Tillie Ehringhaus

Matilda Bradford "Tillie" Ehringhaus (née Haughton; October 23, 1890 – June 16, 1980) was an American civic leader who, as the wife of John C. B. Ehringhaus, served as First Lady of North Carolina from 1933 to 1937. Since her time in the North Carolina Executive Mansion was marked by the Great Depression, she made budget cuts and adaptations around the mansion to save money for the state, including having the wattage of the chandeliers lowered so that the electric bill would not exceed monthly expenses. As first lady, she hosted musical salons and was noted for her beauty and charm. After her husband's death, Ehringhaus co-edited the North Carolina Almanac and State Industrial Guide and, in 1952, served as an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Early life and family Ehringhaus was born Matilda Bradford Haughton on October 23, 1890, in Williamston, North Carolina, to Rev. Thomas Benbury Haughton, an Episcopal priest, and Susan Elizabeth Lamb Haughton. She was a member of an aristocratic North Carolinian family, as her father's family were planters in the Albemarle Region. Her granduncle, Thomas Haughton, was a close friend and colleague of Governor James Iredell Jr. and U.S. Congressman Ebenezer Pettigrew. After the war, he served as the parish priest and rector of the Episcopal church of the Advent in Williamston. Through her maternal grandfather, Ehringhaus was a descendant of Colonel Gideon Lamb, a military officer who served in the 6th North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Her granduncle, Lieutenant Colonel John Calhoun Lamb, was mortally wounded during the Bermuda Hundred campaign in the Civil War.

When Ehringhaus was four years old her father died and the family moved to Washington, North Carolina. Ehringhaus co-edited the North Carolina Almanac and State Industrial Guide. While her husband served in the North Carolina General Assembly the family lived at the Sir Walter Hotel in downtown Raleigh.

After her husband finished his term as governor in January 1937, the family moved to a house on Fairview Road in the affluent Five Points neighborhood in Raleigh.