The petticoat affair

by John F. Marszalek

A stubborn man of deep principles, Andrew Jackson always reacted violently to what he saw as political or social injustice. The rumors surrounding the timing of his marriage, which had devastating effects on his wife Rachel - she died after the election and before his inauguration - drove him to distraction. But nothing tested Jackson's resolve - and eventually his presidency - quite so much as the scandals surrounding Margaret "Peggy" Eaton, the brash and unconventional wife of his secretary of war. Branded a "loose woman" and snubbed by Washington society, Margaret lived a public life that was considered inappropriate for any woman: she was combative and outspoken, the daughter of a Washington innkeeper who socialized with her father's guests. Margaret attributed the scandals surrounding her name to the small-minded jealousy of other women. Andrew Jackson, however, saw it as conspiratorially motivated: by defending Margaret's honor he was also defending his choice of John Henry Eaton