(2009) First Spouse Bronze Medal - Margaret Taylor

Coin Details

Description

The Margaret Taylor bronze medal honors one of the most private and least documented First Ladies in American history. Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor married Zachary Taylor in 1810 and spent the next three decades following him to remote military posts across the American frontier, from Fort Crawford in Wisconsin to posts in Louisiana, Florida, and the Mexican border. The obverse, designed by Phebe Hemphill, presents a portrait of a woman who famously disliked public life and reportedly prayed that her husband would lose the 1848 presidential election. No confirmed portrait of Margaret Taylor from life is known to exist, making the medal's obverse design necessarily interpretive. Margaret Taylor largely withdrew from public view during her husband's presidency, residing in the family quarters upstairs while her daughter Mary Elizabeth Taylor Bliss served as White House hostess for official functions. The reverse, designed by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Joseph Menna, references her life alongside her husband during his military career on the frontier. Zachary Taylor's sudden death on July 9, 1850, ended her reluctant tenure as First Lady after only sixteen months. She spent her remaining two years in seclusion with her daughter in Louisiana. The medal is struck in bronze at 1-5/16 inches.

Rarity Notes

Produced at the Philadelphia Mint during 2009 without a stated mintage cap. Available from dealers at standard secondary market prices.

Cross References

PCGS #412484; companion to First Spouse Gold $10