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Susannah Sarah Washington Graham' (February 26, 1816 – May 2, 1890) was an American political hostess who, as the wife of Governor William Alexander Graham, served as First Lady of North Carolina from 1845 to 1849. She was a member of the Washington family.

Early life

Graham was born Susannah Sarah Washington on February 26, 1816 in Kinston, North Carolina to John Washington and Elizabeth Herritage Cobb Washington. She was a member of the Washington family and a descendent of Lawrence Washington, the half-brother of George Washington. Graham was called Susan by her family. In 1826, the family moved to New Bern, where her father owned a store. The family maintained their properties in Kinston following the move to New Bern.

Adult life

In 1836, she married William Alexander Graham, a planter and attorney from Lincolnton. They had ten children, including William Jr. Her husband owned three plantations. In the 1830s, she split her time between Hillsborough, New Bern, and Raleigh, where her husband was serving in the North Carolina General Assembly. In 1842, they moved from their home in Hillsborough to an estate outside the town, facing the Eno River, that they named Montrose Gardens. She hired Thomas Paxton, the landscape gardener at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to design the grounds.

When Graham's husband moved to Washington, D.C. to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate caused by the Robert Strange, she stayed behind in Hillsborough with their children. In 1844, he ran a successful gubernatorial campaign, and served as governor of North Carolina until January 1849. As such, she served as the state's first lady. Following her time in Raleigh during her husband's administration, they moved to Washington, D.C. while her husband served as the U.S. Secretary of the Navy under President Millard Filmore. During the American Civil War, her husband served as a senator for North Carolina in the Confederate States Congress. Some of her sons served in the Confederate States Army during the war. The family returned to Hillsborough, where they lived at Nash-Hooper House.

Graham died on May 2, 1890 in Raleigh. She was buried in the Hillsborough Old Town Cemetery, adjacent to Hillsborough Presbyterian Church.

References

1. ^ https://www.neusenews.com/index/2018/11/24/ane-phillips-the-washington-family-dynasty-of-kinston-nc-part-3#gsc.tab=0
2. ^ "Death of Mrs. Graham". Carolina Watchman. Salisbury, North Carolina. May 8, 1890. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
3. https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/william-alexander-graham-1804-1875/
4. Ham, Marie Sharpe; Blake, Debra A.; Morris, C. Edwards (2000). North Carolina's First Ladies 1891-2001, Who Have Resided in the Executive Mansion At 200 North Blount Street. Raleigh, North Carolina: The North Carolina Executive Mansion Fine Arts Committee and the North Carolina Executive Mansion Fund, Inc. p. 100. ISBN 0-86526-294-2.
5. https://web.lib.unc.edu/civilwar/index.php/tag/susannah-washington-graham/

• 1816 births
• 1890 deaths
• 19th-century American women
• First ladies and gentlemen of North Carolina
• People from Kinston, North Carolina
• Spouses of Confederate States of America politicians
• Spouses of North Carolina politicians
• Washington family