*Presidential Fun Fact: Rookies

In 1989, George W. Bush was a rookie owner of the Texas Rangers, and traded a rookie player in exchange for Harold Baines of the Chicago White Sox.

Sammy Sosa managed to do okay in Chicago.

*Presidential Fun Fact: Swinging Nixon

Countless musicians have been invited to the White House over the years. Some were asked to perform, and some were guests at State Dinners. The first time a White House dinner was held in honor of a musician was in 1969.

Richard Nixon had a dinner honoring Duke Ellington, and presented him with a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

*Presidential Birthday

(Invoke Marilyn Monroe voice...)

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, Mister President,
Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday, Millard. May you always be known as the president with the goofiest name.

*And I Ain't Just Whistlin' Dixie

This last election season, there was some press about various singers and songwriters upset about their songs being used politically. This sort of thing was nothing new, as Daniel Emmett could attest.

Emmett wrote three songs you might recognize: "Jimmy Crack Corn", "Old Dan Tucker", and "Dixie's Land".

Emmett wrote "Dixie" in 1859 in New York City. The song quickly became a hit and spread throughout the country. Two years later, it was played at the inauguration of Jefferson Davis and became a Confederate Army marching song.

Emmett--a Union loyalist--was horrified that the South had appropriated his song: "If I'd known to what use they were going to put my song, I'll be damned if I'd have written it."

After General Lee surrendered, President Lincoln asked a band to play one of his favorite songs. Guess which one.

I Do Requests

Jim asked for an odd tidbit about Nixon to help cheer him up...so here is a pretty useless fact.

Nixon was the first president to get a hole-in-one in golf. He did it before his presidency, while playing golf at the Bel Air Country Club in 1961.

Two other presidents also made holes in one: Eisenhower and Ford. Both of them did so after the presidency, and Ford did it three times.

Rerun: History in the News

This was originally posted at my old site.

In the extended, a brief look at Truman, MacArthur, and Eisenhower.

This story (Ed. note: link now dead) about President Truman was in the news yesterday.

The employees of the Truman Presidential Library recently discovered his 1947 diary. As you may have noticed, I have a lot of interest in our American Presidents and like to find out little insights about them.

The diary is interesting because it confirms that Truman had discussed having Eisenhower run for president in 1948. The plan was that Truman would be the vice-presidential nominee.

During this time period, there was concern that General Douglas MacArthur would run for president...MacArthur was a World War II hero and Truman was not very popular. MacArthur remained with the military, however, and Truman was re-elected versus Republican Thomas E. Dewey (and the States' Rights candidate...Strom Thurmond).

In 1951, during the Korean War, President Truman and General MacArthur clashed on war strategies...President Truman fired the General on April 11. MacArthur addressed Congress a week later, "I now close my military career and just fade away--an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Goodbye." Eventually, MacArthur did fade away.

Eisenhower became a Republican president with his running mate Richard Nixon in 1953. He was the first Republican to hold the White House since 1928.

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

These were originally posted at my old site. In the extended: Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, and term limits.

James Carter, President 1977-1981.

He's funnier than you thought... On a trip to Egypt, President Carter was informed by a guide that the Great Pyramid of Giza was built in just twenty years. The president replied, "I'm surprised that a government organization could do it that quickly."

Carter could be rough on the press. He began one appearance by saying, "I'm not going to say anything terribly important tonight, so you can all put away your crayons."

Towards the end of his term, Carter's approval ratings were in the basement. Greeted by loud, unusual applause at an event outside Washington, he remarked, "It really is a pleasure to see people waving at me with all five fingers." _______________________________________________________

Richard Nixon, President 1969-1974.

President Nixon attended Whittier College in California, where he was an exceptional student. Graduating second in his class, he received a scholarship to Duke University to study law.

While there, Nixon and a fellow student--worried about their grades--broke into a professor's office to look at the grade sheets. Despite this incident, Nixon did very well and graduated third in his class at Duke. ______________________________________________________

George Washington, President 1789-1797.

The two-term limit that was established by George Washington was never broken until the Roosevelts came along. Theodore Roosevelt unsuccessfully attempted to win a third term after a dispute with President Taft in 1912.

Franklin Roosevelt won four terms, dying shortly after the fourth began. The limit became constitutional law in 1951 with the 22nd amendment.

