Taylor, Margaret

Taylor, Margaret

▪ American first lady
née  Margaret Mackall Smith 
born September 21, 1788, Calvert County, Maryland, U.S.
died August 14, 1852, East Pascagoula, Mississippi
 American first lady (1849–50), the wife of Zachary Taylor (Taylor, Zachary), 12th president of the United States.

      Margaret Smith was the daughter of wealthy plantation owners Ann Mackall and Walter Smith. Although details of her childhood are hazy, it is known that she was educated at home. While visiting her sister in Kentucky, she met Zachary Taylor—then a lieutenant in the army—and after a brief courtship the couple wed on June 21, 1810. Between 1811 and 1826 Margaret gave birth to six children—five girls and one boy—two of whom died of bilious fever in 1820. Her husband's military career took the family to a variety of outposts and forts in unsettled areas of the Midwest, and, while Margaret patiently managed homes that lacked the comforts she had known in her youth, she sent her four surviving children to excellent schools in the East.

      Despite the rigours and uncertainties inherent in a military life, all three surviving Taylor daughters married career soldiers, and the Taylor's son eventually became a commander in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. One daughter, Sarah Knox, married Jefferson Davis (Davis, Jefferson)—later president of the Confederate States of America—whom her father initially objected to because of his military profession, though he later came to like him immensely. Had Sarah not died of malaria only three months after their wedding, she would have become first lady of the Confederacy.

      Having become a national hero in the Mexican War (Mexican-American War), General Zachary Taylor, known by then as “Old Rough and Ready,” accepted the presidential nomination of the Whig Party in 1848, though Margaret disapproved. Following his election that year, she moved with him to Washington, D.C., but delegated White House hostess duties and social appearances to her daughter Betty Bliss. Margaret's avoidance of public appearances led to many unfounded rumours, including a persistent story that she was an unsophisticated frontier woman who smoked a pipe. Her grandson pointed out, however, that she could not tolerate the smell of smoke (which made her “actively ill”) and was “intolerant of the slightest breach of good manners.”

      Following her husband's death on July 9, 1850, Margaret Taylor lived with her daughters, and she died at the Bliss home in 1852. She was buried beside her husband at what later became the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. One of the most elusive of all first ladies, no portrait of her made during her lifetime has survived.

Betty Boyd Caroli

Additional Reading
A brief biography of Margaret Taylor is Thomas H. Appleton, Jr., “Margaret (Mackall Smith) Taylor,” in Lewis L. Gould (ed.), American First Ladies: Their Lives and Their Legacy (1996), pp. 145–153. Biographies of her husband that devote considerable attention to her are Holman Hamilton, Zachary Taylor, 2 vol. (1941–51, reprinted 1989).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Margaret Rutherford — Born Margaret Taylor Rutherford 11 May 1892(1892 05 11) Balham, London, England, UK Died 22 May 1972(1972 05 22) ( …   Wikipedia

  • Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor — Margaret Peggy Mackall Smith Taylor (* 21. September 1788 in Calvert County, Maryland; † 14. August 1852 in East Pascagoula, Mississippi) war die Ehefrau von US Präsident Zachary Taylor und die First Lady der USA von 1849 bis 1850. Peggy wurde… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Margaret Taylor — Margaret Peggy Mackall Smith Taylor (* 21. September 1788 in Calvert County, Maryland; † 14. August 1852 in East Pascagoula, Mississippi) war die Ehefrau von US Präsident Zachary Taylor und die First Lady der USA von 1849 bis 1850. Peggy wurde… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Margaret Ford-Taylor — is a playwright, actress, teacher and arts administrator .[1] She has received many awards, commendations and honors, including two Emmy nominations.[2] The first was for her performance in the public television production, American Women: Echoes …   Wikipedia

  • Margaret Taylor — For other people named Margaret Taylor, see Margaret Taylor (disambiguation). Margaret Taylor First Lady of the United States In office March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850 …   Wikipedia

  • Margaret Young Taylor — For other people named Margaret Taylor, see Margaret Taylor (disambiguation). Margaret Young Taylor (24 April 1837 – 3 May 1919) was a member of the inaugural general presidency of what is today the Young Women organization of The Church of Jesus …   Wikipedia

  • Taylor, Zachary — born Nov. 24, 1784, Montebello, Va., U.S. died July 9, 1850, Washington, D.C. 12th president of the U.S. (1849–50). He fought in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War (1832), and the Seminole War in Florida (1835–42), earning the nickname Old Rough …   Universalium

  • Margaret Doris Kenyon — Doris Kenyon, 1922 Doris Kenyon (eigentlich Margaret Doris Kenyon; * 5. September 1897 in Syracuse, New York, USA; † 1. September 1979 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, USA) war eine US amerikanische Film und Theaterschauspielerin, Schlagersängerin… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Margaret Hance — Margaret Taylor Hance 53rd Mayor of Phoenix In office 1976–1983 Preceded by Timothy A. Barrow Succeeded by Terry Goddard Personal details Bo …   Wikipedia

  • Margaret Taylor (disambiguation) — Margaret Taylor may refer to: Margaret Taylor (1788–1852), wife of Zachary Taylor and First Lady of the United States from 1849 to 1850 Margaret Young Taylor (1837–1919), American leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints Peggy… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”