Harrison, only thirty days after his inauguration.[1] Due to the short nature of her father-in-law's tenure as president, she hosted only two social events.[8]
Death and legacy
After returning to North Bend, Harrison married widower Lewis Whiteman. She died of tuberculosis a few years later.[8] The exact year of her death is unknown, though it was some time between 1845 and 1847.[a]
It was common for younger women to act as surrogate first ladies during this period in American history, and Harrison was one of many such women to serve as White House hostess in the stead of the president's wife.[9]Carl Sferrazza Anthony described Harrison as the least influential of all acting U.S. first ladies, citing the short duration of her tenure. Many of the details of her tenure have been lost, as she left no written record of her experiences as first lady.[1] Her aunt, Jane Findlay, has sometimes been erroneously credited as the acting first lady, as she had assisted Jane Irwin Harrison at the White House.[1][4]
Harrison's sister Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin married William Henry Harrison's son John Scott Harrison in 1831, and their son Benjamin Harrison later became president of the United States.[2] As Benjamin was the son of her sister and her brother-in-law, Harrison became both the maternal aunt and the paternal aunt-by-marriage of a future president.[1]
Notes
^Sources have variously described her year of death as 1845,[4] 1846,[2] or 1847.[8]
