Ellen “Nell” Arthur was the wife of Chester A. Arthur, 21st president of the United States. She died of pneumonia before her husband took office and never had the opportunity to serve as First Lady.
Early Life
Ellen Lewis Herndon was born in Culpeper Court House, Virginia, on August 30, 1837. Her father, William Lewis Hendron, was a naval officer who became a hero when he went down with his ship, the mail steamer SS Central America, after safely evacuating many passengers and crew. Nell was known for her beautiful voice, singing with the Mendelssohn Glee Club.
Marriage to Chester A. Arthur
Nell met Chester Arthur through with her cousin Dabney Herndon, who was a roommate of Chester in New York City. In an 1857 birthday letter, Chester reminded her of “the soft, moonlight nights of June, a year ago…happy, happy days at Saratoga–the golden, fleeting hours at Lake George.” They married on October 25, 1859, and went on to have three children, two of whom survived to adulthood.
The couple’s marriage was tested during the Civil War. While Chester served as a Union Army Quartermaster General and Inspector General of State Troops, Nell’s Southern roots led her to sympathize with the Confederacy. According to reports, Chester referred to Nell as his “rebel wife.”
After the war, Chester returned to his law practice. Thanks to Nell’s family wealth, the couple lived lavishly in a townhouse on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. Their social standing also helped fuel Chester’s rise in New York Republican party.
Death
Nell Arthur died of pneumonia on January 12, 1880, at the age of 42. She caught cold while waiting for her carriage after attending a benefit concert in New York City. Her death was quick and sudden, and she was already unconscious by the time her husband reached her side.
In 1880, Chester Arthur was elected Vice-President. He was still grieving when he was sworn into office in 1881, following the assassination of President James A. Garfield. In his own words: “Honors to me now are not what they once were.” In his wife’s absence, Chester Arthur asked his sister, Mary Arthur McElroy, to fulfill the White House hostess duties. She also helped him care for his children, who were then 16 and 9 years old.
To honor Nell’s memory, Arthur Chester presented a stained-glass window to St. John’s Church, which depicted angels of the Resurrection. He requested that it be installed in the south transept so that he could see it at night from the White House. Chester Arthur never remarried.