Washington didn't really want to run for the second term, but he knew his stature provided legitimacy for the new country. He had no opposition in the 1792 election and once again the Electoral College elected him unanimously.

In 1796, he had enough. Disgusted by the partisanship in Congress, he returned home to Mount Vernon in March, 1797. To his disappointment, his retirement didn't last very long. President Adams sought his help with the military a year later.

He commanded the U.S. armed forces without ever leaving Mount Vernon. In December, 1799, he caught pneumonia and died. Retirement was sadly short.

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

These were originally posted at my old site. In the extended: Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, and term limits.

James Carter, President 1977-1981.

He's funnier than you thought... On a trip to Egypt, President Carter was informed by a guide that the Great Pyramid of Giza was built in just twenty years. The president replied, "I'm surprised that a government organization could do it that quickly."

Carter could be rough on the press. He began one appearance by saying, "I'm not going to say anything terribly important tonight, so you can all put away your crayons."

Towards the end of his term, Carter's approval ratings were in the basement. Greeted by loud, unusual applause at an event outside Washington, he remarked, "It really is a pleasure to see people waving at me with all five fingers." _______________________________________________________

Richard Nixon, President 1969-1974.

President Nixon attended Whittier College in California, where he was an exceptional student. Graduating second in his class, he received a scholarship to Duke University to study law.

While there, Nixon and a fellow student--worried about their grades--broke into a professor's office to look at the grade sheets. Despite this incident, Nixon did very well and graduated third in his class at Duke. ______________________________________________________

George Washington, President 1789-1797.

The two-term limit that was established by George Washington was never broken until the Roosevelts came along. Theodore Roosevelt unsuccessfully attempted to win a third term after a dispute with President Taft in 1912.

Franklin Roosevelt won four terms, dying shortly after the fourth began. The limit became constitutional law in 1951 with the 22nd amendment.

Washington didn't really want to run for the second term, but he knew his stature provided legitimacy for the new country. He had no opposition in the 1792 election and once again the Electoral College elected him unanimously.

In 1796, he had enough. Disgusted by the partisanship in Congress, he returned home to Mount Vernon in March, 1797. To his disappointment, his retirement didn't last very long. President Adams sought his help with the military a year later.

He commanded the U.S. armed forces without ever leaving Mount Vernon. In December, 1799, he caught pneumonia and died. Retirement was sadly short.

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.

_______________________________________________________

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.

_______________________________________________________

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.

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.

_______________________________________________________

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.

_______________________________________________________

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.

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

These were originally posted at my old site.

In the extended, an anecdote about Lincoln, JFK's return to the White House from Dallas, and Herbert Hoover in his later years.

Abraham Lincoln, President 1861-1865.

Walking one time between the White House and the War Department building was a tall, weathered man. The site at the time was a small park. Along came a crippled soldier cussing to himself about the government, president and all.

The tall stranger asked what the problem was. This young Union private, recently released from the Confederate Libby Prison in Richmond, said he couldn't seem to collect his pay from the War Department, despite his good and faithful service.

Well, said the stranger, he had once been a lawyer and perhaps if he looked over the soldier's papers he could be of some assistance. They sat under a tree to look at the documents. The tall gentleman wrote something brief on the back of the papers and told the soldier to see "Mr. Potts," who was the chief clerk in the War Department.

As the story goes, the two parted and went their separate ways, but a couple of onlookers stopped the soldier and asked if he knew the identity of his helpful benefactor. "Some ugly fellow who pretends to be a lawyer," replied the crippled soldier.

But he showed the two onlookers where the stranger had written the line, "Mr. Potts--attend to this man's case at once and see that he gets his pay." By the end of the day, the young man received both his discharge and his pay, in full. _______________________________________________________

Courtesy C. Brian Kelly, "Best Little Stories from the White House."

The waiting for this president to come home to the White House is long and tedious. In the interim, there is an invitation list to consider. Four secretaries madly type up hundreds of names and then, in a room full of aides, staff members, friends, a brother-in-law in charge, the names are read out loud for approval or disapproval.

Decisions, tough decisions...sometimes ruthless but all necessary. Speed is absolutely mandatory. Telegrams must go out right away. Now! Barney Ross? Old shipmate. From his navy days. Yes. Billy Graham the evangelist? The really respected evangelist... Silence. Well? "Billy considers himself a close friend of the president," says aide Lloyd Wright. Again, silence.

