Rachel Donelson Jackson was the wife of President Andrew Jackson. However, she never became First Lady, as she died before her husband was inaugurated.
Early Life
Rachel Donelson Jackson was born on June 15, 1767, in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. While she did not receive a formal education, she did learn to read and write. Her father helped found Nashville, Tennessee, and the family moved there when she was twelve.
In 1785, Rachel married Lewis Robards, a Kentucky land speculator. The marriage was an unhappy one, and Robards is alleged to have been abusive. After the couple separated, Rachel returned home to Nashville. She met Andrew Jackson when he was a boarder at her mother’s house.
Marriage to Andrew Jackson
Rachel married Andrew Jackson in 1791. Two years later, they learned that Robards had never finalized the divorce. As a result, Rachel had technically committed adultery, and her relationship with Andrew was bigamous. After the divorce was officially granted, Rachel and Andrew married again to make it official.
The couple made their home at a large plantation was known as Hermitage. While they never had any children of their own, they adopted a nephew and named him Andrew Jackson, Jr. Rachel managed the plantation, while her husband pursued his political ambitions.
Death
The 1828 presidential race between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams was particularly contentious. It was also the first in which a candidate’s wife came under direct attack, with supporters of John Quincy Adams attacking Rachel’s weight, rural upbringing, and confusion surrounding her first marriage. One newspaper article asked, “‘Ought a convicted adulteress and her paramour husband to be placed in the highest offices of this free and Christian land?'”
After Andrew Jackson was elected, Rachel said she would “rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than live in that palace in Washington.” Tragically, her wish came true. Rachel died of a heart attack on December 22, 1828, before Andrew Jackson’s inauguration as President. In Rachel’s absence, the duties of First Lady fell to her niece, Emily Donelson. While Rachel had suffered health issues in the past, Andrew Jackson blamed his political opponents for her death. “May God Almighty forgive her murderers,” Jackson stated at her funeral, “I never can.”
