HISTORY: Portraits, Real Stories, Real People. Margaret (Peggy) Taylor, the Wife of President Zachary Taylor

Margaret "Peggy" Taylor

Margaret Mackall Smith

Also known as "Peggy", served as the First Lady of the United States from 1849 to 1850 during her husband Zachary Taylor's presidency. Due to her poor health, she delegated many of the official hostess responsibilities to her daughter Betty Taylor.

After the election of 1848, a passenger on a Mississippi riverboat struck up a conversation with the easygoing General Zachary Taylor, unaware of his identity. The passenger expressed doubt about the general's qualifications for the presidency, asking if he was a "Taylor man". To this, the general replied, "Not much of one," and explained that he himself had not voted for Taylor because his wife opposed the idea of accompanying "Old Zack" to Washington. This response was a candid admission.

President Zachary Taylor

Furthermore, it is said that Margaret Taylor made a vow during the Mexican War. She promised that if her husband returned safely, she would withdraw from society completely. In keeping with her vow, she never engaged in social activities despite her refined upbringing.

Peggy Smith was born in Calvert County, Maryland, to Ann Mackall and Walter Smith, a major in the Revolutionary War according to family tradition. In 1809, while visiting her sister in Kentucky, she met a young Lieutenant Taylor. They got married the following June, and for a while, Peggy stayed on the farm given to them as a wedding gift by Zachary's father. She gave birth to her first child there, and then willingly followed her husband to various remote garrisons along the western frontier.

In 1820, the Taylors tragically lost two young daughters to a severe bilious fever, which took a toll on Margaret's health. Nevertheless, three daughters and a son survived and grew up. Despite being aware of the challenges faced by military wives, Zachary Taylor disliked the idea of his daughters marrying career soldiers. However, in the end, all of them married individuals involved in the Army.

The second daughter, Knox, defied her parents' wishes and married Lieutenant Jefferson Davis. In a heartfelt letter to her family, she imagined her mother engaging in everyday tasks like skimming milk in the cellar or feeding the chickens. Unfortunately, just three months after her wedding, Knox died from malaria. It was not until they fought together in Mexico that Taylor reconciled with Davis. In Washington, the second Mrs. Davis became a close friend of Mrs. Taylor and frequently visited her at the White House.

Mary Elizabeth Taylor

While Peggy Taylor enjoyed welcoming friends and family in her upstairs sitting room, presiding over meals at the family table, and attending special gatherings by her husband's side, she refrained from participating in formal social events. She entrusted all the responsibilities of an official hostess to her youngest daughter, Mary Elizabeth, who was 25 years old and had recently married Lieutenant Colonel William W.S. Bliss, the President's adjutant and secretary. Betty Bliss fulfilled her role exceptionally well, effortlessly blending the charm of a rural beauty with the elegance of a duchess.

Though Taylor had been invited to stay at the White House, President Zachary Taylor had died July 9, 1850. As long as necessary, she chose to leave on the evening of her husband's state funeral. A week later, Taylor departed Washington and spent three months with her daughter Ann in Baltimore before settling in Pascagoula, Mississippi with her daughter Betty. She lived a private life thereafter and never mentioned her time in the White House. It is believed that she spent her remaining years teaching Sunday school. Taylor passed away from a fever on August 14, 1852, and was laid to rest beside her husband at what is now the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. At the time of her death, she held the record for the shortest post-White House life of any first lady, lasting two years and 36 days. However, this record was soon surpassed by her successor Abigail Fillmore, who passed away mere weeks after leaving the White House.

For many years, there was uncertainty surrounding the authenticity of any portraits or photographs of Taylor. No known images were available. Instead, in portrait galleries featuring the first ladies, Taylor's portrait was typically replaced with that of her daughter Elizabeth. However, in 2010, a tinted ambrotype portrait of Taylor emerged. This particular image has since become the basis for most depictions of her. Before this discovery, the only known image of Taylor was an engraving released by the U.S. Government in 1902. In November 2010, Heritage Auctions presented a ninth plate daguerreotype of the First Lady, an heirloom from the Taylor family. At the time, it was identified as one of only two known photographs. This specific daguerreotype was loaned by Taylor's daughter, White House Hostess Betty Taylor Bliss Dandridge, for use as a model for the engraving.

Margaret Taylor gold coins! 10 dollars!

Margaret Taylor

How fashion intersects politics, economics, gender, race & pop culture., A thread for thought!

The Smithsonian started informally but system systematically collecting (only inaugural ball gowns reaching back to 1912) The early days of United States history. While the garments were originally donated informally, it has become a media event publicizing the First Ladies and the museum heightening the import of choosing the right gown with the right message in the first place!