#49: Anna Tuthill Harrison

Anna Tuthill Harrison faced a tumultuous time when her husband, William Henry Harrison, was elected president in 1840. Anxious about her public reception and ability to fulfill her role as first lady, Anna grappled with these concerns.

Due to her fragile health, she couldn’t accompany the president to Washington for his inauguration, instead sending their daughter-in-law, Jane Irwin Harrison. Anna planned to join her husband, but her hopes were shattered when she received the devastating news of his untimely death from pneumonia as she prepared for the journey.