Maria Hester Monroe, daughter of James Monroe
Born in Paris, France, in 1803, this First Daughter was a trendsetter who made pants, or “pantalettes” as they were called back then, fashionable among young girls. Maria and her family didn’t move into the White House until New Year’s Day, 1818, because the residence had to be rebuilt after the British torched it on August 24, 1814. But Maria made the most of her time there. She fell in love with her 22-year-old cousin Samuel L. Gouverneur, who had moved in to work as the President’s secretary, and after two years of courting, they married on March 9, 1820, at the White House. It was the executive residence’s very first wedding.