"By now," wrote an onlooking David Pearson years later, "there is real embarrassment in the air." Someone says they occasionally played golf together. Finally, a voice of authority, "No." Next on the list? And again the names. Yes, no. No, no, no...yes.

With Pearson, a high-ranking Peace Corps official, called in to help, the group headed by his boss, the brother-in-law, eventually has to move down the corridors, through darkened historic rooms, into the big room at the far east end of the main floor. The East Room.

By now it is 1:00 a.m. They are busy studying the old Lincoln pictures. They move out the grand piano. Word now comes to expect him at about 2:30 a.m. What about a crucifix, says Pearson. They send for one, but..."it turns out to be pretty awful, with a bloody corpus."

The brother-in-law, Peace Corps director Sargent Shriver, says, "That's terrible. Go get the one in my bedroom." Soon done. Modern and much more suitable. Past 4:30 a.m., "in the blackest part of the night, just before dawn, headlights begin to cut through the gloom in front of the White House. Most of us, embarrassed and feeling out of place, retreat to a corner of the East Room."

He is in the house. Pearson would never forget. "I hear the routine sound of doors opening and closing, low voices. Then come sounds that make me shiver. A military voice snaps a 'march' command; there is the clipped staccato sound of boots hitting the hard floors." In moments, the strained young men, stern-faced but obviously awed by their task.

They carry in the casket and set it down. He is here at last. "There is a short pause; no one knows quite what to do first. No one has had any experience. What do you do when you bring a dead President into the East Room of the White House at 4:30 in the morning?"

Prayers from the priest...and suddenly, in the doorway, she stands, his brother Bobby on one side and defense secretary Robert McNamara on the other. An altar boy is lighting candles at each corner of the casket, and she stands there, eyes wide with disbelief, clothing still stained by blood...Jackie is back, too.

In an age, in a few minutes, the very private scene is over. One long moment she is at the casket kneeling, laying her forehead on it. "There is dead silence. Absolutely no sound of any kind." She begins to stand, and then it happens.

She slumps back down sobbing, sobbing, "rocked by sobs." Bobby helps, holds her...lets her cry. In the days ahead, noted Pearson later, she would present a regal, strong, "almost inhumanly stoic" image to the world...people might even wonder if she mourned, really mourned. "But those of us in the East Room tonight know she did."

For the remaining aides, the long night's wait is over. "They have brought John Kennedy home."
_______________________________________________________

Herbert Hoover, President 1929-1933.

President Hoover is one of my personal favorite presidents. First of all, I always like an underdog...and he had the misfortune to become president the year of the stock market crash in 1929. Second, I have been to his Presidential Library several times due to proximity and therefore know quite a bit about him and the good works he did.

The following story from Dr. Zebra tickled me: In his later he years he was "deaf and nearly blind." Hoover could use this to his advantage. In 1963 there were several celebratory events upon the successful conclusion of NASA's Project Mercury...finally there was another banquet, with a lot of speeches.

Former president Herbert Hoover was there, sitting next to Walt Williams at the head table.When Jim Webb [the chief of NASA] got up to talk, I noticed Hoover whispering in Williams's ear. I asked about it later. "He asked who that was," Williams said. "When I told him Jim Webb, he turned his hearing aid off and asked me to poke him when Webb was finished."

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

These were originally posted at my old site.

In the extended, an anecdote about Lincoln, JFK's return to the White House from Dallas, and Herbert Hoover in his later years.

Abraham Lincoln, President 1861-1865.

Walking one time between the White House and the War Department building was a tall, weathered man. The site at the time was a small park. Along came a crippled soldier cussing to himself about the government, president and all.

The tall stranger asked what the problem was. This young Union private, recently released from the Confederate Libby Prison in Richmond, said he couldn't seem to collect his pay from the War Department, despite his good and faithful service.

Well, said the stranger, he had once been a lawyer and perhaps if he looked over the soldier's papers he could be of some assistance. They sat under a tree to look at the documents. The tall gentleman wrote something brief on the back of the papers and told the soldier to see "Mr. Potts," who was the chief clerk in the War Department.

As the story goes, the two parted and went their separate ways, but a couple of onlookers stopped the soldier and asked if he knew the identity of his helpful benefactor. "Some ugly fellow who pretends to be a lawyer," replied the crippled soldier.

