History

The First Lady Who Charmed a Russian Tsar

Come for the protocol, stay for the accusation of pimping and prostitution

Louisa painted by Edward Savage, public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

If you’re ever on Jeopardy!, here’s what you need to know about Louisa Adams: until Melania Trump, she was the only First Lady born outside the United States.

Her father, a merchant from Maryland, had moved to London for business, where he married and started a family.

In 1795, his 20-year-old daughter Louisa met John Quincy Adams, the son of future president John Adams. The couple married in London two years later but weren’t destined to live a quiet life at home.

London’s All-Hallows-by-the-Tower church, where John and Louisa married. Image by Chris Downer, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Adams, a diplomat, was posted to Berlin just one month after the wedding. Two months later, Louisa joined him. She was an asset to her less socially adept husband — she spoke fluent French, was well-read, and had a good grasp of continental politics.

Then, in 1809, John accepted a post as U.S. Minister in St. Petersburg. Louisa was not happy with the faraway destination or his decision to leave their two oldest sons at home. But John overruled her protests, and they sailed with their…