COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, Boston, March 18, 1820 

* Very first "White House Wedding"

 Listed under the page 2 "Marriages" is one that reads: "In Washington city, Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur, Esq. of N. York, to Miss Maria Hester Monroe, youngest daughter of James Monroe, President of the U. States." This was first wedding to be held at the White House.
Other news of the day includes: "Royal Funeral" "Missouri Expedition" "Bankrupt Bill" and more.
Four pages, nice condition.

Background: The March 18, 1820 issue of the Columbian Centinel captures a profound intersection of early American social traditions and pivotal national crises during the "Era of Good Feelings." At its heart is the first-ever White House wedding between Maria Hester Monroe and Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur, an event that set a precedent for presidential domestic life but was intentionally kept private and low-key by President James Monroe—reflecting an era when the executive mansion was not yet treated as a public fishbowl. However, this intimate family milestone stood in stark contrast to the turbulent national landscape printed alongside it. The mention of the "Missouri Expedition" highlights America's aggressive, post-War of 1812 westward expansion and the brewing sectional tensions over slavery that culminated in the Missouri Compromise that very month. Simultaneously, references to the "Bankrupt Bill" underscore the severe economic anxiety gripping the nation following the Panic of 1819, as Congress scrambled to address widespread financial ruin. Together, these headlines transform the newspaper from a simple chronicle of a White House wedding into a rich historical microcosm of a young republic grappling with territorial expansion, economic instability, and the definition of its executive culture.