But he showed the two onlookers where the stranger had written the line, "Mr. Potts--attend to this man's case at once and see that he gets his pay." By the end of the day, the young man received both his discharge and his pay, in full. _______________________________________________________

Courtesy C. Brian Kelly, "Best Little Stories from the White House."

The waiting for this president to come home to the White House is long and tedious. In the interim, there is an invitation list to consider. Four secretaries madly type up hundreds of names and then, in a room full of aides, staff members, friends, a brother-in-law in charge, the names are read out loud for approval or disapproval.

Decisions, tough decisions...sometimes ruthless but all necessary. Speed is absolutely mandatory. Telegrams must go out right away. Now! Barney Ross? Old shipmate. From his navy days. Yes. Billy Graham the evangelist? The really respected evangelist... Silence. Well? "Billy considers himself a close friend of the president," says aide Lloyd Wright. Again, silence.

"By now," wrote an onlooking David Pearson years later, "there is real embarrassment in the air." Someone says they occasionally played golf together. Finally, a voice of authority, "No." Next on the list? And again the names. Yes, no. No, no, no...yes.

With Pearson, a high-ranking Peace Corps official, called in to help, the group headed by his boss, the brother-in-law, eventually has to move down the corridors, through darkened historic rooms, into the big room at the far east end of the main floor. The East Room.

By now it is 1:00 a.m. They are busy studying the old Lincoln pictures. They move out the grand piano. Word now comes to expect him at about 2:30 a.m. What about a crucifix, says Pearson. They send for one, but..."it turns out to be pretty awful, with a bloody corpus."

The brother-in-law, Peace Corps director Sargent Shriver, says, "That's terrible. Go get the one in my bedroom." Soon done. Modern and much more suitable. Past 4:30 a.m., "in the blackest part of the night, just before dawn, headlights begin to cut through the gloom in front of the White House. Most of us, embarrassed and feeling out of place, retreat to a corner of the East Room."

He is in the house. Pearson would never forget. "I hear the routine sound of doors opening and closing, low voices. Then come sounds that make me shiver. A military voice snaps a 'march' command; there is the clipped staccato sound of boots hitting the hard floors." In moments, the strained young men, stern-faced but obviously awed by their task.

They carry in the casket and set it down. He is here at last. "There is a short pause; no one knows quite what to do first. No one has had any experience. What do you do when you bring a dead President into the East Room of the White House at 4:30 in the morning?"

Prayers from the priest...and suddenly, in the doorway, she stands, his brother Bobby on one side and defense secretary Robert McNamara on the other. An altar boy is lighting candles at each corner of the casket, and she stands there, eyes wide with disbelief, clothing still stained by blood...Jackie is back, too.

In an age, in a few minutes, the very private scene is over. One long moment she is at the casket kneeling, laying her forehead on it. "There is dead silence. Absolutely no sound of any kind." She begins to stand, and then it happens.

She slumps back down sobbing, sobbing, "rocked by sobs." Bobby helps, holds her...lets her cry. In the days ahead, noted Pearson later, she would present a regal, strong, "almost inhumanly stoic" image to the world...people might even wonder if she mourned, really mourned. "But those of us in the East Room tonight know she did."

For the remaining aides, the long night's wait is over. "They have brought John Kennedy home."
_______________________________________________________

Herbert Hoover, President 1929-1933.

President Hoover is one of my personal favorite presidents. First of all, I always like an underdog...and he had the misfortune to become president the year of the stock market crash in 1929. Second, I have been to his Presidential Library several times due to proximity and therefore know quite a bit about him and the good works he did.

The following story from Dr. Zebra tickled me: In his later he years he was "deaf and nearly blind." Hoover could use this to his advantage. In 1963 there were several celebratory events upon the successful conclusion of NASA's Project Mercury...finally there was another banquet, with a lot of speeches.

Former president Herbert Hoover was there, sitting next to Walt Williams at the head table.When Jim Webb [the chief of NASA] got up to talk, I noticed Hoover whispering in Williams's ear. I asked about it later. "He asked who that was," Williams said. "When I told him Jim Webb, he turned his hearing aid off and asked me to poke him when Webb was finished."

