February 16, 1786
James Monroe & Elizabeth Kortright

The Monroes

Today in wedding history, at the age of 27, attorney and future president James Monroe married 17-year-old debutante, Elizabeth Kortright.

Monroe met Kortright in 1785 when he was serving as a member of the Continental Congress in New York City. A year later, they were married in the city and honeymooned on Long Island. They wasted no time before starting their family, having their first daughter, Eliza, later that year.

The couple planned to settle in Virginia, but because of his career in politics, they often moved around. They had two more children (one died in infancy) and in 1817, Monroe was elected president and they moved into the White House.

The Monroes hold the distinction for having hosted the first wedding in the White House. In March of 1820, they gave their daughter’s hand in marriage to a White House staff member in front of 42 close friends and family.

Interested in making some of the Monroe Family dishes?