Martha Jefferson

First lady of Virginia, wife of Thomas Jefferson (1748-1782)

Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, born Martha Wayles (October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782) was the only wife of her second husband, Thomas Jefferson.

Martha Jefferson
First Lady of Virginia
In office
June 1, 1779 – June 3, 1781
Preceded byDorothea Henry
Succeeded byAnne Fleming
Personal details
Born(1748-10-30)October 30, 1748
Charles City, Colony of Virginia, British America
DiedSeptember 6, 1782(1782-09-06) (aged 33)
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
Spouse(s)Bathurst Skelton (1766–1768)
Thomas Jefferson (1772–1782; her death)
ChildrenJohn (1767–1771)
Martha (1772–1836)
Jane (1774–1775)
Peter (1777)
Polly (1778–1804)
Lucy Elizabeth (1780–1781)
Lucy Elizabeth (1782–1784)

She was a widow at her second wedding, as her first husband had died young. When her second husband, Jefferson, was Governor of Virginia, she served as First Lady of Virginia from 1779 to 1781.

The Jeffersons had six children together. Only two daughters survived to adulthood, and only one past the age of 25. Weakened by childbirth, Martha Jefferson died several months after the birth of her last child, twenty years before her husband became the third President of the United States. At her wishes, he never married again.

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