Anna Symmes Harrison

Anna Symmes Harrison was the 9th First Lady of the United States, and she never resided in the White House as First Lady. In fact, she never even made the trip to Washington after her husband, William Henry Harrison was sworn in to office. She was also the only First Lady that would be a grandmother of a future President: Benjamin Harrison.

Anna Tuthill Symmes was born in 1775, in New York City, to a well-to-do family. Her mother died less than a year after giving birth to Anna. When Anna was still a baby, the Revolutionary War had begun and the British had captured New York City. Fearing for the safety of his children, Anna's father, Colonel John Symmes, decided it would be safer if he could take them to his wife's grandparents that were living in New Jersey. To do this, Colonel Symmes put on a British uniform and smuggled Anna and her older sister out of New York.

As the Revoluntionary War wound down, Anna attended the fnest boarding schools including the Clinton Academy in Easthampton, New York. She also took classes from the famed educator and philanthropist Isabella Marshall Graham. Her father, Judge John Cleves Symmes, had purchased land along the Ohio River just west of what is now Cincinnati.

On a trip to visit her sister now living in Kentucky, she met the young William Henry Harrison.

Anna gave birth to 10 children (including one who died at age 3) between 1796 and 1814.

When William won the presidency in 1840, the couple asked their daughter-in-law, Jane Irwin Harrison, widow of their son William Henry, to perform the duties of first lady until Anna, who was then ill, could come to Washington. As Anna began packing in April 1841, she learned of William's death. Although he had served only one month in office, Congress voted to give Anna a pension equivalent to his salary, thus setting a precedent for the pensions of subsequent first ladies.

In 1858 Anna's house was destroyed in a fire, and she spent the remaining six years of her life with her son John Scott Harrison, the only one of her children to outlive her. She was buried beside her husband in North Bend, Ohio.