first ladies of california

First Ladies of California : 

First Ladies of California From 1849 to the Present A California State Library Project

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Although the role of First Lady has changed and become increasingly more active, a glance back into history proves that First Ladies have always played an important role in the service of California citizens. First Ladies of California

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From the beginning of California’s statehood to present day, they have balanced the demanding responsibilities of their prestigious position while enduring hardships, tragedies, and the daily difficulties of life and a family. First Ladies of California

Harriet Burnett (1849 – 1851) : 

Born: 1811 in Wilson County, TennesseeDied: September 19, 1879Married: Peter Burnett on August 20, 1828Maiden Name: Rogers Harriet Burnett (1849 – 1851) First Ladies of California

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First Ladies of California Jane McDougall (1851 – 1852) Born: May 16, 1824 in Indiana Died: May 26, 1862 in San Francisco, CA Married: John McDougall on July 13, 1841Maiden Name: Palmer

Elizabeth Bigler (1852 – 1856) : 

Elizabeth Bigler (1852 – 1856) Born: around 1806 in Pennsylvania Died: November 15, 1873 Married: John Bigler Maiden Name: Graham First Ladies of California

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First Ladies of California Mary Johnson (1856-1858) Born: around 1830 in New Jersey Died: November 23, 1887 Married: Colonel J Neely Johnson on June 26, 1851 Maiden Name: Zabriskie

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First Ladies of California Elizabeth “Lizzie” Weller (1858-1860) Born: around 1828 in New York Died: around July 24, 1881 Married: John B. Weller on June 20, 1854 Maiden Name: Brockelbank

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First Ladies of California Sophie Latham (Jan 9-14, 1860) Born: around 1835 in Yates County, NY Died: September 10, 1867 in San Francisco, CA Married: Milton S. Latham on October 1, 1853 Maiden Name: Birdsall

Maria Downey (1860-1862) : 

Maria Downey (1860-1862) Born: about 1837 in Los Angeles, CA Died: January 29, 1883 Married: John Downey in 1852 Maiden Name: Guirado First Ladies of California

Jane Stanford (1862-1863) : 

Jane Stanford (1862-1863) Born: August 25, 1828, in Albany NY Died: February 25, 1905 in Honolulu, HI Married: Leland Stanford on September 30, 1850 in Albany, NY Maiden Name: Lathrop First Ladies of California

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First Ladies of California Mollie Low (1863-1867) Born: January 17, 1841 in Lancaster, OH Died: October 1, 1910 Married: Frederick F. Low on December 22, 1857 Maiden Name: Mary Mollie Creed

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First Ladies of California Anna Haight (1867-1871) Born: October 2, 1834 in St. Louis, MO Died: March 29, 1898 in Oakland, CA Married: Henry H. Haight on January 24, 1855 Maiden Name: Bissell

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First Ladies of California Mary Pacheco (Feb 28, 1875-Dec 9, 1875) Born: January 2, 1842 in Danville, KY Died: November 5, 1913 in San Francisco, CA Married: Romualdo Pacheco on October 31, 1863 Maiden Name: McIntyre

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First Ladies of California Amelia Irwin (1875-1880) Born: around 1837 in England Died: October 20, 1905 in Berkeley, CA Married: William Irwin on December 21,1865 in Yreka, CA Maiden Name: Cassidy

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First Ladies of California Ruth (Amelia) Perkins (1880-1883) Born: August 21, 1843 in County Cork, Ireland Died: February 4, 1921 Married: George Perkins on May 3, 1864 in Marysville, CA Maiden Name: Parker

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First Ladies of California Mary Stoneman (1883-1887) Born: July 28, 1838 in Baltimore, MD Died: March 1915 in Brookline, MA Married: George Stoneman on Nov 22, 1871 in Baltimore. MD Maiden Name: Hardisty

First Ladies of CaliforniaJane Waterman (1887-1891) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaJane Waterman (1887-1891) Born: November 8, 1829 in Stanstead, Quebec, Canada Died: April 12, 1914 Married: Robert W. Waterman on Sept 29, 1847 in Belvedere, IL Maiden Name: Gardner

First Ladies of CaliforniaMary Markham (1891-1895) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaMary Markham (1891-1895) Born: July 4, 1853 in Wyoming, IL Died: May 31, 1934 Married: Henry Markham on May 17, 1876 in Waukesha, WI Maiden Name: Dana

First Ladies of CaliforniaInez Budd (1895-1899) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaInez Budd (1895-1899) Born: August 2, 1851 in Hartford, CT Died: May 15, 1911 in Stockton, CA Married: James H. Budd in 1873 Maiden Name: Merrill

First Ladies of CaliforniaFannie Gage (1899-1903) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaFannie Gage (1899-1903) Born: August 3, 1863 in Rancho Cucamonga, CA Died: June 16, 1951 Married: Henry T. Gage on July 15, 1880 Maiden Name: Rains

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First Ladies of California Helen Pardee (1903-1907) Born: July 18, 1857 in Chelsea, MA Died: March 10, 1947 Married: George C. Pardee Maiden Name: Penniman

First Ladies of CaliforniaIsabella Gillett (1907-1911) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaIsabella Gillett (1907-1911) Born: around 1870 in San Francisco, CA Died: November 24, 1946 Married: James N. Gillett on May 8, 1898 Maiden Name: Erzgraber

