2. Balancing Public Duty with Private Life. Unlike modern First Ladies who are often in the public eye, Martha Washington preferred to keep a low profile, emphasizing her duty to family and household.

George Washington is arguably the most important figure in U.S. history, and his wife, Martha Washington, was a constant support during his career. Martha Washington didn’t have an easy life.

click image for close-up George Washington and Martha Dandridge Custis were wed in January of 1759. Both were twenty-seven years old, and they had spent a total of fewer than three weeks together.