Biography: "First Lady" Sarah Yorke Jackson (1805-1887)

Sarah Yorke Jackson served as the unofficial First Lady to her father-in-law, President Andrew Jackson, from November 26, 1834 to March 4, 1837. She shared hosting duties with President Jackson's niece, Emily Donelson, then took over as the sole White House hostess after Donelson's death in 1836. This was the only time in history when two women served simultaneously as the White House's First Ladies.

Sarah Yorke was born in July 1805 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (The exact date of her birth is unknown.) Her family was wealthy, her father Peter having experienced a successful career as a sea captain and merchant. He died in 1815. Her mother, Mary Haines Yorke, died in New Orleans in 1820, leaving Sarah and her sisters, Jane and Marian, orphaned as young teenagers. The sisters were raised by their aunts, Mrs. George Farquhar and Mrs. Mordecai Wetherill.

On November 24, 1831, Sarah married Andrew Jackson, Jr., the nephew and adopted son of President Andrew Jackson, in Philadelphia. Although the President was unable to attend the wedding, he welcomed the couple to the White House, and Sarah had a close and affectionate relationship with her father-in-law until his death in 1845.

Because Andrew Jackson's wife, Rachel Jackson, died shortly before her husband's inauguration, it was necessary for another woman to fill the duties of White House hostess. President Jackson's original intention was for his niece, Emily Donelson, to become the unofficial First Lady and for Andrew, Jr. and Sarah to manage the family plantation, the Hermitage. After a fire destroyed the Hermitage's main house, however, the couple relocated to the White House, where Sarah and Donelson shared hosting duties. In addition to supervising the reconstruction at the Hermitage, she became the sole White House hostess after Emily died of tuberculosis.

After President Jackson's term ended, Sarah Yorke Jackson and Andrew Jackson, Jr. lived at the Hermitage with their five children: Rachel, Andrew, Samuel, Thomas, and Robert. After Jackson's death, however, the Sarah and Andrew found it difficult to maintain life at such a plantation. They moved to Mississippi before the Civil War broke out, leaving the plantation in the care of their slaves. The Hermitage was then purchased by the State of Tennessee, who have since turned it into a museum. They allowed Sarah Yorke Jackson to live her final years there. She passed away on August 23, 1887.

Sources

• The Hermitage - Home of President Andrew Jackson
• Sarah Yorke Jackson at AllExperts
• Sarah Yorke Jackson at American Presidents Blog
• Sarah Yorke Jackson at Our White House