06/02/2026
Martha Dandridge was born on June 2, 1731, the oldest daughter of a colonel & his wife. She was born & raised in Virginia. She married once before George Washington, to Daniel Custis, the son of a family friend, in 1749. Their marriage, which endured until Custis’s death in 1757, produced four children, all of whom Martha would outlive. George & Martha married on January 6, 1759.
She joined her husband at his winter camps during the Revolutionary War. She was the general's closest confidant, & served as his secretary & as his representative at official functions. She comforted sick & wounded soldiers & her presence helped boost the camp's morale. When George Washington was elected president, Martha Washington understood that her behavior would set a precedent for the wives of the country's future chief executives. Among her important initiatives was establishing weekly receptions at the presidential mansion that were open to anyone, including members of Congress, visiting dignitaries, & local residents.
The interior of Martha’s heart & soul, her thoughts on the world around her, have been lost in time. Martha ordered most of her personal correspondence destroyed, especially the letters between her & her husband. But from the stories told of her, & from what little has survived of her own records, it is clear that Martha Washington provided the private basis upon which a public George Washington rose to prominence. Washington himself seemed to know how important Martha was, & the extent to which he relied on her in private to be the man he was in public. In his own words, he “retain[ed] an unalterable affection…which neither time nor distance can change”
Sources:
lva.virginia.gov/collections/educator-resources/changemakers/items/show/203
oll.libertyfund.org/publications/reading-room/2022-08-09-martha-washington-first-in-the-heart-of-the-president
