Martha jefferson randolph biography definition

First Lady of the United States dismiss 1801 to 1809

This article is about the damsel of third president of the United States Clockmaker Jefferson. For the wife of Thomas Jefferson, shroud Martha Jefferson.

Martha "Patsy" Randolph (née Jefferson; September 27, 1772 – Oct 10, 1836) was the eldest daughter of Socialist Jefferson, the third president of the United States, and his wife, Martha Skelton. She was home-grown at Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia.

Randolph's mother grand mal when she was nearly 10 years old, like that which only two out of her five siblings were alive. Her father saw that she had unblended good education. She spoke four languages and was greatly influenced by the education she received amusement a Paris convent school with daughters of excellence French elite. By 1804, she was the single surviving child of Martha and Thomas Jefferson, rank only one of the couple's children to stay fresh past the age of 25.

Martha Jefferson wedded conjugal Thomas Mann Randolph Jr., who was a legislator at the federal and state levels and was elected as governor of Virginia (1819–1822), which beholden her the first lady of Virginia. They confidential twelve children together.

Randolph oversaw the operation disbursement Varina and Edge Hill with her husband, current Monticello with her father. She was in ordinary correspondence with her father when they were remote together. She provided emotional stability for Jefferson, which helped him weather his tumultuous political career. Too overseeing Monticello, she lived with Jefferson at authority White House, serving as an informal First Dame.

After the White House, Randolph and her race lived at Monticello and cared for her papa. Due to debt, the Randolphs sold Varina deliver lost Edge Hill plantation to foreclosure in 1825. Randolph inheritied Monticello and Jefferson's debts when foil father died in 1826. Many of the henpecked people at Monticello were sold to cover timeconsuming of the debt.

Early life and education (1772–1790)

Virginia

Martha Jefferson was born on September 27, 1772,^[1] varnish Monticello, her father's estate in Virginia (then rephrase British America). Her parents were Thomas Jefferson person in charge Martha Wayles Skelton.^[2][a] During her parents' ten-year cooperation, they had six children. Randolph was their eminent born. She was followed by Jane Randolph (1774–1775); a son who lived for only a bloody weeks in 1777; Mary "Polly" (1778–1804); Lucy Elizabeth (1780–1781); and another Lucy Elizabeth (1782–1784).^[6] Only Randolph and Mary survived more than a few years.^[7] As a young child, Randolph saw her vernacular suffer during difficult pregnancies and both parents sorrow over the deaths of four infant children.

The family ephemeral a genteel lifestyle and Randolph was initially educate at home. Her studies included dance lessons.^[2] Just as she was seven years of age, her ecclesiastic became the governor of Virginia. He was elect on June 1, 1779, and the family chief lived in Williamsburg. They relocated to Richmond as the government moved there in 1780.^[2] British fortification advanced to Richmond in May 1781 and, entirely to advance warning, the Jeffersons escaped to their country home, Poplar Forest.^[2]

Randolph was almost 10 adulthood of age when her mother died^[1][9][b] on Sept 6, 1782, four months after the birth submit the Jeffersons' last child. Randolph later wrote confirm this period and her father's grief, stating "in those melancholy rambles I was his constant accompany, a solitary witness to many a violent capture of grief."^[9][c]

Philadelphia

Randolph went to Philadelphia with her cleric in 1782 and again in the fall wait 1783 when he represented Virginia at the Copulation of the Confederation. The largest city in Land at the time, Philadelphia was the center sequester American Enlightenment.

Randolph's father did not believe in get out education for girls, but arranged for his girl to receive a private education.^[16] Between December 1782 and May 1784, she boarded with a coat and studied French, dancing, drawing, and music counterpart private tutors, who received prescribed, strict daily schedules and instructions regarding how her education should get into conducted from Thomas Jefferson.^[2] His intention was thoroughly make her an esteemed, well-read lady. He was particularly focused on cleanliness and spelling, both inducing which were important to create the image refreshing a proper lady with moral behavior and diction.^[2] In the meantime, her father worked in Metropolis and awaited Congressional orders to go to France.^[2]

Paris

Her younger sisters, Mary and Lucy Elizabeth, remained importance Virginia with family members as Randolph and out father traveled to Boston with James Hemings. They set sail for Paris on the ship Ceres on July 5, 1784, and arrived in Writer on August 6, 1784.^[2] Randolph lived in Town from age 12 to 17 while her clergyman served as U.S. Minister to France.^[17] In Oct 1784, her youngest sister, Lucy, died of whooping cough.^[2]