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

These were originally run on the old site. After the extended, you'll find Coolidge, the Adams family, and Coolidge again.

Calvin Coolidge, President 1923-1929.

Americans respected the views of the shy, silent Coolidge. His reputation for wisdom was based on his common sense and dry wit. He issued few unnecessary public statements and rarely wasted a word.

"If you don't say anything, you won't be called upon to repeat it." -Calvin Coolidge.
_______________________________________________________

In-breeding in the Adams family.

President John Adams married his third cousin, Abigail. President John Quincy Adams was their oldest son. John Quincy Adams's son, John Adams II, married his first cousin. They had a daughter, Mary Louisa Adams. Mary Louisa Adams married her cousin, who was descended from President John Adams. Both bride and groom were descendants of President John Adams, but only the bride was descended from John Quincy Adams. This was the first marriage of descendants from two Presidents.

There will be a quiz tomorrow, so try to keep that all straight. ;-) _______________________________________________________

Calvin Coolidge, President 1923-1929.

During President Coolidge's White House stay, the nation was saddened as his son Calvin, Jr. slowly died of blood poisoning.

One day a Secret Service agent noticed a young boy standing outside the White House, his sad face pressed against the fence. The agent asked the boy what he wanted. To see the president, was the reply. "I wanted to tell him how sorry I am that his little boy died."

The agent brought the boy inside to meet President Coolidge and, since the boy was too overcome with emotion to speak, delivered his message for him.

Coolidge also couldn't speak for a moment, but afterward he told the agent, "Whenever a boy wants to see me always bring him in. Never turn one away or make him wait."

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

These were originally run on the old site. After the extended, you'll find Coolidge, the Adams family, and Coolidge again.

Calvin Coolidge, President 1923-1929.

Americans respected the views of the shy, silent Coolidge. His reputation for wisdom was based on his common sense and dry wit. He issued few unnecessary public statements and rarely wasted a word.

"If you don't say anything, you won't be called upon to repeat it." -Calvin Coolidge.
_______________________________________________________

In-breeding in the Adams family.

President John Adams married his third cousin, Abigail. President John Quincy Adams was their oldest son. John Quincy Adams's son, John Adams II, married his first cousin. They had a daughter, Mary Louisa Adams. Mary Louisa Adams married her cousin, who was descended from President John Adams. Both bride and groom were descendants of President John Adams, but only the bride was descended from John Quincy Adams. This was the first marriage of descendants from two Presidents.

There will be a quiz tomorrow, so try to keep that all straight. ;-) _______________________________________________________

Calvin Coolidge, President 1923-1929.

During President Coolidge's White House stay, the nation was saddened as his son Calvin, Jr. slowly died of blood poisoning.

One day a Secret Service agent noticed a young boy standing outside the White House, his sad face pressed against the fence. The agent asked the boy what he wanted. To see the president, was the reply. "I wanted to tell him how sorry I am that his little boy died."

The agent brought the boy inside to meet President Coolidge and, since the boy was too overcome with emotion to speak, delivered his message for him.

Coolidge also couldn't speak for a moment, but afterward he told the agent, "Whenever a boy wants to see me always bring him in. Never turn one away or make him wait."

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

(These entries were originally posted at my old site.)

Bohemian Grove, Cleveland, and Fillmore in the extended.

Boys Only! Girls Keep Out!

The "secret society" Bohemian Grove is a secluded campground in California's Sonoma County, and is the site of an annual two-week gathering of a highly select, all-male club. Members have included every Republican president since Calvin Coolidge. Current participants include George Bush, Henry Kissinger, James Baker, and David Rockefeller--a virtual who's who of the most powerful men in business and government.

Rumor has it that through elaborate stage productions and other entertainment, campers are able to bond with fellow elites.

Want to gate crash? The Grove is located in a secluded area 65 miles north of San Francisco in Monte Rio, California. It is owned by San Francisco's Bohemian Club. Go one mile east of Bohemian Highway; just east of the bridge which leads to Monte Rio, on the south side of the Russian River.

Send me pictures of the stage shows, please.

