Mary Arthur McElroy

Who was Mary Arthur McElroy?

Mary Arthur McElroy was the sister of the 21st President of the United States, Chester A. Arthur, and served as a hostess for his administration. She assumed the role because Arthur's wife, Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur, had died only a year and a half earlier.

Mary Arthur was born in Greenwich, New York to William and Malvina S. Arthur. She was the last of nine children. She attended the Emma Willard School Seminary in Troy, New York and later married insurance salesman John McElroy ⁽ᵈᵘᵇⁱᵒᵘˢ⁾. They lived in Albany, New York and had four children.

In November 1880, McElroy's brother Chester Arthur was elected vice president. In July 1881, President James Garfield was fatally wounded and died on September 19, 1881. Arthur succeeded him, and asked McElroy to care for his young daughter Ellen and act as "Mistress of the White House." Because she had her own family in Albany, McElroy lived in Washington, D.C. only during the busy winter social season. Although Arthur never officially granted her the protocol of a formal position, she proved to be a popular and competent hostess.