Biography

Daughter of Elliott Tole Lane and Jane Buchanan Lane of Pennsylvania. Harriet was the niece of President John Buchanan and after the death of her parents he became her guardian. When Buchanan was elected President of the United States (1857-1861), she became the First Lady. In 1866, she married Henry Elliott Johnston with whom she had two children who died young. After the death of her husband, she invested much of her fortune in philanthropic work in support of children.