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Caroline Harrison Facts & Worksheets

Caroline Lavinia Harrison was a music teacher, Benjamin Harrison's wife, and the First Lady of the United States from 1889 until her death.

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Caroline Lavinia Harrison was a music teacher, Benjamin Harrison’s wife, and mother of two children. Following her husband’s election as President of the United States, she was the First Lady of the United States from 1889 until her death.

See the fact file below for more information on the Caroline Harrison or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Caroline Harrison worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

PERSONAL LIFE

  • Caroline Scott was born in Oxford, Ohio, on October 1, 1832. She was the second daughter of the five children of Mary Potts Neal Scott and John Scott, who was a college teacher and Presbyterian minister.
  • Educated at Southern Ohio’s best schools, she was an excellent student, exhibiting special talent in painting and music.
  • She met Benjamin Harrison at a nearby college while he was a student of her father. The two began a courtship and became engaged in 1852.
  • They got married on October 20, 1853.
  • As her husband’s legal and political career progressed, she cared for their two children, Russell and Mary Scott.
  • They engaged in community activities in Indianapolis, where they made their home before they moved to Washington, D.C., after Ben’s election to the Senate (1881–86). Wherever she lived, she tended to paint for pleasure, and she became regarded as a model housewife.

CIVIL WAR

  • At the outbreak of the Civil War, Caroline and Benjamin sought to support the war effort. In 1862, Benjamin recruited a regiment consisting of over 1,000 men from Indiana. Initially offered command of the regiment, he declined due to lack of experience and was named second lieutenant. He practiced with his men during the day and learned military strategy at night.
  • After the war, Ben spent the next decade practicing law and getting involved in politics.

WIFE OF A POLITICIAN

  • In 1876, Benjamin ran for Indiana governor and lost. Five years later, in 1881, he was elected into the United States Senate by the Republican-dominated legislature.
  • In 1888, the Republican Party nominated Harrison as its nominee for the presidency. He beat the incumbent Grover Cleveland that fall.
  • The election of her husband to the presidency gave immense media attention to Caroline.
  • By that time, prominent women’s magazines frequently published lengthy articles of the family and home life of each president, and they were actively collecting knowledge about the many relatives that the Harrisons brought to the White House with them.
  • Caroline Harrison collaborated with architect Fred D. Owen to draw up designs to enlarge the mansion and make living in the White House more comfortable. She favored the proposal to maintain the main structure and install wings on both sides, one for an art gallery and the other for offices.
  • Caroline was excited to make the White House a showcase for American ingenuity and craftsmanship, and she wanted new state china crafted with goldenrod and sweet corn.
  • However, because she was unhappy with the quality of china created in the USA, she had the dishes made in France. She helped raise funds to establish a medical school at Johns Hopkins University, in addition to her organizing work for the Daughters of the American Revolution.
  • In 1889, Caroline Harrison raised the White House’s first Christmas tree, and the tradition became increasingly popular. She initiated the use of orchids at state receptions as the official floral decoration. A talented artist, she ran china-painting classes for other women in the White House. It was a popular craft of the time.

ILLNESS AND DEATH

  • The First Lady has been remembered for her lavish receptions and dinners in the White House.
  • However, she started fighting tuberculosis in late 1891, which, at the time, had no other known cure than rest and good nutrition.
  • She fully contracted tuberculosis in 1892 during the reelection campaign of her husband.
  • She wanted to fulfill her social duties, but after her condition worsened, she traveled to spend the summer in the Adirondack Mountains. The air was good for patients with tuberculosis. She returned to the White House after her condition became terminal, where she died on October 25, 1892.
  • In 1896, Benjamin Harrison married the widow, Mary Scott Dimmick, the niece of his late wife and his former secretary.
  • Rumors circulated about when the affair had begun, and when Benjamin died in 1901, his children, who had never been reconciled with the second marriage, buried him beside Caroline.

LEGACY

  • Caroline Scott Harrison was the wife of Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States.
  • She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
  • She was the descendant of John Scott and Saul Rea and the granddaughter of George McElery Scott and Anna Rea.

Caroline Harrison Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Caroline Harrison across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Caroline Harrison worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Caroline Lavinia Harrison who was a music teacher, Benjamin Harrison’s wife, and mother of two children. Following her husband’s election as President of the United States, she was the First Lady of the United States from 1889 until her death.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Caroline Harrison Facts
  • Periods of History
  • Biographical Profile
  • Truths & Lies
  • Bring It Up
  • Letter Grid
  • Matchy Ladies
  • Lady in the White House
  • Searching Ben
  • Guess What
  • Headline News

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Use With Any Curriculum

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