Louisa Adams

Louisa Catherine Johnson, born in England to an American father and a British mother, spent much of her youth in France. Her difficult marriage to John Quincy Adams was strained, and she suffered bouts of depression. As the wife of the United States minister to Prussia, her fluent French and exquisite European etiquette were assets her husband refused to appreciate. Louisa's charisma and intellectual inquisitiveness shone brightly in Washington society, and invitations to her political parties were as sought after as Dolley Madison's. Her husband’s political aspirations were stifled during his presidency. Unhappy and bored, Louisa ate chocolate shells and wrote biting semi-autobiographic plays and poetry while living in the White House.