Louisa Thomas Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Interview

Louisa Thomas explains the process behind the research for her biography of the only foreign-born first lady, Louisa Adams.

Louisa Adams is a lesser-known 19th century First Lady. Why did you decide to tell her story?

Louisa Catherine Adams is lesser known, but not less notable. She was a vital presence in the early republic, a social force that helped shape the political landscape in Washington, and a witness to the great transformations not only in the United States but also Europe. She was born in London and lived in France, Berlin, and St. Petersburg; she crossed the battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars, converging on Paris with Napoleon, who'd just escaped from Elba. At a time when most women—most people—were incredibly constrained, the range of her experiences is astonishing. She makes history seem human.

What, apart from sharing a first name, first attracted you to Louisa Adams' story?

I do like her name! But it was her voice that drew me in. I read some of her letters and diaries while working on a project about Andrew Jackson, and I was struck by how unusual they were—how urgent, observant, sharp, and alive they felt. Louisa laid bare her thoughts and feelings in a way that few figures from her time do. She wondered what to live for and why. There is something about her that we usually only see in the pages ...