Ellen Lewis "Nell" Arthur (née Herndon; August 30, 1837 – January 12, 1880) was the wife of the 21st president of the United States, Chester A. Arthur. She died of pneumonia in January 1880; her husband was elected vice-president the following November. He succeeded to the presidency in September 1881 when President James A. Garfield was assassinated.
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Early life
Ellen Lewis Herndon, called "Nell," was born in the town of Culpeper Court House, Virginia on August 30, 1837, the daughter of William Lewis Herndon and Frances Elizabeth Hansbrough(October 10, 1817 – April 5, 1878). Her father was a naval officer who gained national renown in 1857 when he went down with his ship, the mail steamer SS Central America, along with more than 400 passengers and crew. It was the largest ever loss of life in a commercial shipping disaster at the time. Herndon had safely evacuated 152 women and children to another vessel during the severe hurricane off Cape Hatteras, but his ship could not be saved. Nell was 20 when her father died. One of her father's cousins was Matthew Fontaine Maury, another notable naval officer and explorer.
Herndon was raised and educated in Washington, D.C. until 1856, when her father relocated the family to New York City. At age 16, she accompanied Matthew Maury, his two daughters and a cousin on an extended tour of Europe. A talented contralto, when she lived in Washington, Herndon's singing ability resulted in an invitation to join the choir at St. John's Episcopal Church, which she accepted.