What is Harriet Lane?
{{Infobox Officeholder | name = Harriet Lane | image = Harriet Lane.jpg | birth_date = {{birth date|1830|5|9}} | birth_place = Franklin County, [[Pennsylvania]], USA | death_date = {{death date and age|1903|7|3|1830|5|9}} | death_place = Narragansett, [[Rhode Island]], USA | order = [[First Lady of the United States]] | term_label = In role | term_start = March 4, 1857 | term_end = March 4, 1861 | president = [[James Buchanan]] | predecessor = [[Jane Pierce]] | successor = [[Mary Todd Lincoln]] | spouse = Henry Elliott Johnston | children = James Buchanan Johnston<br> Henry Elliott Johnston | relations = [[James Buchanan]] (uncle) | signature = Harriet R Lane Signature.svg }} '''Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston''' (May 9, 1830 &ndash; July 3, 1903), niece of lifelong [[bachelor]] United States President [[James Buchanan]], acted as [[First Lady of the United States]] from 1857 to 1861. She was one of the few women to hold the position of First Lady while not being married to the President. ==Early life== Her parents were Elliot Tole Lane and Jane Buchanan Lane. When she was 9 years old, her mother died. Two years later, her father also died. She became an orphan. She requested that her uncle, James Buchanan, be made her guardian. Thus, Buchanan became her guardian. He arranged for her education. She received a very good education. ==Personal life== In 1854 she went to London to live with her uncle, James Buchanan. There she attracted the attention of Queen [[Victoria of the United Kingdom]]. She gave her the title of “dear Miss Lane”. ==First Lady== In 1857, her uncle became the President of the United States. She became the First Lady. She was a popular First Lady, and was very active. Women of that time even copied her hair style and style of dressing. People describe her as the first of the modern first lady. ==After First Lady== After her uncle retired, they went to live in his big home at, Wheatland near [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]]. From her young age, she had met many persons. Within next 18 years, she