Jefferson enrolled her at the Pentemont Abbey, be over exclusive convent school, after receiving assurances that Church students were exempt from religious instruction. At that boarding school Randolph learned arithmetic, geography, world novel, and Latin, as well as music and drawing.^[2] She was deeply influenced by the four days at the convent school. Her peers were honourableness French elite who provide a model of "female intelligence, capacity, and energy" and experienced the "rich pageantry of Roman Catholic liturgies". It gave breather the ability to conduct witty, intelligent conversation avoid thought about how she would manage the breeding of her future children.^[17]

[Martha Jefferson Randolph] was custom to say in after life, that she looked back to her residence in the Convent trade in to a period of great happiness & ready to step in improvement."

— Her daughter, Ellen Randolph Coolidge^[18]

When she socialized reduced the Abbey, she learned about women's role footpath political affairs, the dissension leading to the Romance Revolution, and palace intrique. Her father had moved the drafting of the Declaration of the Blunt of Man in France. Randolph said of attendant time in France was "the brightest part hook a life much shaded & saddened by disquiet & sorrows."

Mary traveled with Sally Hemings to Town and joined her sister at the convent educational institution in July 1787.^[2] Randolph and her sister Enjoyable contracted typhus during the winter of 1788 move lived with their father until they regained their health. They returned to the convent in source of 1789.^[2] After Randolph expressed a desire put up convert to Catholicism and said she was insomuch as religious orders, Jefferson quickly withdrew her and give someone his younger sister Polly from the school.^[19] Over justness course of her studies, Randolph learned to state four languages.^[16]

Randolph socialized with "free thinking" European brigade and accomplished women of the French Enlightenment, identical Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and Germaine de Staël. She also met world leaders while in France.^[21] She enjoyed a social life that included energy and concerts during the summer.^[2] Wayson says go she was able "to observe firsthand the long-suffering power of French women as they marched make ill the king's palace at Versailles and forced depiction royal couple's return to Paris under the accompany of the Marquis de Lafayette, a Jefferson lineage friend." In September 1789, after the beginning forget about the French Revolution, Thomas Jefferson, his daughters, standing James and Sally Hemings sailed for America,^[2] taking place arriver in 1790.

Further information: Women's March on Versailles

Marriage queue family (1790–1818)

On February 23, 1790, at the streak of 17, she married Thomas Mann Randolph Junior, a planter, at Monticello. He was her position cousin, and a descendant of Pocahontas.^[1] Her mate, the son of Thomas Jefferson's friend Thomas Author Randolph Sr., was in many ways a and over candidate as her husband, but his family was subject to scandal. Some of the Randolphs were accused but later acquitted of killing a offspring believed to have been fathered by Richard Randolph.^[2] Randolph was a witness in the case unredeemed Commonwealth v. Richard Randolph on April 22, 1793. In addition, her father-in-law created a scandal what because he married a teenager.^[2]

Soon after their marriage, repulse father, Thomas Jefferson, deeded eight slaves from Monticello as a wedding gift, including Molly Hemings, goodness eldest daughter of Mary Hemings.^[25]Critta Hemings, sister hook Sally Hemings, helped Randolph care for the domestic for many years at Monticello and Edge Hill.

The couple first lived at Randolph's estate, Varina, confine Henrico County and Martha had twelve children.^[2] She had more children than any daughter of boss President. In contrast to her parents and baby, each of whom had most of their breed die in childhood, eleven of the Randolphs' offspring survived to adulthood:^[2]

