Mary Ann Wolcott Goodrich

Mary Ann Wolcott Goodrich (1765–1805) was an American socialite in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., moving with her husband Chauncey Goodrich as he served as a Representative and a Senator between 1795 and 1813. Her viewpoints were influential in the affairs of state, business and education. Early life Mary Ann Wolcott was born on February 16, 1765 to Lauren (also Laura) Collins and Oliver Wolcott (1726–1797), a Founding Father. She and her brothers and sister grew up in Litchfield, Connecticut during the War of Independence (1775–1783). Her father signed the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776), and Wolcott helped her brothers Frederick and Oliver Wolcott Jr. and her sister Laura use a melted statue of King George III to make bullets for the war. She was educated at the Litchfield Female Academy. Around 1777, when she was twelve years old, she was inoculated with the smallpox vaccine. At the time, her father wrote to her mother, Lauren Collins Wolcott, and voiced his concerns and hopes regarding how the vaccine might affect her. He wanted her to remain "beloved and esteemed". Her father was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut (1786 to 1796) and the Governor of Connecticut (January 5, 1796 to December 1, 1797).