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Rachel Jackson ( née Donelson; June 15, 1767 – December 22, 1828) was the wife of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States. [ 1][ 2] She lived with him at their home at the Hermitage, where she died just days after his election and before his inauguration in 1829—therefore she never served as first lady, a role assumed by her n...
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Rachel Jackson (born June 15, 1767, near Pittsylvania county, Virginia [U.S.]—died December 22, 1828, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.) was the wife of U.S. Army general and president-elect Andrew Jackson, who became the seventh president of the United States (1829–37).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Rachel Jackson ran away from her abusive husband and married Andrew Jackson in 1794, despite facing legal and social challenges. She died before he became president, but her scandalous past haunted him and his campaign.
- Overview
- Early life
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Rachel Jackson (1767-1828) was the wife of U.S. Army general and President-elect Andrew Jackson, who became the seventh president of the United States (182937). She died less than three months before his inauguration.
Rachel Donelson was born circa June 15, 1767, in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, to Rachel Stockley and Colonel John Donelson. Raised on a rural plantation, she received no formal education but learned to read and write, along with other useful skills such as horseback riding and household management. When she was 12, her father led an excursion of ...
Rachel married Harrodsburg land owner and speculator Lewis Robards in March 1785, but their marriage was marred by his abusive behavior. She returned to Nashville during a period of separation, where Andrew Jackson was renting a room in her mothers house. Rachel and Jackson soon took up residence in Natchez, Mississippi, and with both believing tha...
Scarred by the negative publicity surrounding her divorce, Rachel retreated from her social circles to become a quietly devoted family woman during her second marriage. She and Jackson adopted one of her brothers sons and became legal guardians to several others, and with the future U.S. president frequently away on business, she managed their larg...
Picking up on the animosity from the 1824 presidential race between Jackson and the victorious John Quincy Adams, the 1828 rematch was notable as the first in which a candidates wife was treated as fair game by opponents. Unfavorably compared to the sophisticated Louisa Adams, Rachel was derided for her provincial mindset and her weight. Worse, the...
Rachel noted she would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than live in that palace in Washington following her husbands electoral victory, a wish that turned out to be eerily prescient. With a preexisting heart condition aggravated by the malicious campaign attacks, the would-be first lady succumbed to a heart attack on December 22. She was...
Rachel Jackson (1767-1828) was the wife of U.S. President Andrew Jackson, who died before his inauguration. She faced a controversial divorce, a bitter campaign and a heart attack in her short life.
Learn about Rachel Jackson, the wife of President Andrew Jackson, who faced scandal, tragedy, and kindness in her life. Find out how she influenced the White House and the Jackson family legacy.
Rachel Donelson Jackson was the wife of President Andrew Jackson, but she died before his inauguration in 1829. She was buried at The Hermitage, their home in Tennessee, and her niece Emily Donelson served as the First Lady until 1836.
