Harriet Lane was the First Lady in Washington, serving from 1857-1861 when her uncle James Buchanan, a bachelor, was President of the United States. Miss Lane, of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, was Buchanan’s niece. She was orphaned when her parents died early in her life and became a ward of Buchanan. Harriet Lane’s story is unique in the annals of the Presidential Mansion. She definitely left her mark on American society.