JULIA DENT GRANT: "FAIR, FAT, AND FORTY" PART I
Julia Boggs Dent was born on January 26, 1826 at White Haven Plantation west of St. Louis. Her father was a wealthy planter and merchant. Julia attended private school where she was an average student, excelling in art and music. She was described then as “rather plain” and she squinted due to slightly crossed eyes. Julia developed into a self-assured, good-natured woman who knew what she wanted and usually got it.
Julia met Ulysses Grant through her brother, who was a classmate of Grant’s at West Point. She married “Ulys” in spite of strong parental objections. In fact, both sets of parents were opposed to the marriage. Mr. Dent felt that Grant had little prospect of success, and believed Julia could do much better. That opinion did not change for many years. Mr. Grant opposed the marriage because the Dents were prominent slave owners.
Grant proposed to Julia while riding in a carriage. They had to cross a bridge flooded by suddenly rising waters from a swollen creek. Julia felt it unsafe to cross the bridge, but Grant assured her the bridge was safe. Julia grabbed Grant’s arm and declared, “I’m going to cling to you no matter what happens.” After crossing the bridge safely, Grant turned to Julia and asked, “How would you like to cling to me for the rest of your life?”
Grant did well during the Mexican War, earning two special recognitions for bravery. But after the war, when he was assigned to lonely hardship posts out west, he apparently began drinking, and was forced to resign from the army. During the 1850’s, he tried selling real estate and farming, but failed at both. He eventually went to work in his father’s leather goods shop, where his younger brother was the manager. The Civil War changed Grant’s life. Throughout the war, Julia spent as much time with Grant as possible, and Grant’s staff always appreciated her effect on him.
After the war, Grant was a national hero and the obvious choice for the White House. He was elected in the first election after the war. Julia looked forward to being First Lady, and knew exactly what she wanted to do in the position. She immediately changed many things at the White House. She started by instituting a more formal and impressive White House appearance. The staff was required to wear black coats and ties, and maintain an alert appearance while on duty. Breaks were to be taken downstairs, and absolutely no loitering anywhere in the public areas. This was a dramatic change from the more informal ways that had previously been the norm.
In the Gilded Age, extravagant spending was looked upon with favor. Mrs. Grant took advantage of this change (Mrs. Lincoln had been harshly criticized for her extravagant spending) and developed a more elaborate style. Her clothing was of the finest available, and she amassed a considerable wardrobe. Her parties and dinners were the most elegant and extravagant seen up to that time. State dinners often included 29 courses, each with an expensive French wine. Julia Grant actively sought to be the leader of Washington society, and she succeeded completely.
Her family, young and healthy, seemed a welcome change from the troubled Johnson administration. Her two older sons, Frederick and Ulysses, Jr., spent most of the first years of their father’s tenure away at college. But teenaged Nellie and the mischievous Jesse, only twelve when the Grants moved into the White House, added a youthful and unpredictable air to the White House.
Jesse, whom Julia described as being “never at a loss for an answer,” kept the reporters busy with stories of family gossip. The two grandfathers did not get along, and often visited the White House at the same time. They would sometimes refuse to speak to each other, communicating only through Julia. In front of the elder Grant, Frederick Dent once instructed his daughter Julia to “take better care of that old gentleman. He is feeble and deaf as a post and yet you permit him to wander all over Washington alone.” The elder Grant responded to young Jesse, “Did you hear him? I hope I shall not live to become as old and infirm as your Grandfather Dent.” The reporters loved these stories, as did their readers. These harmless family squabbles made the family seem more accessible, and the nation identified with them. In addition, inexpensive newspapers made for a larger reading public, which in turn increased demand for such material. More and more women were reading newspapers, so many editors included more material aimed at the female market.
Because of this new market, more women reporters began to cover the capital, and they naturally focused on their female readers. One such reporter was Emily Edson Briggs, the wife of a clerk in the House of Representatives. She took advantage of her situation in Washington and wrote a column for the Philadelphia Press using the pen name “Olivia.” She relayed gossip about political families, including what was being worn and said in political society.
Olivia wrote of Julia that she was “fair, fat and forty, much like any other sensible woman who had been lifted from the ranks of the people to such an exalted position.” When Julia accidentally took the wrong seat at a public ceremony, Olivia made sure the readers learned all about the mistake.
Interest in the lives of famous people increased such coverage, unheard of before that time. Godey’s Lady’s Book, the leading women’s magazine of the day, introduced a monthly column written by Harriet Hazelton under the pen name of “Aunty Mehitable.” She often wrote about which senator’s wife made the best appearance, how the best women were dressing and how they wore their hair, and even the condition of their teeth. Aunt Mehitable pronounced Julia’s teenaged daughter Nellie as “just moderately good lookin’.” And of Julia herself, Aunt Mehitable said she “ain’t half as good lookin’ as the pictures we see of her.” Julia had closed the curtains and used gas light at her afternoon receptions, according to Aunt Mehitable, “because she knowed she wasn’t very handsome an’ gaslight would make her look better.”
Aunt Mehitable even referred to Julia’s eye condition. Julia, self-confident, posed for pictures with her usual good nature, but always tried to make sure she was photographed from the side. Once, when Julia was considering surgery to correct the crossed eyes, the President vetoed the idea saying that he loved her just as she was.
In Part 2 next week, we will examine Julia Grant's unique style as White House hostess, and how she forever changed the role of the First Lady.
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