Читать книгу First Ladies For Dummies - Marcus A. Stadelmann, Marcus A. Stadelmann PhD - Страница 73

President Madison decided to abide by the precedent George Washington set of serving only two terms and retired in 1817. He and Dolley moved back to Virginia, and Dolley continued to host her parties for local and state notables. She enjoyed her life in retirement until James Madison died in 1836. A widow for the second time in her life, Dolley returned to Washington, D.C., in 1837 to pay off her son’s debts.

Her son, Payne Todd, had accrued lots of debts and had been in debtor’s prison twice. For this reason, she had to sell her planation in Virginia. With the money from the planation, she paid off his debts and bought a house right across from the White House in Washington, D.C., where she continued to host crowded receptions. As soon as she returned, people flocked to her, and she soon became a hostess and social affairs advisor to President Martin Van Buren, whose wife had died before he became president. She helped him with social events, such as planning White House parties. She would do the same for Letitia Tyler, the wife of President John Tyler, who was disabled, and later on even advised First Lady Sarah Polk, who wasn’t familiar with the process of hosting White House social events.

Dolley Madison lived a long and fulfilling life and died at the age of 81 in 1849. When she died, President Zachary Taylor noted: “She will never be forgotten because she was truly our First Lady for half a century.” With this statement, he coined the term First Lady for future presidents’ wives.

Dolley Madison enjoyed taking snuff, even though it was considered unladylike at her time. She used her habit for good purposes. As the story goes, when Speaker of the House Henry Clay wanted to go to war against Great Britain, at a time when President Madison wasn’t yet ready to do so, Dolley invited him over to discuss the issue, and the two dipped snuff together, and Henry Clay later became a close ally of President Madison. One of Dolley’s friends is even quoted as saying, “The snuff box has a magic influence.”