Mary Scott McKee ( Harrison; April 3, 1858 – October 28, 1930) was the only daughter of
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...
, the 23rd
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
, and his wife
Caroline Scott Harrison
outside of her infant sister who died shortly after birth.
After her mother died in 1892, McKee served as her father's
First Lady for the remainder of his term.
Married with children by the time her father was elected as president, Mary and her family lived at the White House during her father's term. She assisted by serving as a hostess.
Early life and education
Mary Scott Harrison was born in
Indianapolis in 1858 and was educated in public schools.
Marriage and family
In November 1884, Mary Harrison married James Robert McKee (1857–1942), a native of
Madison, Indiana
Madison is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2010 United States Census its population was 11,967. Over 55,000 people live within of downtown Madison. Madison is the larges ...
, whom she met in Indianapolis. After her father was elected president in 1888, she and her family lived with her parents in the White House through his term.
Traveling frequently to Boston on business, McKee became acquainted with
Charles A. Coffin and joined his
Thomson-Houston Electric Company
The Thomson-Houston Electric Company was a manufacturing company which was one of the precursors of the General Electric company.
History
The Thomson-Houston Electric Company was formed in 1882 in the United States when a group of Lynn, Massa ...
. In 1893 McKee became one of the founding generation of the
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
company when Coffin merged his company with that of
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...
. McKee rose to become a vice-president of the company and worked for GE until 1913.
Mary and James McKee had two children, Benjamin Harrison McKee (known as "Baby") and Mary Lodge McKee. Their daughter married a Mr. Reisinger.
Acting First Lady
Following her mother's death in October 1892, Mary McKee served as her father's First Lady for the remainder of his term. He was defeated for re-election.
Family estrangement
As a widower, her father became romantically involved with his late wife's niece and secretary, a he
young widow, Mary Dimmick, who was 25 years younger than Benjamin Harrison, 27 days younger than Mary Harrison McKee, and was a first cousin of Benjamin's children.
Mary McKee and her brother opposed their father's relationship and remarriage. McKee became estranged from her father, and neither she nor her brother attended the Harrison-Dimmick wedding in 1896. McKee and her father never spoke again. She returned to Indianapolis in his final illness in March 1901, but arrived several hours after his death.
Later years
Mary McKee died at the age of 72 in Greenwich Connecticut .
She was buried at
Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high point ...
in Indianapolis, Indiana, as her parents had been. Her husband survived her, living independently in
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich (, ) is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and other ...
, near their married daughter, Mary Lodge Reisinger, and her family. According to his note, James McKee was despondent because of failing health and required surgery; he committed suicide at age 84 in October 1942.
["James R. McKee Ends his Life at 84"](_blank)
''New York Times'', 21 October 1942, accessed 5 August 2012
References
* ''Original text based o
White House biography''
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKee, Mary Harrison
1858 births
1930 deaths
19th-century American women
20th-century American women
Acting First Ladies of the United States
Benjamin Harrison
Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery
Children of presidents of the United States
Harrison family of Virginia
People from Indianapolis