The Eighteenth FLOTUS Trivia Quiz

Answer: White Haven

Julia Boggs Dent was born on January 26, 1826, at White Haven, the family home near modern day St. Louis, Missouri. Her father owned a plantation which was farmed by about thirty slaves.

Julia described her childhood as "one long summer of sunshine". Like most wealthy girls in the area she attended the Mauro Academy for Young Ladies from the age of ten to seventeen. She said that her favorite pastimes as a young girl were horseback riding, reading novels, and playing the piano.

White Haven was built from 1812-1816; Julia's family moved to the plantation in 1820. Apparently, they had a tradition of living in homes called White Haven, so that had to be the name, even though the house was really a light beige color. The house was painted Paris Green in 1874, during which time it was still owned by the Grant family; in 1881 it was turned over to a new owner as payment for a loan that had been made to Grant. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986, and was taken over by the National Park Service in 1989.

Answer: Her brother introduced them.

Seen in the picture, Frederick Dent was Julia's brother. He was also Grant's roommate at West Point. In 1844 Fred brought Grant home to Missouri, and soon after he asked Julia to wear his class ring. She declined, as he was in the process of being deployed to Louisiana to served in the Mexican-American War.

While the two were separated, Julia changed her mind. When he suddenly appeared and asked again, she said yes! Both families weren't sure about the match. His were wary of hers because they kept slaves, and hers were worried that he would not be a good family provider. They corresponded with each other and were finally able to get married when he returned home from the war four years later. After that he was sent to distant locations. Lonely and bored, he resigned his commission from the Army in 1854.

Frederick Dent served in the Mexican War, and was then stationed out West. In 1864 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and aide-de-camp to Grant, and finally retired in 1883. The Grants named their oldest son in honor of him.

Answer: Her eyes were crossed.

When a person has crossed eyes, it means that both eyes do not align in the same direction. Julia's older sister once said that her eyes were crossed due to an accident when she was a baby. A relatively simple procedure could have corrected the problem, but Julia decided against it. She typically was photographed posed in profile due to her strabismus.

There is a sweet story that as her husband became more famous, Julia once again thought about having the surgery that would correct her strabismus. Her husband told her that he loved her the way she was.

Answer: Ulys

Julia also used names like Dudy, Dodo, My Knight, My Lancelot, and My Captain Grant to describe her husband. While she kept every piece of correspondence that he sent to her, he didn't keep even one of her letters. It made me wonder if he didn't find the words of endearment a bit embarrassing, especially when they were said within the earshot of others.

In turn, his many letters to Julia were addressed to "my dearest Julia". One letter, written in 1848 before they were married, said, it was "scarcely supportable for me to be separated from you so long my dearest Julia".

Modern historians see their pet names as a sign of deep intimacy and affection between the two. Julia was her husband's best supporter, serving as not just a social hostess, but also a trusted advisor. She obviously understood that her role was to keep her husband happy - which she apparently did.

Answer: True

Julia and her youngest son lived in just about every military camp where her husband was stationed once the Civil War began. He wanted them with him, even though it sometimes put his family in grave danger.

They lived for a while at City Point, Virginia, the place that was used as Grant's headquarters. They were in Vicksburg during the Union siege on the city. They were almost captured at Holly Springs, Mississippi. It has been estimated that over the course of the war Julia and her family traveled 10,000 miles (16093 km).

Julie Dent shines a different light on the words "devoted companion". She wanted to be involved, and even asked if she could serve as a peace emissary. She also was the one who suggested to her husband that he should invite the Lincolns to his camp for a visit.

Answer: True

It is likely that Julia received a personal slave when she was very young. She described the Black woman, named Black Julia or Jule, as "my nurse and maid". While it was said that Julia tried very hard to replace her Black servants with white workers, she just wanted Jule to be with her - and her husband agreed.

Of course, both of them faced very vocal opposition from time to time, and Julia had to defend her decision to keep her slave to people who asked her directly about it. Likewise, it was common for President Lincoln to get letters complaining about the couple - she for having a slave, and he for his drinking.

Black Julia was technically freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, as she was in Mississippi with the Grants when it was issued, but continued to serve her mistress until she was called to St. Louis to take care of a sick son. Jule refused to go with her, possibly because she was afraid of returning to slavery. They had been together for thirty-seven years. Julia did later comment that Jule had married, but little else is known about her fate.

