Elizabeth Kortright (Monroe) Hay (1787 - 1840)

Born 5 Dec 1787 in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Virginia, USA

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 27 Jan 1840 at age 52 in Paris, France

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Biography

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Eliza was born in 1787. She is the daughter of James Monroe and Elizabeth Kortright. She passed away in 1840. ^[1] Eliza Kortright Monroe Hay (1787–1835): Eliza appeared to many a haughty, pompous socialite, quick to remind others of her good breeding and lofty station. In 1808 she married George Hay, a prominent Virginia attorney who had served as prosecutor in the trial of Aaron Burr. He later ran his father-in-law's campaign in Virginia and was appointed a federal judge by President John Quincy Adams. During the Monroe administration, Eliza often substituted as official White House hostess for her ailing mother. Eliza soon alienated most of Washington society for her refusal to call on wives of the diplomatic corps, as was the custom. She caused another social furor in closing her sister's wedding to all but family and friends. For all her apparent vanity, however, she demonstrated genuine compassion during the fever epidemic that swept Washington during Monroe's term. She spent many sleepless nights selflessly caring for victims. Following the deaths of her husband and father, she moved to Paris, converted to Catholicism and lived in a convent. Her daughter, Hortense, was named in honor of her friend, Hortense de Beauharnais, step-daughter of Napoleon[1].

Sources

• "Ancestors/Descendants of Royal Lines" (Contributors: Manuel Abranches de Soveral, Reynaud de Paysac, H.R. Moser <Burke Peerage>, L. Orlandini, O.Guionneau, L.B. de Rouge, E. Polti, A.Terlinden <Genealogy of the existing British Peerage, 1842>, L. Gustavsson, C. Cheneaux, and E. Lodge) http://geneastar.org.

1. ↑ Entered by Janice Hardin, Mar 8, 2012