Caroline Harrison
A cultured and determined First Lady who championed the arts, modernized the White House, and founded the Daughters of the American Revolution.
1832–1892 (age 60)·First Lady of the United States from 1889 to 1892·Birthday: October 1
Biography
Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison brought a quiet, artistic force to a White House that had grown shabby. A music teacher and talented painter before her marriage to Benjamin Harrison, she approached the role of First Lady with a sense of purpose. Appalled by the mansion's state, she launched a major renovation, installing new plumbing, wiring, and, for the first time, electricity—though she feared the switches and refused to touch them. She fought for an ambitious expansion of the executive residence, a plan Congress ultimately rejected. A keen advocate for the arts, she established the White House's first china collection and painted delicate watercolors, some of which were used on her own official dinner service. Beyond the mansion's walls, she was a pivotal figure in the founding of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1890, serving as its first President General. Her tenure was cut short by tuberculosis, and she died in the White House in 1892, leaving behind a legacy of cultural advocacy and practical modernization that reshaped the physical and social fabric of the presidential home.
#1 When Caroline Was Born
The biggest hits of 1832
Caroline's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1832Born
1837Started school
1845Became a teenager
1848Could drive
1850Could vote
1853Turned 21
1862Turned 30
President: Abraham Lincoln
1872Turned 40
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1882Turned 50
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
1892Turned 60
President: Benjamin Harrison
Key Achievements
- Spearheaded the first major, systematic renovation of the White House, introducing electricity and modern plumbing.
- Served as the first President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution upon its founding in 1890.
- Initiated the creation of the White House's official china collection, designing some of the patterns herself.
- Was an accomplished artist who gave painting lessons and exhibited her watercolors and oil paintings.
Did You Know?
She was the first First Lady to have a Christmas tree decorated in the White House.
She helped raise funds for the Johns Hopkins University medical school on the condition that it admit women.
Her death from tuberculosis in the White House led to a temporary suspension of social activities during her husband's presidency.
“I intend to restore the White House to its former simplicity and elegance.”
