Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of Abraham Lincoln the 16th president of the United States and as such, the first lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865. Today, she is commonly known as Mary Todd Lincoln, though she did not use the name Todd after marrying.
She was a member of a large, wealthy, slave-owning Kentucky family, and was well educated. Born Mary Ann Todd, she dropped the name Ann after her younger sister, Ann Todd, was born. After finishing school during her teens, she moved to Springfield, Illinois, where she lived with her married sister Elizabeth Edwards. Before she married Abraham Lincoln, Mary was courted by his long-time political opponent Stephen A. Douglas. She and Lincoln had four sons together, three of whom died young. Only the eldest, Robert Todd Lincoln, survived his parents. Their family home and neighborhood in Springfield, Illinois is preserved at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.
She staunchly supported her husband throughout his presidency and was active in keeping national morale high during the Civil War.