Ellen Axson Wilson, first wife of Woodrow Wilson, was First Lady of the United States from 1913 until her death the following year.

Born Ellen Louise Axson in Savannah, Georgia, the descendant of slave owners and daughter of the Reverend Samuel Edward Axson, a Presbyterian minister, and Margaret Jane (née Hoyt) Axson, Ellen became a lady of refined tastes with a fondness for art, music and literature. She was 5'3" tall, with dark reddish brown hair, piled high in a pompadour style, away from her face, and brown eyes. She had soft, feminine features and a good figure.

Her parents believed in education for girls as well as boys. Tutored at home by her mother, Ellen then attended the local female college and after her grad...