Harriet Lane

Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston was born on May 9, 1830, in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. She was the youngest child of Elliott Tole Lane, a merchant, and Jane Ann Buchanan Lane. At the age of nine, she lost her mother, and following her father's death two years later, she became an orphan. She requested that her uncle, James Buchanan, be appointed as her legal guardian. Buchanan, who was a Democratic senator from Pennsylvania at the time, accommodated her request and took an active role in her upbringing, which included enrolling her and her sister in boarding schools in Charles Town, Virginia, and later at the Georgetown Visitation Monastery in Washington, D.C.

In 1854, James Buchanan, then Secretary of State, was appointed as minister to the Court of St. James's in London, where Harriet joined him in 1854. During her stay in London, Queen Victoria bestowed upon her the rank of ambassador's wife. She was recognized for her appearance, described as medium height with light, nearly golden, hair and violet-colored eyes.

Harriet Lane is notably recognized for her role as the acting First Lady of the United States during her uncle James Buchanan's presidency from 1857 to 1861. Buchanan was the only U.S. president never to have married. As a result, Harriet Lane served as the hostess at the White House during this period, creating a precedent for the role of the modern First Lady. Her tenure featured her active engagement in social causes, including efforts to improve conditions for Native Americans on reservations, and her promotion of the arts. She was also known for her diplomatic skill, carefully arranging seating at White House functions to manage political differences.

In 1857, she married Baltimore banker Henry Elliott Johnston when she was 36 years old. The couple had two sons, James Buchanan Johnston (1866–1881) and Henry Elliot Johnston (1869–1882). Over the subsequent years, she outlived her husband and both sons, as well as her uncle James Buchanan.

Later in life, Harriet Lane Johnston wrote her will in 1895 and added a codicil in 1899, which directed her estate to fund a school on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral, called the Lane-Johnston Building. She increased her bequest in 1903, with the stipulation that half of her estate be used for the building and the remainder for the education and training of choirboys associated with the cathedral. Her endowment led to the founding of the St. Albans School, which opened in October 1909.

She was involved in philanthropy, establishing the Harriet Lane Home for Invalid Children at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The hospital, opened in October 1912, became the first children's clinic affiliated with a medical school in the United States. The Harriet Lane Home provided pediatric care, teaching, and research, and treated over 60,000 children annually at its peak. It featured prominent pediatric specialists who contributed to advancements in their fields.

Harriet Lane Johnston also donated her European art collection to the Smithsonian Institution, which recognized her as the "First Lady of the National Collection of Fine Arts." Her legacy includes several U.S. Coast Guard cutters named in her honor, with the latest, USCGC Harriet Lane (WMEC-903), commissioned in 1984 and still active as of 2021.

She passed away on July 3, 1903, and was buried in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.