Jackson, Rachel

Jackson, Rachel

▪ wife of Andrew Jackson
née  Rachel Donelson , in full  Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson 
born June 15, 1767, near Pittsylvania county, Virginia [U.S.]
died December 22, 1828, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
 wife of U.S. Army general and president-elect Andrew Jackson (Jackson, Andrew), who became the seventh president of the United States (1829–37). She died less than three months before his inauguration.

      Rachel, the daughter of Colonel John Donelson, a surveyor, and Rachel Stockley Donelson, enjoyed an excellent education for a woman living on the frontier. As a member of a prominent Virginia family, she met during her youth the future presidents of the United States George Washington (Washington, George) and Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson, Thomas). When Rachel was 13 she accompanied her family on a 1,000-mile (1,600-km), four-month trek through the Cherokee Nation to the Tennessee frontier, where the family settled briefly before moving to Kentucky.

      Rachel was known as a friendly, vivacious young woman. When she was 17, she met Lewis Robards, whom she married on March 1, 1785. However, he proved a pathologically jealous and abusive husband who falsely accused Rachel of adultery despite having had adulterous relationships himself. The couple separated in 1788, and despite several attempted reconciliations, his fierce temper and violent behaviour convinced her to leave him permanently in 1790. Aided by the young lawyer Andrew Jackson, who had been boarding at her mother's house, Rachel journeyed to Natchez, Mississippi, to live with relatives. In 1790 Robards petitioned the Kentucky legislature to allow him to seek a divorce on the grounds of desertion, though he did not pursue the divorce for two more years. In 1791, hearing mistakenly that Robards had divorced her, Rachel married Andrew. Learning of this, Robards finally obtained the divorce in September 1793, on the grounds of adultery. In January 1794 Rachel and Andrew were married for a second time.

      Andrew had reportedly threatened violence to Robards for slandering Rachel, and in 1806 he killed another man in a duel for impugning her reputation. In 1804 the Jacksons moved to the newly built Hermitage, a plantation near Nashville, Tennessee, that would remain their home for the rest of their lives. Although the couple had no children of their own, they adopted one of her nephews. During Andrew's frequent absences, which his military and political careers required, Rachel was solely responsible for managing the plantation.

      A highly religious woman who, upon doctor's orders, smoked a corncob pipe as a purported cure for shortness of breath, she was considered unsophisticated and uneducated by genteel society. The object of constant ridicule and malicious rumours by Andrew's political opponents, Rachel was described by one newspaper as a “fat dumpling.” During Andrew's presidential bids in 1824 and 1828, his enemies circulated stories about Rachel's first marriage, claiming that Andrew was an adulterer and Rachel a bigamist. Scurrilous attacks were directed even at Andrew's mother, who was branded a “common prostitute.”

      As Rachel was reluctantly preparing to move to Washington, D.C., following Andrew's electoral victory in 1828—she said that she “would rather be a door-keeper in the house of God than to live in that palace in Washington”—she died of a heart attack. She was buried on the grounds of the Hermitage on Christmas Eve in what was to be her inaugural gown. A young niece, Emily Donelson, became the surrogate first lady; after Emily's death in 1836, Sarah Yorke Jackson, the wife of Andrew Jackson, Jr., became the official White House hostess.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rachel Jackson — Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson, born Rachel Donelson (June 15 1767 ndash; December 22, 1828) wife to the 7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson. Rachel Donelson was the daughter of the explorer and adventurer John Donelson, co… …   Wikipedia

  • Rachel Donelson Jackson — Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson (* 15. Juni 1767 in Virginia; † 22. Dezember 1828) war die Ehefrau des siebten US Präsidenten Andrew Jackson. Obwohl sie offiziell als damalige First Lady gilt, konnte sie ihr Amt nie ausführen, da sie schon… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Rachel Jackson — Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson (* 15. Juni 1767 im heutigen Halifax County, Virginia; † 22. Dezember 1828) war die Ehefrau des siebten US Präsidenten Andrew Jackson. Obwohl sie offiziell als damalige First Lady gilt, konnte sie ihr Amt nie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Jackson, Andrew — born March 15, 1767, Waxhaws region, S.C. died June 8, 1845, the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tenn., U.S. Seventh president of the U.S. (1829–37). He fought briefly in the American Revolution near his frontier home, where his family was killed in… …   Universalium

  • Rachel McAdams — à la première de Sherlock Holmes, en Allemagne (janvier 2010). Donnée …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Rachel Alexandra — dans les Woodward Stakes Père : Medaglia d Oro Mère : Lotta Kim …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Rachel and the Stranger — Données clés Réalisation Norman Foster Scénario Howard Fast (story) Waldo Salt Acteurs principaux Loretta Young William Holden Robert Mitchum Pays d’origine …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Rachel McAdams — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Rachel McAdams Rachel McAdams en 2007, Toronto International Film Festival Nombre real Rachel Ann McAdams …   Wikipedia Español

  • Rachel Weisz — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Rachel Weisz Weisz, el 6 de enero de 2007. Nombre real Rachel Hannah Weisz Nacimiento 7 de mar …   Wikipedia Español

  • Rachel Bissex — (* 27. Dezember 1956; † 20. Februar 2005) war eine US amerikanische Folksängerin und Singer Songwriterin. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben und Werk 2 Diskografie 3 Film …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

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