Haunted White House? The Two Presidents and Three First Ladies Who Died in the White House
By | December 7, 2022
Is the White House haunted? As open-minded skeptics, we say ‘probably not,’ but if it were inhabited by a ghost or two, our bet would be that it would be one or more of the people who passed way within the walls of the White House. After all, isn’t that what ghosts do? They haunt the place where they died? Did you know that two presidents actually died in the White House? And three First Ladies did as well? Let’s find out who they were and how they died.
President William Henry Harrison
The president with the shortest time in office, William Henry Harrison died in the White House on April 4, 1841, roughly one month after he took office, becoming the first president to die in the residence and the first president to die in office. His death from pneumonia caused the government to go into panic mode. The order of presidential succession was not clearly detailed in the U.S. Constitution. Yes, the Constitution stated that the vice president would assume the role upon the death of a president, but was this supposed to be a permanent move? Or would the vice president’s new role be temporary until a new election could be held? Congress met to debate the issue and passed a resolution making Harrison’s vice president, John Tyler, the new president and clarifying the Constitution.
President Zachary Taylor
The 12th President of the United States, Zachary Taylor, died in the White House on July 9, 1850. The exact cause of Taylor’s death has long been debated. According to stories, Taylor attended an Independence Day celebration and fundraiser at the Washington Monument on July 4, 1850, where he reportedly ate way too many cherries and ice-cold milk. That evening, he complained of stomach pain. His condition worsened in the coming days. His doctor diagnosed him with an intestinal ailment, noting he had symptoms consistent with gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and dysentery. Things took a turn for the worse when he spiked a high fever and he passed away. In recent years, historians point to a water-borne bacterial infection such as s cholera as the likely cause of his death.
First Lady Letitia Tyler
First Lady Letitia Tyler, wife of John Tyler who became president upon the death of William Henry Harrison, was the first first lady to die in the White House. She passed away in her sleep on September 10, 1842, at the age of 51. Her cause of death was listed as a stroke, but it was not her first stroke. She suffered from several health issues during her 29-year marriage, including a stroke in 1830 that left her a virtual an invalid who was confined to her quarters much of the time.
First Lady Caroline Harrison
Caroline Harrison was the wife of the 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, and served as his First Lady from 1889 to her death on October 25, 1892. Her health began to decline and, in 1891, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She delegated many of her First Lady duties to her daughter, Mary, which angered the wife of the vice president and the wife of the secretary of state who both felt they should step into the role. Caroline Harrison spent much of the summer of 1892 in a health resort in the Adirondack Mountains because fresh air was thought to cure tuberculosis. Her condition worsened upon her return to the White House that fall and after she learned that her husband was having an affair with her own niece. Her death came just two weeks before the 1892 presidential election. Voters were not sympathetic to Harrison’s recent loss. He lost the election.
