Caroline Lavinia Harrison was the wife of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States. She served as First Lady from 1889 to 1892, dying while her husband was in office.
Early Life
Caroline Lavinia Scott was born in Oxford, Ohio, on October 1, 1832. Her father was a Presbyterian minister and professor of science and mathematics at Ohio’s Miami University. In 1845, John Scott left his position at Ohio University and accepted a new position at Farmer’s College. Caroline Scott moved with her family to College Hill, near Cincinnati.
While attending Farmer College, Caroline met Benjamin Harrison, who was also a student. They began a courtship, and when John Scott returned to Miami University, Benjamin transferred so he could stay near Caroline. The couple was engaged in 1852, but postponed the wedding until Caroline fashioned her studies and Benjamin completed his law apprenticeship.
Marriage to Benjamin Harrison
Caroline Scott and Benjamin Harrison married on October 20, 1853, at the Scott family home. The couple went on to have two children, Russell and Mary.
Benjamin Harrison initially struggled to build his law practice, the Harrisons spent a great deal of time apart. When the Civil War broke out, Benjamin enlisted, while Caroline worked with local groups to care for injured soldiers and raise funds for supplies. By the end of the war, Benjamin had risen to the rank of brigadier general.
Benjamin’s first bid for political office was unsuccessful; he lost the race for governor of Indiana in 1876. However, he was elected to the U.S. Senate five years later. Because Caroline was in poor health when Benjamin’s Senate term began, she did not accompany him to Washington, D.C.
First Lady of the United States
In 1888, Benjamin Harrison was elected President of the United States. Caroline Harrison was an active and admired First Lady. The Harrisons’ daughter, Mary Harrison McKee, lived at the White House, along with her two children. Other relatives also lived at the White House, making the building quite crowded. Caroline Harrison unsuccessfully sought funding from Congress to expand the White House, but she did make significant improvements to several areas, including modernizing the kitchen and bathrooms.
In 1889, Caroline Harrison put up the first Christmas tree in the White House. She also gathered the china used by prior Administration to document its role in history.
During her tenure as First Lady, Caroline Harrison also elevated women’s rights. She became the President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and gave the first speech by a First Lady that was ever recorded electronically. Caroline Harrison also helped raise funds for the Johns Hopkins University medical school, but conditioned her support on the university admitting women to its medical program.
Death
Caroline Harrison became ill during the winter of 1891-1892. While she initially tried to fulfill her social obligations, she soon became too ill. She died of tuberculosis at the White House on October 25, 1892, at the age of 60. Services were first held in the White House’s East Room, followed by a funeral and burial at her local church in Indianapolis.
