Louisa Adams: Life Before the White House

Louisa Catherine Johnson was born on February 12, 1775, in London. She was one of only two first ladies to be born anywhere but the United States. Her father, Joshua Johnson, and her mother, Catherine Newth, were not officially married until 1785 according to documentation, which would make Louisa the only first lady to be born out of wedlock. It is possible that documents from their first wedding were lost, and that the wedding documented was actually a second one performed for some reason. The truth is that nobody really knows, and it is unlikely we will ever find out.

In 1778 Joshua moved his family to France. Louisa loved France, and considered herself to be more French than English. While she was in France she learned to play the harp and piano, and sing. She also learned to read and write French in addition to speaking it fluently, in fact when her family returned to England in 1783 she had to learn to speak English again. Back in England she continued her schooling at a boarding school for girls, studying needlework, stitching, embroidery, and drawing as well as rudimentary mathematics and philosophy. She was heavily influenced by one of her teachers, Miss Young, who taught her to not hold back her views just because she was a woman. In 1789 Louisa was pulled out of school along with her sisters to receive instruction from a private tutor at home after her brother was sent to to study at Harvard. According to her parents and other observers Louisa had a lot of musical and literary skill, and she soon began writing poetry and essays.

Louisa and John Quincy Adams met again in 1795, they had met previously when Louisa's parents had entertained John Adams and his son in their home in France. They were married in 1797 after becoming engaged the year before, despite his mother Abigail's initial warnings that marrying a foreigner would hurt his political career. John Quincy did take his mother's warnings seriously, sending letters to Louisa in the year leading up to their marriage explaining what would be required of her in order to be his wife. Despite several miscarriages and other health problems, the couple had four children together: George Washington Adams in 1801, John Adams II in 1803, Charles Francis Adams in 1807, and Louisa Catherine Adams in 1811 who was the first American citizen to be born in Russia. Charles was the only child of theirs to live to an old age, George died in 1829, John in 1834, and little Louisa in 1812.

Soon after they were married the couple moved to Berlin since John Quincy was the U.S. Minister to Prussia. Once there Louisa was befriended by the Prussian royal family due to her command of the French language, dancing ability, and European spirit. But there were problems arising in her personal life at the same time. She was suffering from health issues such as fainting, fatigue, fevers, and the miscarriages mentioned earlier. Added to these issues her husband was often impatient with her and ignored her needs, leaving her feeling isolated. He also had rather dismissive views about female intelligence.

In 1800, Louisa made her first journey to the United States when John Quincy was recalled. They moved in briefly with his parents, and Louisa got along well with John Adams forming a friendship that would last a lifetime. Her relationship with Abigail was more complex, Louisa had a significant amount of respect for her mother-in-law, but Abigail thought that Louisa was frail and lacked the sturdiness of an American woman.

Soon the couple moved to Boston where John Quincy practiced law. They then moved to Washington D.C. after he was elected by the state senate to the U.S. Senate. In 1808 John Quincy resigned from the Senate after breaking with the Federalists Party the year before. Next he accepted a post of Minister to Russia offered to him by President Madison. He did not consult with Louisa about the job, and it wouldn't be the last time he made a decision without her. He and his mother decided that the couples two oldest sons should stay behind to be raised by the elder Adams in Massachusetts. Louisa was only able to take her youngest son, Charles. In Russia, Louisa was once again befriended by the royal family. Despite this, Louisa was not happy in Russia, and even Abigail agreed that the move had been a mistake. Abigail then wrote to President Madison asking him to send her son back. Madison complied and asked John Quincy whether he wanted to stay or leave, he decided to stay. After the death of their infant daughter, he changed his mind and requested to be sent back to the United States, but was instead sent to Ghent to negotiate a peace treaty. Louisa did well in his absence.

After a little while John Quincy told her to come meet him in Paris. So along with her son and sister Kitty, Louisa started her six-week journey towards France in the middle of both winter and war. At one point when she was nearing Paris, her coach was surrounded by Napoleonic troops. They ordered her to be killed as they thought she was Russian. Her quick thinking saved her life, she told her servants to whisper that she was in fact Napoleon's sister traveling incognito. She then stepped out of the coach and in perfect French rallied the troops to salute Napoleon.

After she reached Paris, her and John Quincy went to live in England where he was U.S. Minister. Her oldest boys were sent for, and the family lived peacefully on the countryside for the next two years. Then they moved back to Washington D.C.after John Quincy was made Secretary of State by President Monroe, and in 1825 he himself became president.