Lane, Harriet (1830–1903)

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Lane, Harriet (1830–1903)

First niece who acted as White House host during one of the most difficult periods in American history. Name variations: Harriet Lane Johnston; (nickname) "Hal." Born on May 9, 1830, in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania; died of cancer while summering at Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island, on July 3, 1903; sixth of seven children of Elliott Tole Lane and Jane (Buchanan) Lane (who was the sister of James Buchanan, president of the U.S.); graduated from Academy of Visitation in Georgetown, 1848; married Henry Elliott Johnston (a banker), on January 11, 1866 (died 1884); children: James Buchanan Johnston (1866–1881); Henry Elliott Johnston (1868–1882).

When bachelor president James Buchanan arrived in the White House in 1857, he brought with him a breath of fresh air in the form of his 26-year-old niece, Harriet ("Hal") Lane. Hal, who had accompanied "Nunc" Buchanan to England when he was ambassador to the Court of St. James, charmed Washington, just as she had Queen Victoria and the British court.

Harriet, the youngest daughter of Buchanan's sister Jane Buchanan Lane , was orphaned at the age of ten. Designated as guardian, James Buchanan, who was not known for his love of children, set out to educate and refine his "mischievous romp of a niece." Private school in Virginia, followed by the Academy of Visitation in Georgetown, removed all traces of her rough-house behavior. By the age of 17, Hal had not only developed into a tall, blonde beauty, but she also possessed enough charm and political savvy to become the hostess of Wheatland, Buchanan's estate in Pennsylvania.

In the White House, Harriet refurbished the neglected interior with American furniture and had a conservatory built to ensure a supply of fresh flowers. She entertained often, with ease and tact. With a growing rift between the North and the South, Harriet became known as the "Democratic Queen," skillfully warding off sectional rivalries with judicious seating arrangements and admonishments about discussing politics. She was immensely popular. All over Washington, women adopted her full skirts and low necklines. Countless baby girls were named "Harriet," and a U.S. steamship was christened the Harriet Lane. Even a song, Listen to the Mocking Bird, was written in her honor. If beautiful and gracious, she was also unassuming and warm-hearted. She won the title "Great Mother of the Indians" for her work in improving Native American living conditions.

Harriet Lane presided over two important diplomatic events during Buchanan's term. First was a grand reception for the prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII), who was the first member of the royal family to visit the former colonies. It is reported that he stayed overnight, sleeping in Buchanan's room while the president slept on a couch in the hall. It is also rumored that Buchanan—ever protective of his young charge—removed Harriet's pictures from his room, so there would be no talk of impropriety. The second occasion was the arrival of the first Japanese ambassadors ever to visit America. Adhering to their strict sense of protocol, they determined that only Harriet and the Cabinet wives—who greeted them in elegant silk robes—were ladies of sufficient rank to meet them.

Leaving the White House at a time when seven states had seceded and the Civil War was imminent, Harriet and her uncle gratefully retired to Wheatland. In 1866, she married Baltimore banker Henry Elliott Johnston. When Buchanan died three years later, she inherited Wheatland, which she and her husband used as their country home. Two sons were born but died in childhood. Widowed in 1884, Harriet spent the rest of her life in Washington, active in philanthropic work and collecting art. She organized the Choir School of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Washington, and founded the Harriet Lane Home for Invalid Children at Johns Hopkins. Upon her death in 1903, half of her art collection went to Johns Hopkins and the remainder to the Smithsonian Institution, where it provided the basis for the National Gallery of Art. Harriet Lane is buried next to her family in Greenmont Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.