Ellen Arthur 1837–1880

Born Culpeper, Virginia Honorary First Lady

The heiress Ellen “Nell” Lewis Herndon brought great wealth to her 1859 marriage to Chester B. Arthur. In New York City, the couple kept a lavish Lexington Avenue townhouse, where she entertained guests and he indulged in Republican politics.

Ellen Arthur died of pneumonia in January 1880, less than a year before her husband was elected vice president of the United States. When the bereft Chester Arthur was elevated to the presidency following the death of President Garfield in September 1881, he is said to have kept this photographic portrait of Ellen Arthur at his bedside in the White House.

Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.