First Ladies: Ellen Wilson


Martha Washington Abigail Adams Martha Jefferson Dolley Madison Elizabeth Monroe Louisa Adams Rachel Jackson Hannah Van Buren Anna Harrison Letitia Tyler Julia Tyler Sarah Polk Margaret Taylor Abigail Fillmore Jane Pierce Harriet Lane Johnson Mary Lincoln Eliza Johnson Julia Grant Lucy Hayes Lucretia Garfield Ellen Arthur Frances Cleveland Caroline Harrison Ida McKinley Edith Roosevelt Helen Taft Ellen Wilson Edith Wilson Florence Harding Grace Coolidge Lou Hoover Eleanor Roosevelt Bess Truman Mamie Eisenhower Jacqueline Kennedy Lady Bird Johnson Pat Nixon Betty Ford Rosalynn Carter Nancy Reagan Barbara Bush Hillary Rodham Clinton Laura Bush Michelle Obama	Ellen Axson Wilson Ellen Louise Axson was born on May 15, 1860, in Savannah, Georgia. She lead a charmed life and attended the Female Seminary in Rome, Georgia. She was an accomplished painter. While in Rome, GA. she met Woodrow Wilson a lawyer from Alanta. They met in 1883. He continued his education and she studied painting. Ellen was 25 when she married Woodrow on June 24, 1885. They were married by two ministers, her grandfather and Woodrow's father. Library of Congress Mrs. Wilson would proof read articles that Mr. Wilson wrote. They had three daughters, Margaret, Jessie, and Eleanor. She believed Woodrow would achieve greatness. She helped him with his speeches, courted polititians, and gave him political advice. She was thrilled when he was elected president. Ellen continued her painting even when she was First Lady. She lobbied for improvements for women and black people living in Washington, D.C. She was responsible for the passing of a slum clearance bill. The bill was called the Ellen Wilson Bill. Mrs. Wilson got ill in 1914 with kidney disease. She died on August 6, 1914. She was buried with her parents in Rome, Georgia.	Topics First Ladies Home U.S. Presidents Home

	Sources of Information: Books: Barden, Cindy,Meet the First Ladies, Lorenz Corp. Gormley, Beatrice,First Ladies: Women Who Called The White House Home (First Ladies) , Scholastic Paperbacks, 1997 Smith, Carter, Editor,Smithsonian Presidents and First Ladies DK Publishing, New York, 2002 Web Sites: The White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/ Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/odmdhtml/

Ellen Axson Wilson