Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur

Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur (April 8, 1802 – June 20, 1850) was the younger daughter of U.S. President James Monroe. She was the first child of a president to be married in the White House.

Early life Maria Hester Monroe was the third child of James Monroe and Elizabeth Kortright Monroe. She was born in Virginia on April 8, 1802, during Monroe's first term as Governor of Virginia. When James Monroe was sent to France the next year to assist in the negotiations over the Louisiana Purchase, he brought his family to live with him in France. Maria learned French there, and later in her childhood took a particular interest in the pianoforte.

Marriage Monroe became a popular part of the Washington, D.C., social scene. In 1820, when she was 17, she married 21 year old Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur, son of Nicholas Gouverneur, who was serving as private secretary to her father. They were first cousins; his mother was Elizabeth Monroe's sister. On March 9, 1820, they were married in the White House, in a small ceremony officiated by Reverend William Hawley, with only 42 guests in attendance. Complaints even were raised during a cabinet meeting. President Monroe sought the assistance of war hero Commodore Stephen Decatur and his wife Susan Decatur, popular figures in Washington society. They planned a series of lavish balls for the couple at Decatur House to appease complaints. The first one was a success, but the rest were cancelled as the next day Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel. until he died on 4 July 1831. Her body was initially interred at Oak Hill but was later moved, along with her mother's remains, to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

Family Maria and Samuel Gouverneur had four children: a daughter (d. September 4, 1821), who died in infancy James Monroe Gouverneur (1822–1885), who was born a deaf mute. He died at Spring Grove Asylum in Catonsville, Maryland. Elizabeth Kortright Gouverneur (1826-1868), who was married three times.