First Lady?
Kate Chase was the favorite daughter of Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, and one of the leading socialites of Civil War-era Washington. During the Civil War, Kate's father maintained strong ambitions to become president, despite the fact that he was the Treasury Secretary in Lincoln's cabinet - the man he hoped to defeat in the Election of 1864. Kate strongly supported her father's ambitions. Because her father had never remarried after the death of his wife, Kate would have become first lady had her father been successful.
Washington's Most Dazzling Socialite
Kate Chase was a celebrity in Washington. She set fashion trends, dazzled the city's elite and wealthy, and threw legendary parties and receptions that would become the talk of the town and which prompted jealousy in First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Certainly, an invitation to one of Kate's parties was a coveted ticket in Washington during the Civil War. Everything Kate did, however, was calculated to support her father's political career. Her 1863 marriage to Edward Sprague, a wealthy Rhode Island magnate, was one of the great social events of the decade. But even her marriage was speculated to have been fostered to fund her father's presidential ambitions ahead of the Election of 1864. The marriage would eventually end in divorce for a variety of reasons, including political differences that developed between the two, and her habit of spending exorbitantly. Following the Civil War, and following her father's appointment to the Supreme Court and his defection to the Democratic Party, Kate organized and orchestrated his unsuccessful campaign for president in 1868.
From Celebrity to Chicken Saleswoman - Trending Down
Following the death of her father in 1873, Kate withdrew from public life and eventually fell on hard times. Once "the most brilliant woman of her age," according to the Washington Post, she was forced to sell poultry door-to-door in her later years. She died in 1899 at the age of 58 and was buried alongside her father.
Discussion Questions
- Why do you think Kate Chase was so admired in Washington during the Civil War?
- How did Kate’s personal life and ambitions reflect the political goals of her father?
- What challenges did Kate face as a woman trying to influence politics in the 19th century?
- How does Kate Chase’s story show the rise and fall of public figures during and after the Civil War?
Kate Chase was the daughter of Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase and was one of the most well-known socialites in Washington during the Civil War. As her father pursued the presidency, Kate played a key role in supporting his ambitions and would have served as First Lady if he had been elected.
Washington’s Most Dazzling Socialite
Kate became famous for her beauty, intelligence, and charm, hosting elegant parties that were the talk of Washington and even sparked envy in Mary Todd Lincoln. Her 1863 marriage to wealthy Edward Sprague was considered a strategic move to help fund her father's presidential hopes, but the union later ended in divorce.
From Celebrity to Chicken Saleswoman
After the Civil War, Kate managed her father’s failed 1868 presidential campaign and faded from public view after his death in 1873. Once celebrated as "the most brilliant woman of her age," Kate spent her later years in poverty, selling poultry door-to-door before dying in 1899 at the age of 58.
