s in the confidence of the President as Calhoun was not; there were
multiplying indications that he was aiming at the presidency; and if
he were to enter the race he would be hard to beat, for by general
admission he was the country's most astute politician. With every
month that passed the Vice President's star was in graver danger of
eclipse.

Several curious circumstances worked together to widen the breach
between the Calhoun and Van Buren elements and at the same time to
bring the President definitely into the ranks of the New Yorker's
supporters. One was the controversy over the social status of "Peggy"
Eaton. Peggy was the daughter of a tavern keeper, William O'Neil, at
whose hostelry both Jackson and Eaton had lived when they were
senators. Her first husband, a purser in the navy, committed suicide
at sea; and Washington gossips said that he was driven to the act by
chagrin caused by his wife's misconduct, both before and after her
marriage. On the eve of Jackson's inauguration the widow became Mrs.
Eaton, and certain disagreeable rumors connecting the names of the two
were confirmed in the public mind. When Eaton was made Secretary of
War, society shrugged its shoulders and wondered what sort of figure
"Peg O'Neil" would cut in Cabinet circles. The question was soon
answered. At the first official functions Mrs. Eaton was received with
studied neglect by the wives of the other Cabinet officers; and all
refused either to call on her or to receive her in their homes.

Jackson was furious. It was enough for him that Mrs. Jackson had
thought well of the suspected woman, and all his gallantry rose in her
defense. Professing to regard the attitude of the protesters as
nothing less than an affront to his Administration, he called upon the
men of the Cabinet, and upon the Vice President, to remonstrate with
their wives in Mrs. Eaton's behalf. But if any such remonstrances were
made, nothing came of them. "For once in his life, Andrew Jackson was
defeated. Creeks and Spaniards and Redcoats he could conquer, but the
ladies of Washington never surrendered, and Peggy Eaton though her
affairs became a national question, never got into Washington
society."[8] The political effect of the episode was considerable. Van
Buren was a widower, and, having no family to object, he showed Mrs.
Eaton all possible courtesy. On the other hand, Mrs. Calhoun was the
leader of those who refused Mrs. Eaton recognition. Jackson was not
slow