Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

These posts were originally seen at my old site.

In the extended, find out where Presidents come from, info on the deaths of Jefferson and Adams, and what James Monroe has to do with the capitol of Liberia.

Our 43 Presidents have come from (been born in) 20 states. Here is the breakdown:
*Virginia...8 presidents. G. Washington, T. Jefferson, J. Madison, J. Monroe, W. Harrison, J. Tyler, Z. Taylor, W. Wilson.
*Ohio...7 presidents. U. Grant, R. Hayes, J. Garfield, B. Harrison, W. McKinley, W. Taft, W. Harding.
*Massachusetts...4 presidents. J. Adams, J.Q. Adams, J. Kennedy, G. Bush.
*New York...4 presidents. M. vanBuren, M. Fillmore, T. Roosevelt, F. Roosevelt.
*North Carolina...2 presidents. J. Polk, A. Johnson.
*Texas...2 presidents. D. Eisenhower, L. Johnson.
*Vermont...2 presidents. C. Arthur, C. Coolidge.
*Arkansas...1 president. W. Clinton.
*California...1 president. R. Nixon.
*Connecticut...1 president. G.W. Bush.
*Georgia...1 president. J. Carter.
*Illinois...1 president. R. Reagan.
*Iowa...1 president. H. Hoover.
*Kentucky...1 president. A. Lincoln.
*Missouri...1 president. H. Truman.
*Nebraska...1 president. G. Ford.
*New Hampshire...1 president. F. Pierce.
*New Jersey...1 president. G. Cleveland.
*Pennsylvania...1 president. J. Buchanan.
*South Carolina...1 president. A. Jackson.

If you noticed the numbers only add up to 42, you're correct. Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th President.

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July 4, 1826 was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. As fate would have it, two of its signers would die that day.

Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were our second and third presidents, respectively. They had been political allies and foes throughout the years. Both signed the Declaration of Independence, but it was Jefferson who ousted Adams from the White House after one term. Both men were determined to see the Declaration's 50th anniversary, and they did.

They also died within hours of each other on that same day. President Jefferson became comatose on July 2, but awakened briefly on July 3 to ask an attendant, "This is the fourth?" The attendant, wishing to comfort him, affirmed that it was. Those were Jefferson's last words...he passed away the next afternoon.

President Adams was also very sick, and a few hours after Jefferson passed away, he uttered his own last words, "Thomas Jefferson still surv(ives)..." before dying. Adams thought Jefferson had outlast him, but he was mistaken.

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James Monroe, President 1817-1825.

Liberia was founded by the American Colonization Society in an attempt to return freed slaves to Africa. Motives behind the society ranged from getting rid of "the negro problem" in America, to spreading religions, to sincerely returning blacks back to their native land. As a result, Liberia was heavily influenced by American culture. The capital city, Monrovia, was named after the fifth American President James Monroe who was a major supporter of the society.

Posted by Jennifer at July 21, 2004 02:30 PM

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