Margaret Taylor First Spouse Gold Coin

Zachary Taylor once commented that his wife was as much of a soldier as he was. Margaret “Peggy” Mackall Smith Taylor (born in 1788) followed her military husband for 30 years from one remote outpost to another. She created homes for her family in tents, cabins, and forts from Louisiana to Wisconsin.

After so many years of living a nomadic army life, Margaret Taylor was happy when the family moved to a real house in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. But the army soon called Zachary to serve in the Mexican-American War. He returned from the war as a national hero.

When Taylor became President, Margaret turned all the duties of the White House hostess over to their daughter, Betty Bliss. During her brief 16 months as First Lady, Margaret lived just as she would have back in Baton Rouge, enjoying family gatherings and visits from her grandchildren.

Reverse Design

During the Seminole War (1835 to 1842), Margaret Taylor nursed wounded soldiers returning from the battlefield and comforted soldiers’ wives as they waited for news. The coin shows Margaret Taylor comforting an injured soldier during that war.