The Families of Past Presidents (Part One)

With the families of the current candidates making front-page news, it’s time for a look back at the spouses and kids of U.S. presidents since George Washington.

January 23, 2012
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Abraham Lincoln

At 33, Abraham Lincoln, married witty, well-educated Mary Todd, who was 10 years his junior. Their marriage was full of highs and lows. Three of their four kids didn't live to adulthood. And Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865, while his wife held his hand. Mary Todd Lincoln, a big spender, was an unpopular First Lady. But she did many good deeds, including visiting soldiers in the hospital and trying to set up a fund for runaway slaves. Historians still debate whether she was insane and whether she was a "hellcat or helpmate." Here, in a print by Currier & Ives, Abraham Lincoln appears with his wife and sons Thomas and Robert.

For more about presidential wives and kids, read:

The Families of the Presidential Candidates

For more on famous marriages, read:

Top 10 Midlife Marriages of 2011

Longest Celebrity Marriages

Shortest Celebrity Marriages

Famous Weddings from the Past

Once Was Not Enough: These Celebrities Married Multiple Times

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