Mary Scott McKee
(née Harrison; April 3, 1858 – October 28, 1930) was the acting first lady of
the United States for her father Benjamin Harrison. She lived in the White
House for the duration of her father's presidency where she worked as an
assistant to her mother, first lady Caroline Harrison. She became the acting
first lady after her mother's death in October 1892 and remained in the role
for the final months of her father's presidency. McKee's young son, known as
Baby Harrison, was a popular national figure during the Harrison
administration. She disassociated from her father following his marriage to her
young maternal cousin Mary Dimmick.
Early life and
marriage
Mary Harrison was born on April 3, 1858, to Benjamin Harrison
and Caroline Harrison. She attended private school as a child, and she was
taught piano and painting by her mother. She wished to learn dance as a
teenager, but her father forbade it on religious grounds. After completing
high school, she was then sent to Philadelphia where she attended the Chestnut
Street Female Seminary. When her father was elected to the United States
Senate, she joined him in Washington, D.C., though she found herself unhappy
with the city.
Harrison was bridesmaid at her brother's wedding, where J.
Robert McKee was usher. Harrison and McKee were themselves wed on November 5,
1884. They married at the First Presbyterian Church and held their reception at
the Harrison family home. They moved into this home after their honeymoon,
while Mary's parents lived in Washington.
Mary McKee gave birth to her son, Benjamin Harrison McKee,
on March 15, 1887. When her father became a candidate in the 1888 presidential
election, McKee involved herself in campaign activities, assisting her mother
in managing the campaign's social aspects. Her involvement in the campaign was
reduced by her responsibilities as a mother, for she gave birth to her
daughter, Mary Lodge McKee, on July 4, 1888.
Living in the White
House
Daughter of the
president
When her father was elected president of the United States,
McKee and her family accompanied him to Washington, D.C. and took residence in
the White House. The influx of residents created a crowded living space for the
Harrison and McKee families. McKee was one of three women named Mary in the
White House; she was known as "Mamie",
while her sister-in-law Mary Harrison was called "May" and her cousin Mary Dimmick was called "Mame".
McKee assisted her mother in her hostess responsibilities
and in handling letters that she received. She commonly received visitors to
the White House when her mother and her cousin were not doing so. Working with
her brother's wife, she organized dancing events for the White House, which had
been absent for the previous few administrations. This included a well-received
ball organized by McKee on April 23, 1890. She was also involved with her
mother's efforts to renovate the White House. In 1891, she joined her family on
a presidential tour of the United States.
McKee's son, known to the public as "Baby McKee", was popular with the American people due to
a series of photo releases organized by Caroline Harrison as a public relations
initiative. These photography sessions were a compromise with reporters, who
had been writing about the young boy against his family's wishes. It is
believed that he was photographed more than any other child in the United
States at the time. Historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony described McKee's son as
the most famous member of the president's family.
White House hostess
On some occasions, McKee had served as hostess on her
mother's behalf, such as when Caroline was in mourning for the death of her
sister or when she fell too ill to serve as first lady. As her mother's
illness progressed, McKee took more responsibility for the position. This
caused a minor dispute in Washington society, as the second lady and the
secretary of state's wife both felt that they were entitled to succeed the first
lady. As her mother's health declined, McKee took turns with other members of
the family sitting beside her bed.
Caroline Harrison died on October 25, 1892, and McKee became
the acting White House hostess. The family was in mourning until the following
January, and the White House New Year's reception was not held. Rather than
hosting, McKee's tenure was spent tending to her grief-stricken father. Social
events were scheduled to resume on January 31, 1893, but they were further
delayed so a funeral could be held after the death of secretary of state James
G. Blaine. As the president had lost reelection in 1892, McKee's tenure as
acting White House hostess lasted only four months before the return of popular
first lady Frances Cleveland. Though McKee was generally well liked by
Washington society, these circumstances caused her to be overlooked. By the
time the White House reopened, only four weeks remained of the Harrison
presidency. She held an event for her mother's Daughters of the American
Revolution on February 23 and an event for the Clevelands on March 3, the day
before they were to return to the White House.
Later life
McKee stayed with her father after leaving the White House,
moving back to Indianapolis where they worked together to remodel their house.
She also accompanied him in his post-presidential travels. She was upset when
her father remarried in 1896, as he had chosen his wife's young niece, Mary Dimmick,
as his bride. It is unknown whether McKee disliked Dimmick prior to the
announcement or when she became aware of her father's romantic interest in
Dimmick. McKee did not attend the wedding, and she remained distant from her
father thereafter. Historian Charles W. Calhoun suggests that McKee was also
upset because she had grown accustomed to spending her time with her father,
which was interrupted by the relationship between Harrison and Dimmick.
McKee avoided her father until his death in 1901. She
contributed 165 items to the collection of her father's presidential papers in
1928. She received an honorary doctorate of law from her father's alma meter,
Miami University, in June 1930. Mary McKee died in Greenwich, Connecticut, on
October 28, 1930. She had previously moved to Greenwich with her husband. She
was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana, as her parents had
been. Her husband lived in Greenwich near their daughter until he committed
suicide at age 84 in October 1942.
Comments
Post a Comment