may at least incidentally refer to it. Samuel L. Gouverneur,
Sr., was the youngest child of Nicholas Gouverneur and his wife, Hester
Kortright, a daughter of Lawrence Kortright, a prominent merchant of New
York and at one time president of its Chamber of Commerce. He was
graduated from Columbia College in New York in the class of 1817, and
married his first cousin, Maria Hester Monroe, the younger daughter of
James Monroe. This wedding took place in the East Room of the White
House. My husband, Samuel L. Gouverneur, Jr., was the youngest child of
this alliance. _The National Intelligencer_ of March 11, 1820, contained
the following brief marriage notice:

_Married_

On Thursday evening last [March 9th], in this City, by the
Reverend Mr. [William] Hawley, Samuel Laurence Gouverneur,
Esq., of New York, to Miss Maria Hester Monroe, youngest
daughter of James Monroe, President of the United States.

For a number of years Samuel L. Gouverneur, Sr., was private secretary
to his father-in-law, President Monroe. In 1825 he was a member of the
New York Legislature, and from 1828 to 1836 Postmaster of the City of
New York. For many years, like the gentlemen of his day and class, he
was much interested in racehorses and at one time owned the famous
horse, _Post Boy_. He was also deeply interested in the drama and it was
partially through his efforts that many brilliant stars were brought to
this country to perform at the Bowery Theater in New York, of which he
was a partial owner. Among its other owners were Prosper M. Wetmore, the
well-known author and regent of the University of the State of New York,
and General James A. Hamilton, son of Alexander Hamilton and acting
Secretary of State in 1829, under Jackson. Mr. Gouverneur was a man of
decidedly social tastes and at one period of his life owned and occupied
the De Menou buildings on H Street in Washington, where, during the life
of his first wife, he gave some brilliant entertainments. It was from
this house that his son, and my future husband, went to the Mexican War.
Many years subsequent to my marriage I heard Rear Admiral John J. Almy,
U.S.N., describe some of the entertainments given by the Gouverneur
family, and he usually wound up his reminiscences by informing me that
sixteen baskets of champagne were frequently consumed by the guests
during a single evening. My old friend, Emily Mason, loved to refer to
these parties and told me that she ma