First Ladies of CaliforniaMinerva “Minnie” Johnson (1911-1917) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaMinerva “Minnie” Johnson (1911-1917) Born: June 11, 1869 in Sacramento, CA Died: January 25, 1955 in San Francisco, CA Married: Hiram W. Johnson in 1886 Maiden Name: McNeal

First Ladies of CaliforniaFlora Stephens (1917-1923) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaFlora Stephens (1917-1923) Born: May 16, 1869 in Chicago, IL Died: April 21, 1931 in Los Angeles, CA Married: William D. Stephens on June 17, 1891 in Poway, CA Maiden Name: Rawson

First Ladies of CaliforniaAugusta Richardson (1923-1927 ) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaAugusta Richardson (1923-1927 ) Born: March 26, 1869 in Illinois Died: June 17, 1955 Married: Friend W. Richardson on July 23, 1891 Maiden Name: Felder

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First Ladies of California Lyla Young (1927-1931) Born: July 23, 1880 in Alameda, CA Died: June 9, 1967 Married: Clement C. Young on March 15, 1902 Maiden Name: Vincent

First Ladies of CaliforniaAnnie Rolph (1931-1934) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaAnnie Rolph (1931-1934) Born: 1872 in San Francisco, CA Died: September 23, 1956 Married: James Rolph, Jr. on June 26, 1900 Maiden Name: Reid

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First Ladies of California Jessie Merriam (1936-1939) Born: September 5, 1869 in Iowa Died: July 13, 1948 Married: Frank F. Merriam on January 25, 1936 Maiden Name: Millisack

First Ladies of CaliforniaKate Olson (Jan 1939-April 1939) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaKate Olson (Jan 1939-April 1939) Born: 1883 in Utah Died: April 15, 1939 Married: Culbert L. Olson in 1905 Maiden Name: Jeremy

First Ladies of CaliforniaNina Warren (1943-1953) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaNina Warren (1943-1953) Born: March 9, 1893 in Visby, Gotland Sweden Died: April 24, 1993 Married: Earl Warren on October 14, 1925 in Oakland CA Maiden Name: Palmquist

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First Ladies of California Virginia Knight (1954-1959) Born: October 12, 1918 in Fort Dodge, IA Married: Goodwin Knight on August 2, 1954 in Beverly Hills, CA Maiden Name: Piegrue

First Ladies of CaliforniaBernice Brown (1959-1967) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaBernice Brown (1959-1967) Born: November 19, 1908 in San Francisco, CA Died: May 9, 2002 Married: Edmund G. Brown on October 30, 1930 in Reno, NV Maiden Name: Layne

First Ladies of CaliforniaNancy Reagan (1967-1975) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaNancy Reagan (1967-1975) Born: July 6, 1921 in Queens, NY Married: Ronald Reagan on Mar 4, 1952 in Los Angeles, CA Maiden Name: Davis

First Ladies of CaliforniaGloria Deukmejian (1983-1991) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaGloria Deukmejian (1983-1991) Born: 1933 in Long Beach, CA Married: George Deukmejian on February 16, 1957 Maiden Name: Saatjian

First Ladies of CaliforniaGayle Wilson (1991-1999) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaGayle Wilson (1991-1999) Born: 1942 in Phoenix, AZ Married: Pete Wilson on May 29, 1983 Maiden Name: Edlund

First Ladies of CaliforniaSharon Davis (1999-2003) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaSharon Davis (1999-2003) Born: 1954 in San Diego, CA Married: Gray Davis on 1983 Maiden Name: Ryer

First Ladies of CaliforniaMaria Shriver (2003-Present) : 

First Ladies of CaliforniaMaria Shriver (2003-Present) Born: November 6, 1955 in Chicago, IL Married: Arnold Schwarzenegger on April 26, 1986

Photo Credits : 

Photo Credits Sophie Latham Courtesy of the California State Library Maria Downey Courtesy of the California Historical Society Jane Stanford Courtesy of the California State Library Mollie Low Courtesy of the California State Library Anna Haight Courtesy of the California of the Historical Society Mary Pacheco Courtesy of the California State Library Amelia Irwin Courtesy of the California State Library Ruth Perkins Courtesy of the Butte County Historical Society Mary Stoneman Courtesy of the MacKay Family Jane Waterman Courtesy of the California State Library Mary Markham Courtesy of the California State Library Inez Budd Courtesy of the Haggin Museum, Stockton Fannie Gage Courtesy of the A.K. Smiley Library Helen Pardee Courtesy of California State Parks Isabelle Gillette Courtesy of California State Parks

Photo Credits, cont. : 

Photo Credits, cont. Minnie Johnson Courtesy of California State Parks Flora Stephens Courtesy of California State Parks Augusta Richardson Courtesy of California State Parks Lyla Young Courtesy of California State Parks Annie Rolph Courtesy of California State Parks Jessie Merriam Courtesy of California State Parks Kate Olson Courtesy of California State Parks Nina Warren Courtesy of California State Parks Virginia Knight Courtesy of California State Parks Bernice Brown Courtesy of California State Parks Nancy Reagan Courtesy of Nancy Reagan Gloria Deukmejian Courtesy of Gloria Deukmejian Gayle Wilson Courtesy of Gayle Wilson Sharon Davis Courtesy of Sharon Davis Maria Shriver Courtesy of Maria Shriver

Thank you! : 

Thank you! If you would like more information about the First Ladies of California please visit our website: www.firstladies.library.ca.gov