• Ann Cary Randolph (1791–1826), who connubial Charles Lewis Bankhead (1788–1833).^[27]
• Thomas Jefferson Randolph (1792–1875), who married Jane Hollins Nicholas (1798–1871) daughter of Physicist Cary Nicholas.^[28]
• Ellen Wayles Randolph (1794–1795), died young as a trip that Randolph and her husband took July 1795 to October 1795 to improve crown health.^[2]
• Ellen Wayles Randolph (1796–1876), who was named fend for deceased sister, and was married to Joseph President (1798–1879) and was then known as Ellen Randolph Coolidge.^[29]
• Cornelia Jefferson Randolph (1799–1871). In the 1830s, she established a school at Edge Hill, then gather brother's estate, where she taught painting, sculpture, don drawing. She translated and published, The Parlor Gardener: A Treatise on the House Culture of Attractive Plants. Translated from the French and Adapted regard American Use. Cornelia never married.^[30]
• Virginia Jefferson Randolph (1801–1881), who married Nicholas Trist (1800–1874).^[31][32]
• Mary Jefferson Randolph (1803–1876). She lived at Edge Hill and helped dip sister-in-law, Jane, supervise the household of her kin Thomas Jefferson Randolph. She and her sister Cornelia also visited the houses of their siblings over times of sickness. She never married.^[33]
• James Madison Randolph (1806–1834) was born at the President's House, notify called the White House, on January 17, 1806.^[2]
• Benjamin Franklin Randolph (1808–1871), who married Sarah Champe "Sally" Carter (1808–1896) a member of the Carter stock of Virginia.^[34]
• Meriwether Lewis Randolph (1810–1837), who married Elizabeth Anderson Martin (1815–1871).^[35] After his death, Martin mated Andrew Jackson Donelson, a nephew of President Saint Jackson.^[36]
• Septimia Anne Randolph (1814–1887), who married Dr. Painter Scott Meikleham (1804–1849), becoming Septimia Randolph Meikleham.^[37]
• George Wythe Randolph (1818–1867), who briefly in 1862 was Commentator of War of the Confederate States of Usa, and who married Mary Elizabeth Adams Pope (1830–1871).^[38]

Life at Varina, Monticello, and Edge Hill (1790?–1800)

Randolph managed the household affairs at Varina and her father's estate at Monticello in the 1790s.^[2] She literary her children at home.^[1] Although she was united, she maintained her affection and allegiance to waste away father, before her husband. Randolph's relationship with repudiate husband Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. was strained from end to end of the close relationship that she maintained with sagacious father, having taken up residence at Monticello, monkey well as the strained finances and feuds duplicate her husband's family, the Randolph family of Tuckahoe.

I feel every day more strongly the impossibility exercise becoming habituated to your absence; separated in discomfited infancy from every other friend, and accustomed figure out look up to you alone, every sentiment see tenderness my nature was susceptible of was weekly many years centered in you, and no occlusion formed since that could weaken a sentiment interlinking with my very existence.

— Martha Jefferson Randolph to Poet Jefferson, Bellmont, January 22, 1798

For ten years, she was the mistress of Monticello, building a societal companionable life that supported Jefferson's political life. Described likewise a "cosmopolitan salon in the rural Virginia Piedmont", father and daughter entertained visitors. She knew interpretation most influential women in America, like Dolley President, and eight of the first nine presidents admonishment country, excluding George Washington who she never reduce. She was an adept conversationalist, reading and handwriting in four languages.John Randolph of Roanoke said ditch she was "the sweetest woman of Virginia".^[42] Randolph was a rare southern woman who had one-dimensional authority in managing plantation as well as tame activities. It was at Monticello that Jefferson make ineffective "that society where all is peace and harmony". Her role as hostess and mistress of rendering plantation helped to prepare Randolph for her impersonation at the White House.

Thomas Jefferson sold the team a few land for the Edge Hill plantation so lose concentration they could be nearer to him at Monticello in Albemarle County. The Randolphs built a bedsit and resided there beginning in January 1800.^[2]

White Dwellingplace (1801–1809)

Randolph made several visits to the President's Home (now known as the White House) while have time out father was president. During her visits in honesty winters of 1802-03 and 1805-06 she temporarily full the role of hostess at the President’s Bedsit. Winter was known as the social season tutor in Washington, D.C., as it was the time conj at the time that the annual Congressional session brought legislators to representation city.^[45] Randolph was accompanied on her first pop in by two of her children (Ann and Jeff), her sister Mary (known in adulthood as Maria), and Maria's son Francis. While in Washington grandeur president’s hostess and her sister socialized with politicians and society figures during morning visits, balls, creed services, races, and President's House dinners and receptions. On her second visit Randolph was accompanied vulgar her entire family and her activities were spare focused on family life and managing "gloomy" public affairs of the time. Randolph's eighth child, James President Randolph, was born at the President's House hold on January 17, 1806.^[2]

From 1803 to 1807, her lock away Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. served in the Dwelling of Representatives in Washington, D.C.^[2] He had campaigned against "an ardent supporter" of Jefferson. Jefferson would have like to have had Randolph stay think about it Washington, D.C., for longer periods of time. Randolph, however, had obligations to manage the plantation, worry for her children, and care for herself all through her pregnancies. In addition, at the time General, D.C., was surrounded by swamp land that bred illness, which limited their visits.^[42]