Answer: First to live in the White House

John Adams, of course, was the first president to live in the White House, moving in on November 1, 1800.

Julia Dent Grant didn't feel that first ladies or other wives of Supreme Court justices or Cabinet members were treated in the same way as the wives of the foreign dignitaries with whom she came into contact. She made friends with all the ladies she could, and had a busy schedule hosting parties and social functions while she was the First Lady. In fact, her dinner in honor of King Kalākaua of Hawaii is believed to have made her the hostess of the first state dinner in the White House.

All four of the Grants' children moved into the White House with them, and news reporters were regularly given access; the public grew to love them. Mrs. Grant was the first Presidential wife to give interviews to reporters. Their favorite, of course, was thirteen year old Nellie, who is said to have attracted a lot of attention - perhaps a little too much. Nellie was sent on a European Tour to get her out of the D.C. spotlight.

In 1899 Mrs. Grant was filmed with President and Mrs. McKinley. The film has been lost, however, since Grant was First Lady before McKinley, she holds the distinction of being the first First Lady recorded on film.

Julia Dent Grant spent the last years of her life writing her memoir, "The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant". While offers were given to publish her story, Mrs. Grant was disappointed in them and declined. She died in 1902, and the memoir was not published until 1975. It is considered to be a great resource that describes not only Victorian life, but also the couples' devotion to each other.

Answer: Run for a third term

If there was a First Lady who made the most of her time at the White House, it was certainly Julia. She described her time there as her "happiest period", carrying out renovations and hosting dinners for her husband. The couple's daughter Nellie even had her wedding there.

She reportedly hoped that he would run for a third term because she didn't relish the idea of leaving the White House. Neither President Grant or his political party, however, wished for a third term. When there was a bit of controversy with the election of 1876, Julia held her breath, hoping that the situation would take a long time to work out and they could stay. President Grant refused. Don't feel too bad for her, though. She quickly became involved in the next chapter of her life.

Answer: They went on a world tour

Although she was disappointed to leave the White House, Julia quickly became engrossed in another project. This got her out of the doldrums fast! The entire Grant family, seen here in Egypt at the Temple of Karnark, went on a world tour that lasted over two years. They really went all over the place - India, China, Japan, Egypt, Greece, and more.

They were met by king and queens, military generals, and cheering crowds. President Grant was treated as a hero - which he was! He gave speeches and was given expensive gifts.

They climbed Mt. Vesuvius, and visited the ruins at Pompeii. They met Queen Victoria in England, Czar Alexander II in Russia, and Emperor Meiji and Empress Haruko in Japan. They even had a private audience with Pope Leo XIII.

Answer: He sold his memoir.

The Grants' son, Ulysses S. Grant Jr., and his business partner, Ferdinand Ward, formed a business that was an investment firm, in which Grant invested all his assets. Ward, however, had set up a Ponzi scheme in addition to secretly stealing from the firm. Grant's name was prominently used to attract investors, but by 1884 there were no new investors to pay off the old ones, and the firm collapsed. The Grant family lost everything.

Their possessions - artifacts from their world tour, gifts given during the Presidency, and even White Haven were all sold off to raise money to pay their debts. Having been diagnosed with throat cancer and unwilling to leave Julia destitute, Grant took the advice of his friend, Mark Twain, to write his memoirs. While he had been pushing the idea for years, Grant had always refused. Now Twain offered to have the memoirs published at Charles L. Webster and Company, his nephew's firm, and negotiated a 70% royalty. There was little choice in the matter.

In the picture Grant is shown reviewing his memoirs at the cottage of a friend in New York. The family moved there in June 1885, and he died in July of the same year, shortly after having completed his task. A huge success, the memoir, called "Personal Memoirs", earned the family approximately $450,000, which was the equivalent to $12 million in 2020. There was more than enough to pay off all the debts and lead a comfortable life.

And Julia? She lived between Washington, D.C. and New York City for the last seventeen years of her life, actively promoting her husband's legacy. She continued to make friends with prominent politicians and their wives, and host receptions and parties. She was present for the dedication of Grant's Tomb in New York City in 1897, with President William McKinley at her side. She was buried with her husband there in 1902.