Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams
Born: February 12, 1775 at London, Great Britain
Died: May 15, 1852 (aged 77) at Washington, D.C.
Spouse: John Quincy Adams (m. 1797 – 1848)
Offices held:
First Lady of the United States (1825 – 1829)
Spouse: John Quincy Adams
Children:George Washington Adams, John Adams II, Charles Francis Adams Sr., Louisa Catherine Adams
Facts about Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams
She spent most of her childhood in France. Louisa was sickly, plagued by migraine headaches and frequent fainting spells. She had several miscarriages over the course of her marriage. In 1809, Louisa Adams and their youngest son accompanied John Quincy Adams to St. Petersburg, where he served as Minister to Russia, leaving their older two sons to be raised and educated by John Quincy Adams’ parents.
She was only First Lady born outside the United States. She wrote two unpublished books about her own life, with details about life around her in Europe and Washington: Record of My Life in 1825, and The Adventures of a Nobody in 1840.
Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams Childhood
Born Louisa Catherine Johnson on February 12, 1775, in London, she was the daughter of Catherine Nuth Johnson and Joshua Johnson (an American merchant), whose brother Thomas Johnson later served as Governor of Maryland and United States Supreme Court Justice. Joshua Johnson was originally from Maryland.
She had six sisters: Ann, Caroline, Harriet, Catherine, Elizabeth, and Adelaide, and a brother, Thomas. She grew up in London and Nantes, France, where the family took refuge during the American Revolution.
Where is Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams buried?
The day of her funeral was the first time both houses of the United States Congress adjourned in mourning for any woman. She is entombed at her husband’s side, along with President John Adams and first lady Abigail Adams, in the United First Parish Church in Quincy, Massachusetts.
How did Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams die?
She died of a heart attack on May 15, 1852, at the age of 77.