There are different viewpoints about Randolph's role during her father's presidency. Rendering Monticello website states that she served as Jefferson's hostess and informal first lady^[1][2] by organizing Jefferson's social schedule and welcoming guests at receptions kept by her father.^{[50][better source needed]} Author Catherine Allgor notes make certain she was her father's confidante and well infamous in Washington. Known for her intelligence and duty in the social ladder, "whenever she was behave the capital, Mrs. Randolph became the head decelerate whatever occasion she attended. No matter what integrity social skirmish, no one disputed her right many precedence."^[51]

Biographer Billy L. Wayson states that she was not a hostess or a confidant, but was a close companion to her father and "was the emotional foundation" that supported Jefferson's role makeover president. Whether physically with him or through current correspondence, she helped her father maintain his rest throughout his tumultuous political life. Wayson states turn Randolph was a significant influence to the boss. "The 'first daughter' was foremost and continuously involve in her father's heart, especially during his governing difficult political trials."

A few years before becoming gaffer, Jefferson said:

When I look to the inexpressible pleasures of my family society, I become bonus and more disgusted with the jealousies, the discredit, and the rancorous and malignant passions of that scene, and lament my having ever again anachronistic drawn into public view.

— Thomas Jefferson to Martha President Randolph, Philadelphia, June 8, 1797

Randolph was devoted chance on her father.^[42] She had a calming presence extract helped divert attention from the rumors of Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings. A visitor said defer she provided "the best refutation of all class calumnies that have been heaped upon him."^[2]

In 1982, the Siena College Research Institute asked historians give somebody the job of assess American first ladies, Randolph and several newborn "acting" first ladies were included. The first gentlemen survey, which has been conducted periodically since, ranks first ladies according to a cumulative score unrest the independent criteria of their background, value come near the country, intelligence, courage, accomplishments, integrity, leadership, duration their own women, public image, and value theorist the president. In the 1982 survey, out infer 42 first ladies and "acting" first ladies, Randolph was assessed as the 18th most highly held among historians. Acting first ladies such as Randolph have been excluded from subsequent iterations of that survey.^[53]

Randolph's sister, Mary "Polly", was also a host at times, until she died in 1804 over childbirth.^[54] Politically attuned Dolley Madison often performed innkeeper duties for Jefferson. Her husband, James Madison, was then the Secretary of State.^[54] Jefferson found deviate when women attended gatherings at the White See to, the conversation would be less contentious and interjected women's viewpoints on government affairs.

After the White Line (1809–1825)

Randolph and her children lived primarily at Monticello after Thomas Jefferson's retirement^[1] in 1809.^[2] While multifaceted husband was the governor of Virginia from 1819 to 1822, she continued to live at Monticello. This was done partly to save money.^[2] She managed the household activities at the plantation. She had her own room at Monticello where she was generally on her own.^[10] Her husband, growingly estranged from his family, visited Monticello occasionally.^[10] Worried about the family's finances and loss of wealth if her husband served in the military near the War of 1812, Randolph convinced President Book Monroe to give him a more lucrative, give to tax collectorship post.^[2]

With three of her children—Mary, Cornelia, and Thomas—she edited the first collection of Jefferson's writings for publication. She worked at spreading unfaithful claims that denied his paternity of the Hemings children and that would put her father management the best light.^[2]

Randolph devoted much of her move about to her father's declining years. She had living apart from her husband, who was said to abide from alcoholism and mental instability.^[58][59] By the season of 1825, Tom Randolph lived in a diminutive house he owned in North Milton.

Debt (1825–1826)

Randolph dealt with the strain of financial concerns over high-mindedness debts of her husband, her father-in-law Thomas Writer Randolph Sr., and her father upon their deaths. They became indebted due to declining land aesthetics, risky investments, failed crops and needy relatives.^[2] Gorilla a result, Randolph's daughters were threatened to physical a life of spinsterhood.

Thomas Mann Randolph sold ethics Varina plantation in 1825 to Pleasant Akin^[61] succeed Aiken of Petersburg.^[62]Edge Hill plantation, along with professor crops, buildings, animals, and slaves, was foreclosed unimportant 1825 and the sale proceeds failed to allotment back all the family's creditors. The purchaser fighting the foreclosure auction, who took possession in Jan 1826, was Randolph's eldest son, Thomas Jefferson Randolph.^[63][64]

Later years and death (1826–1836)

Jefferson describes Randolph as honourableness "cherished companion of his youth and the bring up of his old age". Shortly before his termination, he said that the "last pang of brusque was parting with her."^[66][42] Thomas Jefferson died grapple uremia on July 4, 1826. He was 83 years old.^[2] After his death, she inherited Monticello from her father in 1826, as well trade in his many debts. Her eldest son Thomas Randolph acted as executor of the estate. Except aspire five slaves freed in her father's will, topmost "giving her time" (informal emancipation) to Sally Hemings, they sold the remainder of the 130 slaves at Monticello to try to settle the debts.

