Margaret Taylor

Margaret Mackall Taylor (née Smith) was born on September 21, 1788, in Calvert County, Maryland. Her father was Walter Smith, a prosperous Maryland planter and veteran of the American Revolution. Her mother was Ann Mackall Smith. Margaret was homeschooled, learning skills such as reading, writing, arithmetic, music, embroidery, dancing, and riding. At age ten, her mother passed away, and she subsequently lived with her maternal grandparents. As an adult, she attended a finishing school in New York City. After her father’s death in 1804, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to live with her sister.

In 1809, Margaret met Lieutenant Zachary Taylor in Kentucky. After a courtship lasting approximately seven months, they married on June 21, 1810, in her sister's log house. Following their marriage, the Taylors lived a frontier life, frequently relocating to military camps and barracks. Margaret Taylor was among the few military wives who accompanied their husbands into frontier posts, though she experienced long periods of separation when travel was unfeasible.

The couple had six children: Ann Mackall (born 1811), Sarah Knox (born 1814), Octavia Pannill (born 1816), Margaret Smith (born 1819), Mary Elizabeth (born 1824), and Richard (born 1826). During their time on the frontier, Margaret raised her children amid challenging conditions. When children reached school age, they were sent to boarding schools in the eastern United States to pursue educational opportunities they lacked during frontier life.

In 1820, while residing in Bayou Sara, Louisiana, Margaret and Zachary Taylor faced a severe illness diagnosed as bilious fever. Two of their children, Octavia and Margaret, died during this period. The same year, Taylor narrowly escaped death, and the experience had a profound impact on Margaret.

The Taylors later resided in Fort Snelling (1828) and Fort Crawford (1832-1836), where they kept two slaves involved in farm work. Their daughter Sarah married Jefferson Davis but died of malarial fever shortly after, in 1835. During the Second Seminole War in Florida (1837), Margaret assisted with caring for the wounded and boosting morale among soldiers. She returned to domestic life in 1840, when she and Zachary Taylor reunited and settled in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in a small cottage rather than a large residence.

Zachary Taylor was involved in the Mexican–American War beginning in 1845. Margaret's health deteriorated during this time, limiting her mobility. She opposed her husband's 1848 presidential candidacy, fearing it would "shorten both our lives," but he was elected as the candidate of the Whig Party. She was reportedly reluctant to accept her role as First Lady, choosing instead to remain in seclusion within the White House, delegating hostess responsibilities to her daughter Mary Elizabeth Bliss.

Her tenure as First Lady lasted until President Zachary Taylor's death on July 9, 1850. She continued her reclusiveness after leaving the White House, residing temporarily with her daughter Ann in Baltimore, then with her daughter Betty in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Margaret Taylor died of a fever on August 14, 1852, and was buried next to her husband at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

Her post-presidential life lasted only two years and 36 days, making her the first First Lady to have such a brief tenure after leaving the White House at her husband's death. Her legacy remains limited; she is often regarded as a private and somewhat obscure figure. Historical assessments of her role as First Lady tend to be unfavorable, citing her lack of engagement in public duties and minimal influence on her husband's administration. No known letters authored by her have survived, and early portraits or photographs are not fully authenticated.