Elizabeth Kortright Monroe,
born in New York city in 1768; died in Loudon county, Virginia, in 1830, was the
daughter of Lawrence Kortright, a captain in the British army. She married James
Monroe in 1786, accompanied him in his missions abroad in 1794 and 1803, and
while he was United States minister to France she effected the release of Madame
de Lafayette, who was confined in the prison of LaForce, hourly expecting to be
executed.
On the accession of her husband to the presidency, Mrs. Monroe became the
mistress of the White House; but she mingled little in society on account of her
delicate health. She is described by a contemporary writer as "an
elegant and accomplished woman, with a dignity of manner that peculiarly fitted
her for the station." The accompanying vignette is copied from the only
portrait that was ever made of Mrs. Monroe, which was executed in Paris in 1796.
