Jennie Tuttle Hobart (1849-1941)
Courtesy, Special Collections/University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries

Jennie Tuttle Hobart is shown here, ca. 1897, at the time her husband was U. S. Vice President. Hobart was born and raised in Paterson, the daughter of a prominent attorney. She married Garret Augustus Hobart in 1869 as he was beginning his career as a lawyer and Republican politician. After Garret Hobart was elected William McKinley's vice president, in 1896, the family moved to Washington where Jennie Hobart often served as hostess for McKinley, whose wife was in poor health. Her life as a Washington hostess ended with her husband's death in office in 1899. Returning to Paterson, Hobart enjoyed a long career as a philanthropist and community activist.