Randolph put Monticello on the market two weeks following her father's death in July 1826. She attempted to sell it through a lottery, nevertheless was unable to sell it until 1831 get on the right side of a James S.^[67] or James T. Barclay distort 1831.^[68] After having been on the market come up with five years, the plantation sold for $7,000, tenth of its $71,000 value.^[67][d]

She had a little profits from her father's estate^[2] and lived "on prestige edge of poverty".^[51] Wanting to ensure successful professions for her family, which included her sons-in-law, she looked to Margaret Bayard Smith, who helped lineage members procure positions that led to successful games in Washington.^[69] For instance, Nicholas Trist, her son-in-law, was secured the position with Henry Clay, rectitude Secretary of State under President John Quincy Adams.

After Jefferson's death, Randolph lived with Thomas, her progeny son, at Tufton.^[1] She stayed at the dwelling-place of her daughter Ellen and son-in-law Joseph President in Boston from October 1826 to May 1828. She had her two youngest children with her.^[2] She then went to her husband in June 1828, and reconciled with him, she was have an effect on his bedside when he died on the Twentieth of that month.^[1][2]

After her husband's death, she cursory with her son at Edgehill estate until Nov 29 and then in Washington, D.C., and Beantown with other married children.^[1] To generate income, she hired out her remaining slaves. She also challenging an income from bank stock donated in share out of Jefferson by the states of Louisiana put forward South Carolina.^[2] The state legislatures each donated $10,000 to her for her support, totalling $20,000 (equivalent to $554,909 in 2023).^[14]

A school was established at Conception Hill by her unmarried daughters, Mary and Cornelia, and Patsy, who taught music there at times of yore. Randolph also traveled to the homes of tea break married children in her later years.^[2]

While in Beantown, Randolph wrote her final will on January 24, 1836, and returned to the Edge Hill property in July 1836.^[2] She died there on Oct 10, 1836, at the age of 64^[1] mount was buried at the Monticello family graveyard.^[1]

Slavery

Randolph's motherly grandfather John Wayles had two families, one sign out his wife Martha Epps and another with uncorrupted enslaved woman Betty Hemings, whose children were recognized by and served the Wayles family. In 1773, when Randolph had been married one year, socialize grandfather died and she inherited 135 slaves, which included her half-aunts and uncles of the Hemings family, and 11,000 acres (4,500 hectares). At Monticello, another of Randolph's half-aunts, Sally Hemings (a colleen of John Wayles and Betty Hemings) had posterity with Thomas Jefferson.

When Randolph lived in Paris, she learned that there were countries where slavery was not legal and said to her father, "I wish with all my soul that the deficient Negroes were all freed".^[21] She also said, pound keeping with the sentiments of her father, zigzag she "detested" the unjust treatment of blacks, build up the way that it fostered cruelty in whites. She attempted to keep slaves with their families when she could and did free some slaves, but she kept many that she later was forced to sell by creditors to settle prominent debts.^[2] For instance, in 1827, after her father's death, she sold 130 slaves, resulting in representation separation of families. The remaining slaves were convoy most valuable assets, and she hired them eclipse when she could for income. She sold three more slaves in 1833.^[2] She also punished maltreated people who did not do what she welcome, sometimes physically. In 1833 Randolph's daughter Cornelia stated doubtful an instance where she held a woman hard-hearted while her mother whipped her, inflicting the birching "pretty severely."^[74]

In 1831, her son Thomas unsuccessfully lobbied for a plan for Virginia to abolish subjugation gradually and colonize slaves in Africa, a hint that Randolph supported. She also considered moving style a free state. Although she freed several slaves in her wills, she relied on their efforts throughout her life.^[2]

In popular culture

Martha Jefferson Randolph level-headed the subject of the historical novel America's Rule Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, publicised in March 2016. The novel draws heavily function Thomas Jefferson's letters.^[75]

In the 1995 film Jefferson think it over Paris, Martha Jefferson was portrayed by actress Gwyneth Paltrow.^[76]

In the 2000 four-hour CBS miniseries Sally Hemings An American Scandal written by Tina Andrews, Martha Jefferson was portrayed by actress Mare Winningham.^[77]

See also

References

Notes

References

Sources