An Interesting Story of a Lesser Known First Lady

Mrs. Adams In Winter

Greetings 1000 Bookies--Our next volume is found on the list of 1000 Books to Read Before You Die is the historical book, Mrs. Adams in Winter written by the late historian, Michael O’Brien.  The book is ostensibly about a journey from St. Petersburg, Russia to Paris, France in 1815.  The trip was made by Mrs. Louisa Adams and her 7-year-old son, Charles Francis.  The journey was made in the dead of winter through war-torn Europe.  The Europe of 1815 was the European?  the French Revolution & Napoleon; The Congress of Vienna and the War of 1812. Mrs. Adams made this trip without Conde Nast, Fodor’s Guides, without even a simple AAA approved map.  There was no Riga Hilton or Konigsberg Marriott or even a Knights Inn to spend the evening.  But for 40 days, in her Russian carriage, Mrs. Adam journeyed to join her husband in Paris. 

The review will look at some key points—specifically why this book, why was it included on the List of 1000 Books to Read Before You Die?  First and foremost, the book is about a woman who would go on to become First Lady of the United States. Louisa Adams is not one of the better known First Ladies.  However, other than her mother-in-law, Louisa was the most traveled First Lady till Edith Wilson or Louise Hoover or Eleanor Roosevelt.  She traveled in a day when women simply did not by themselves for various reasons and travel was not a given prerequisite of becoming First Lady of the United States like it is currently. 

From the beginning, Louisa was different than most of her predecessors and successors.  First, until Mrs. Trump, Louisa Adams was the only First Lady born outside the United States.  Louisa came from a family of dubious social distinction.  Her father was a Maryland merchant, her mother was a social climber and the illegitimate daughter of a man with 22 children.  She grew up in a happy, upper middle-class family.  During the American Revolution the family moved to France.  After the Treaty of Paris, the family moved back to Britain where they socialized with American Ambassador John Adams and his wife Abigail.  She met her future husband in London although she was in a rivalry with her sister for his attentions. 

John Quincy Adams was the closest thing to an American Prince for the time and he met no one’s definition of charm.  He was the most traveled President of the United States until Theodore Roosevelt or maybe even Franklin Roosevelt.  He duties took him to Paris with his father during the Revolution. John Quincy served as the secretary to several US envoys and had traveled to Russia.  He was appointed by President Washington to be envoy to the Netherlands, which is when he traveled to England and met Louisa Johnson.  They were married several years later coinciding with John Quincy being named Ambassador to Prussia by his father, President John Adams. 

After their tenure in Prussia where the Adams’s were friendly with the Royal family, John Quincy was elected to the United States Senate.  After his term in the Senate, President Madison nominated to John Quincy as Ambassador to Russia.  The Adams spent 1809 through 1814 as envoy In the Czarist court in St. Petersburg, Russia.  In 1814, President Madison asked John Quincy to travel to the Netherlands to negotiate the treaty to end the War of 1812.  After his successful negotiation, he was named Ambassador to Britain as his father was before him.  John Quincy spent some time in Paris awaiting his wife. 

The book is really about a first lady who is not one of the most prominent in US history and the state of her marriage.  The book tells the official sanitized version of her life for the first half of the book but for the second the truth was the story behind the façade.  John Quincy Adams was raised to exceed expectations with parents who were overachievers.  His brothers couldn’t keep up and his parents hopes rested on him.  John Quincy was a Puritan and humorless. At one point while a Senator, Louisa had to remind him to be kind to her sister and brother in law, whom he was living with when their young daughter died.  John Quincy and Louisa were NOT a love match.  Right after their marriage, Louisa’s father lost all his money and creditors began to come after John Quincy and Louisa leading to a strain.  Once they moved to Prussia, Louisa had a series of miscarriages prior to giving birth to three sons.  Because of the difficulties in her marriage and her loss of pregnancies, I really identified with John and Louisa Adams. The following line stayed with me, “Perhaps there were no more strains than in many marriages.  Miscarriages, difficult in-laws, money worries, separations, and ill-fitting temperaments were and are ordinary enough experiences.” 

Their time in Russia seems to be fairly happy at least initially.  Louisa and John Quincy were friendly with the imperial court.  Czar Alexander was quite smitten with Louisa’s sister, Catherine leading to invitations to important events and soirees.  Louisa befriended the Czar’s long-suffering wife.  The royal family doted on Louisa when she was pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl allowing her special privileges at court.   This little girl was to die young and is buried in St. Petersburg.  Louisa and John Quincy’s marriage suffered from the death of their daughter mainly because John Quincy jumped back into his diplomatic work leaving Louisa to grieve alone or with her young soon.

                Halfway through the harrowing journey word came that Napoleon escaped exile in Elba and was heading to Paris to rebuild his empire.  Eventually this period in history would be known has 100 Days ending with Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo. The Napoleonic Wars saw shifting alliances and adversaries on the continent.  Napoleon’s consistent enemy was Great Britain.  At the end Austria, Prussia and Russia joined England to defeat Napoleon.  However, Louisa was traveling in a Russian carriage, with a Prussian guide and ex-French soldiers’ postilions. Danger doubled when she came to the French frontier in the cloak of Napoleon’s various enemies.

                The story is little known, and little told making it important to read.  When we, as a country, contemplate First Ladies, we do not think of Louisa Adams traveling across war torn Europe to join her husband.  The question to me was why this book was be included on the list?  The answer that came to my mind was, Louisa Adams was the only first lady to experience this being in harm’s way.  The only equivalents in US history are Dolly Madison, Louise Hoover and Eleanor Roosevelt.  Dolly Madison escaped Washington as the British invaded during the War of 1812. Dolly achieved iconic status by saving the portrait of George Washington.  Future First Lady, Louise Hoover lived in China during the Boxer Rebellion when her husband was building his fortune and reputation in mineral mining.  Louise carried a loaded pistol when she ventured out.  First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt traveled to warzones to visit the troops during World War II—to both Great Britain and the South Pacific.  So, this book shows and tells an interesting story, during an interesting time with a lesser known figure in US History.  I felt a great sympathy for Louisa.  I hope you will agree with me and are willing read this interesting book. 

Keep Reading My Friends!