Robards–Donelson–Jackson Relationship Controversy
The circumstances of the end of Rachel Donelson's relationship with Lewis Robards and transition to a relationship with Andrew Jackson resurfaced as a campaign issue in the 1828 United States presidential election, 1828 U.S. presidential election. The Jackson campaign committee led by John Overton (judge), John Overton created and publicized an exculpatory narrative to paper over the irregular marriage that had occurred almost 40 years prior. The reality was that Andrew Jackson's wife had been married to another man when they met and "eloped," and the Jacksons would not be legally married to each other until almost five years later. Introducing bigamy and adultery into the discourse was part of the larger no-holds-barred political combat that defined the 1828 election. Overton's timeline and his characterization of the three parties to the "love triangle" was carried forward by later presidential biographers; in the late 20th century historians began to reassess the evidence and cha ...
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