Margaret Taylor

Margaret Taylor
15th First Lady of the United States
In office March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850
Preceded by	Sarah Polk
Succeeded by	Abigail Fillmore
Personal details
Born	September 21, 1788(1788-09-21) Calvert County, Maryland, U.S.
Died	August 14, 1852(1852-08-14) (aged 63) Pascagoula, Mississippi, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Zachary Taylor
Children	Ann Mackall Taylor-Wood Sarah Knox Taylor Mary Elizabeth Taylor Richard Taylor
Religion	Episcopalian

Margaret Mackall Smith "Peggy" Taylor (September 21, 1788 – August 14, 1852), wife of Zachary Taylor, was First Lady of the United States from 1849 to 1850.

Early Life and Marriage

Born in Calvert County, Maryland, on September 21, 1788, the daughter of Walter Smith, a prosperous Maryland planter and veteran officer of the American Revolution, and Ann Mackall-Smith, "Peggy" was raised amid refinement and wealth.

While visiting her sister in Kentucky in 1809, she was introduced to Lieutenant Zachary Taylor, then home on leave, by Dr. Alexander Duke.

Taylor, aged 25, married Peggy Smith, aged 21, on June 21, 1810, at the home of the bride's sister, Mrs. Mary Chew near Louisville, Kentucky. Their marriage appears to have been a happy one. A devout Episcopalian, Mrs. Taylor prayed regularly for her soldier husband. She became somewhat reclusive because, it is said, she had promised God to give up the pleasures of society if her husband returned safely from war.

Children

The Taylors' surviving children were:

• Ann Mackall Taylor-Wood (1811-1875) - Born near Louisville, she married Dr. Robert C. Wood, an army surgeon, in 1829.
• Sarah Knox "Knoxie" Taylor (1814-1835)
• Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Taylor (1824-1909)
• Richard "Dick" Taylor (1826-1879) - planter, military leader.

First Lady of the United Sates

With the rise in Taylor's political career, she literally prayed for his defeat, for she dreaded the personal consequences of his becoming president. By the time she became First Lady, the hardships of following her husband from fort to fort and the birth of several children had taken their toll. A semi-invalid, she remained in seclusion on the second floor of the White House, leaving the duties of official hostess to her daughter Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Taylor.

Death

On the sudden death of the president, her health deteriorated rapidly. She died two years later, on August 14, 1852, at Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was buried next to her husband near Louisville, Kentucky.

References

• Original text based on White House biography

External links

• Margaret Taylor at the National First Lady's Library
• Margaret Taylor

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