General Notes

The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans:Volume VII
M.
Monroe, James

MONROE, Elizabeth Kortright, wife of President Monroe, was born in NewYork city in 1768; daughter of Capt. Lawrence Kerrright, an officer inthe British army. She was educated in New York city, and was married in1786 to James Monroe, while he was delegate from Virginia to theContinental congress. They removed to Philadelphia in 1790, whither theseat of government had been transferred after the adoption of the Federalconstitution, and was a resident of that city while Monroe was U.S.senator, 1790-94. She was in France, 1794-96, and while there visited thewife of the Marquis de Lafayette, who had been condemned to death andwith her two children was confined in the prison of La Force. Mrs. Monroeinterested herself in behalf of the prisoner and soon after her visit theexecution of Madame Lafayette was postponed and she was subsequentlyliberated. Mrs. Monroe returned with her husband to America in 1796, andsettled in Virginia and was with him at Richmond, 1799-1802, while herhusband was governor of Virginia; at the Court of St. James, London,1803-06; and in Washington, 1811-17, when her husband was secretary ofstate. When the war of 1812 broke out and the capital was threatened sheretired with her two daughters, Eliza and Maria, to her country seat atOak Hill, Loudoun county, Va. She continued to make Washington her homeafter the declaration of peace with Great Britain, and was mistress ofthe White House, 1817-25. Of her two children, Eliza, born and educatedin France, was married in 1820 to her cousin, Samuel L. Gouveneur of NewYork city, and was the first daughter of a President to he married at theWhite House, and Maria was married to George Hay of Virginia, who wasafterward appointed U.S. judge by President John Quincy Adams. At theclose of Monroe's second term in 1825 they removed to Oak Hill, Va.,where Mrs. Monroe died in 1830.
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