Little Known First Ladies: Ellen Arthur Quiz

Answer: Virginia

Ellen was born in Culpeper Courthouse, Virginia in 1837. Today the town is simply called Culpeper. Ellen's father William was a naval officer and adventurer who explored part of South America including the Amazon and the Andes. Her mother, with whom Ellen was very close to, was named Kit. Ellen was an only child.

Answer: Singing

Ellen was known to have a beautiful singing voice and she sang frequently in her church choir. Her mother's brother thought she could have a potential career in singing but she never pursued it. It has been said she received her beautiful voice from her mother and the two sang together. When Chester A. Arthur first met Ellen, it was her singing that attracted him to her.

Answer: Dolley Madison

Ellen's family attended St. John's Church which is the same church Dolley Madison attended in the last years of her life. To what extent their relationship was is unknown as neither woman appears to have written about it during their lifetimes. The two remained friends until 1847 when Ellen and her family moved to New York City.

Answer: Central America

William Herndon was captain of the SS Central America, a mail ship that sank in a hurricane in 1857. Herndon managed to rescue over 150 people on board by getting them onto another ship and then chose to remain on the Central America with hundreds of other passengers whom he could not save despite having the chance to save his own life. The incident spread nationally and charities were established to help Ellen and her mother.

Additionally, the sinking of the SS Central America helped cause the economic panic of 1857 because the ship was carrying a fortune in gold and silver worth over $550 million in today's money. The sinking of the Central America, in its day, was as famous as the sinking of the Titanic.

Answer: Her cousin, Dabney

Ellen travelled in high society during her late teens and early twenties, particularly in New England and Upstate New York where Arthur also spent a lot of time. Ellen's cousin, Dabney Herndon, was sharing a room in Saratoga, New York with the future president.

When Ellen visited Dabney, he introduced her to his roommate. It is said Chester Arthur fell smitten in love with Ellen, whom he affectionately called Nell. Arthur proposed to her a year later, despite seeing very little of each other.

Answer: She cautiously supported the Union

The Civil War was a time of great stress for Nell. Her husband was in the Union Army and had hoped to use his position there to advance her law and political careers. However, Ellen had family in the South many of whom were soldiers. Ellen remained loyal to the Union but grew increasingly concerned for her relatives' safety. Her cousin Dabney, who introduced the Arthurs, was a Confederate doctor who had been captured as a prisoner of war twice and both times was freed when Ellen convinced Chester to let him go.

Ellen's concern for her family put stress on Chester as well. He could not be seen as having any sympathy for the Confederacy. Several times he secretly gave supplies or money to Ellen's family so they could survive the war and even once smuggled Ellen into a prisoner of war camp to visit her family. Chester nicknamed Ellen, his little rebel wife during the war.

However, Ellen was very well aware of her husband's situation which is why she supported the Union and continued to mingle with the wives of important Union officials, especially those involved in Republican politics in New York.

Answer: Her mother died and he refused to accompany her to France

In 1879, Ellen's mother unexpectedly died while vacationing in France. Ellen and her mother were very close and she took the news badly. Not only that, Ellen had to sail to France to collect her mother's belongings and settle other things there. Chester refused to go with her so he could focus on his political career with the Election of 1880 approaching. Ellen was upset about this as she was not emotionally strong at the time and did not feel up to the long journey.

What exactly happened after that is unknown. The fact that Ellen considered separating from Chester is only known from a letter written by the couple's grandson (who was not born at the time). The Arthurs appeared to have at least a civil marriage after this event, though he was often away for long periods of time.

Answer: By her side

There is much speculation regarding Ellen's death. It is believed she caught pneumonia after standing outside in the cold rain on evening after performing with a glee club at fundraiser. At that time, Chester was in Albany trying to secure the re-election of political boss Roscoe Conkling, an event he apparently tried to get out of but failed. He left Albany upon receiving news of his wife's illness and was by her side when she died. Rumors spread that she was in a coma by the time Chester arrived and she did not recognize him. However, several family members and friends denied this.

Ellen's death left Chester grief stricken. It has been widely speculated that Arthur blamed Conkling for Ellen's death. Chester normally would have escorted Ellen home but because of his absence, she waited around in the rain and caught sick. This may be the reason for Chester's suddenly political change as president.

Arthur was a Stalwart, a branch of the Republican Party under the influence of Conkling who supported the spoils system and used their political connections for favors. Arthur was the running mate of James Garfield, a Half-Breed who supported reform in the civil service. When Garfield was assassinated, ostensibly so Arthur and the Stalwarts could take control of the country, it was believed Arthur would largely be under the influence of Conkling. However, Arthur suddenly abandoned those positions and continued the reforms Garfield had wanted.

Answer: St. John's Episcopal Church

As president, Chester A. Arthur commissioned a stained glass window in St. John's Episcopal Church be dedicated in Ellen's memory. The window was located so that Arthur could see it by looking out of the White House's second floor bedroom. Since the White House has been renovated many times since, the window can now be seen from looking out of the dining room.

St. John's is sometimes called the Church of the Presidents (not to be confused with the church of the same moniker in New Jersey) because it is typically the church attended to by presidents while in office. It is located within walking distance from the White House in Lafayette Square. Traditionally, the church hosts a mass for the incoming president on Inauguration Day. The current president is reserved pew 54 when attending services.

Answer: Mary, his sister

For the first eighteen months in office, Arthur did not have a First Lady at all. It was said he was still grieving Ellen too much to replace her. Other speculated he had found a new love and wished to keep her identity secret. The public, however, had grown infatuated with previous First Ladies and the lack of one was disappointing.

Arthur was secretly diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease that he believed would take his life sooner rather than later. As a result, he moved his young daughter Nellie into the White House to be closer with her. Nellie was far too young to serve as First Lady so Arthur invited his sister Mary McIlroy to attend to Nellie. Mary became the First Lady and performed all of the duties traditionally associated with that position despite having no experience in entertaining. Mary caused a small scandal when she continued hosting lavish events during the Lenten season.

Other women who were believed to have been considered for the role are Elizabeth Botts, Ellen's cousin who was very similar in manners and appearance to Ellen, Julia Grant, former First Lady and wife of Ulysses Grant and many wives who were married to prominent congressmen and Cabinet Members.