Katherine
Jane Chase the daughter of the United States Secretary of the Treasury, married
Rhode Island Governor William Sprague November 12th 1863 at the
Chase home in Washington, DC.
Katherine
Jane Chase; always called Kate, was born August 13th 1840 in
Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Salmon P and Eliza Ann (Smith) Chase. She was sent to school in New York City to
the Haines School, where she learned elocution, history, languages, music, and
most importantly the social graces.
After being away at school for nine years Chase returned to Columbus,
Ohio, a beautiful 18 year old, to serve as hostess for her widowed father, who
had been newly elected Governor. She was
a beautiful, intelligent young woman who impressed her father’s many political
friends.
Chase came
to Washington, DC with her father, when he became President Abraham Lincoln’s
Secretary of the Treasury in 1861. She
set up their home in Washington and continued to act as his hostess. The parties she held were much sought after
invitations, and she quickly became the “Belle of the North”. Chase made a point of visiting the Union
camps surrounding Washington, and making friends of Union General. She was also out spoken on her views of how
the war should be fought.
On November
12th 1863 Chase married Rhode Island Governor William Sprague in her
father’s home in Washington, DC. It was
the social event of the year. The United
States Marine Corps Band played a march composed by Thomas Mark Clark just for
the occasion. President Lincoln attended
the ceremony, but his wife Mary, who didn’t like Chase, did not go.
Hers was not
a happy marriage. Both Chase and her
husband apparently had affairs, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1882. After the divorce she took back her maiden
name. Chase moved with three of her
children to her late father’s estate “Edgewood” near Washington, DC. She died there July 31st 1899 in
poverty of Bright’s disease. She is
buried beside her father in the Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.
If you are
interested in reading more, check out The Nuptials of Miss Kate Chase and Ex-Gov. Sprague
1 comment:
Inconceivable points. Sound arguments. Keep going the truly amazing work.Gettysburg Museum of History
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