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Ellen Arthur Facts & Worksheets

Ellen Lewis "Nell" Arthur was the wife of Chester A. Arthur, the 21st President of the United States.

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Ellen Lewis “Nell” Arthur was the wife of Chester A. Arthur, the 21st President of the United States. She died from pneumonia in January 1880; that November, her husband was elected vice-president. He assumed the presidency after James Garfield was assassinated in September 1881.

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

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Ellen Lewis Herndon, called “Nell,” was born on August 30, 1837 in the town of Culpeper Court House, Virginia. She was the daughter of William Lewis Herndon and Frances Elizabeth Hansborough.
  • Her father was a naval officer who achieved national fame in 1857, when he and more than 400 passengers and crew went down with his ship, the SS Central America mail steamer. That time, it was the biggest life loss in a commercial shipping accident.
  • After the intense hurricane off Cape Hatteras, Herndon had safely evacuated 152 women and children to another vessel but his ship could not be saved.
  • Nell was only twenty when her dad died.

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

  • Nell and the future 21st President of the United States, Chester A. Arthur, were introduced in New York City in 1856 by her cousin Dabney Herndon Maury, a friend of Arthur.
  • Arthur proposed to her on the porch of a hotel in Saratoga Springs, following a short courtship in New York.
  • Arthur, 30, married 22-year-old Herndon at Calvary Episcopal Church in New York City on October 25, 1859. The day was the birthdate of her father.
  • Arthur, who was from rural Vermont, was said to have learnt sophisticated dressing from her socially influential family at Union College in Upper New York, where he was in the debating society.
  • The couple had been recognized in their Manhattan townhouse on Lexington Avenue for their parties.
  • Nell Arthur, a versatile soprano, sang with the Mendelssohn Glee Club, and appeared throughout New York for benefits.
  • The Arthurs seemed to have a good marriage but it was strained by both Chester’s political involvement, which consumed most of his time, and the Civil War’s divided loyalties.
  • Although Arthur served in the New York militia during the war, his wife sympathized privately with the Confederacy, for which many of her Virginia kinfolk had fought.
  • The Arthurs had two sons and a daughter:
    • William Lewis Arthur (1860–1863). Died of convulsions at age two and a half.
    • Chester Alan Arthur II (1864–1937). In 1885, Chester graduated from the University of Princeton and went on to the Columbia Law School.
  • He was a renowned playboy and got married to Myra Townsend Fithian, an heiress from California, at age 36. At President Arthur’s deathbed, Chester was warned not to enter politics.
  • Ellen Hansbrough Herndon Arthur (1871–1915). As a child, she was protected from the press when her dad was President. She married and lived in New York City with Charles Pinkerton.

SOCIAL IMPACT

  • Nell’s social network among New York’s wealthy families broadened up the political ties with Chester. The pair became a famous pairing noted for their determination to achieve popularity and prominence that would go hand in hand with the rise of Chester in politics. Nell’s mates included Vanderbilts, Astors, and Roosevelts.
  • Her mother’s wealth gave them luxuries such as the brownstone three-story townhouse Lexington Avenue with expensive Tiffany’s furnishings that Arthur could not afford on his own.
  • Free from the need to earn enough income to support the couple’s lifestyle, Arthur was able to devote himself to the Republican Party of New York. He eventually rose to the position of Adjutant General of New York with the United States through political patronage and achieved an army rank of brigadier general.

DEATH

  • Nell Arthur came down with a cold on January 10, 1880. She soon developed pneumonia and died two days later in New York City , New York, on January 12, 1880, at age 42. She was buried in Albany , New York, at the Arthur family plot.
  • The President’s sister Mary Arthur McElroy served as the President’s hostess and unofficial First Lady for Arthur’s social events. She also took care of the Arthur children, then aged 16 and 9.

Ellen Arthur Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Ellen Arthur across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Ellen Arthur worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Ellen Lewis “Nell” Arthur who was the wife of Chester A. Arthur, the 21st President of the United States. She died from pneumonia in January 1880; that November, her husband was elected vice-president. He assumed the presidency after James Garfield was assassinated in September 1881.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Ellen Arthur Facts
  • Biographical Profile
  • The Ellen Events
  • Make It True
  • Grid Letters
  • First Ladies
  • Hostess in White House
  • Word Guessing
  • Comic Strip
  • News Headline
  • Dictionary Corner

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