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Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston (May 9, 1830 – July 3, 1903) acted as first lady of the United States during the administration of her uncle, lifelong bachelor president James Buchanan, from 1857 to 1861.
Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston acted as First Lady of the United States, or “Hostess,” for her uncle James Buchanan, who was a lifelong bachelor and the 15th President (1857-1861).
Oct 19, 2020 · She and her husband, Henry Elliot Johnston, welcomed two sons, James Buchanan Johnston and Henry Elliot Johnston Jr., in 1866 and 1870, respectively. Tragically, both children died of rheumatic fever within one year of each other, and her husband succumbed to pneumonia shortly after.
May 4, 2022 · On 18 January 1863, James Buchanan Lane died at the age of 49, leaving Harriet as the last surviving Lane at 32 years old. His death prompted Harriet to visit her uncle Edward Buchanan and his family at the Oxford Church in Philadelphia.
The papers of James Buchanan (1791-1868), representative and senator of Pennsylvania, secretary of state, and fifteenth president of the United States, and those of his niece and White House hostess Harriet Lane Johnston (1830-1903) contain approximately 1,600 items dating from 1825 to 1887.
Harriet Lane Johnston (1830-1903) was President James Buchanan’s niece and ward, and served as hostess of the White House during Buchanan’s administration. Orphaned at age eleven, she was raised by her uncle, but came into her own as a strong presence in the White House.
Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston acted as First Lady of the United States, or "Hostess," for her uncle James Buchanan, who was a lifelong bachelor and the 15th President (1857-1861).