_______________________________________________________

Grover Cleveland, President 1885-1889, 1893-1897

President Cleveland liked beer, as illustrated in the following story of Cleveland's 1870 campaign for district attorney of Erie County, New York:

Cleveland and his friendly opponent, Lyman K. Bass, agreed to drink only four glasses of beer daily. But after they had met a few times on warm summer evenings to talk things over, they decided that their ration was too skimpy and so began to "anticipate" their future supply. A few evenings later, Bass suddenly exclaimed: "Grover, do you know we have anticipated the whole campaign?" Cleveland nodded sorrowfully. The next night, however, both of them brought huge tankards to the saloon, christened them "glasses," and had no problem with the ration after that.
_______________________________________________________

Millard Fillmore, President 1850-1853.

President Fillmore is possibly the most boring president in American history. He was born into poverty and worked his way through school to become a lawyer and politician in New York. Admirable, sure. Interesting? Not really.

Fillmore became president after the death of Zachary Taylor and was not renominated by the Whigs in the next election. Slavery and the Compromise of 1850 divided the country and his political party.

Slightly noteworthy is the appearance that the widower Fillmore remarried a wealthy widow once he returned to Buffalo so that he could live in a fashion he thought more befitting a former president.

I even dug my old college history texts out of storage and here is what they said...Fillmore was a "lackluster" president and a "colorless and conciliatory" vice-president. Riveting.

For a somewhat different take on the "legend" of President Fillmore, please check this out. Trust me, it is the most entertaining thing published about Fillmore and worth the click.

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

(These entries were originally posted at my old site.)

Bohemian Grove, Cleveland, and Fillmore in the extended.

Boys Only! Girls Keep Out!

The "secret society" Bohemian Grove is a secluded campground in California's Sonoma County, and is the site of an annual two-week gathering of a highly select, all-male club. Members have included every Republican president since Calvin Coolidge. Current participants include George Bush, Henry Kissinger, James Baker, and David Rockefeller--a virtual who's who of the most powerful men in business and government.

Rumor has it that through elaborate stage productions and other entertainment, campers are able to bond with fellow elites.

Want to gate crash? The Grove is located in a secluded area 65 miles north of San Francisco in Monte Rio, California. It is owned by San Francisco's Bohemian Club. Go one mile east of Bohemian Highway; just east of the bridge which leads to Monte Rio, on the south side of the Russian River.

Send me pictures of the stage shows, please.

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Grover Cleveland, President 1885-1889, 1893-1897

President Cleveland liked beer, as illustrated in the following story of Cleveland's 1870 campaign for district attorney of Erie County, New York:

Cleveland and his friendly opponent, Lyman K. Bass, agreed to drink only four glasses of beer daily. But after they had met a few times on warm summer evenings to talk things over, they decided that their ration was too skimpy and so began to "anticipate" their future supply. A few evenings later, Bass suddenly exclaimed: "Grover, do you know we have anticipated the whole campaign?" Cleveland nodded sorrowfully. The next night, however, both of them brought huge tankards to the saloon, christened them "glasses," and had no problem with the ration after that.
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Millard Fillmore, President 1850-1853.

President Fillmore is possibly the most boring president in American history. He was born into poverty and worked his way through school to become a lawyer and politician in New York. Admirable, sure. Interesting? Not really.

Fillmore became president after the death of Zachary Taylor and was not renominated by the Whigs in the next election. Slavery and the Compromise of 1850 divided the country and his political party.

Slightly noteworthy is the appearance that the widower Fillmore remarried a wealthy widow once he returned to Buffalo so that he could live in a fashion he thought more befitting a former president.

I even dug my old college history texts out of storage and here is what they said...Fillmore was a "lackluster" president and a "colorless and conciliatory" vice-president. Riveting.

For a somewhat different take on the "legend" of President Fillmore, please check this out. Trust me, it is the most entertaining thing published about Fillmore and worth the click.

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

(These entries were originally posted at my old site.)

Reagan, Eisenhower, and Harding in the extended.

Ronald Reagan, President 1981-1989.

On March 31, 1981 President Reagan was shot by John Hinckley. Reagan managed to keep his sense of humor even as he was rushed into the emergency room. Arriving at the hospital, he told the doctors waiting for him, "Please tell me you're Republicans."
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Dwight Eisenhower, President 1953-1961.

Inauguration Day for President Eisenhower was very busy and very long...despite the late night, he rose the next morning bright and early. He took the White House elevator from the family quarters to the ground floor, eager to start his day.

One problem.

"Would you show me where my office is?" he asked a nearby Secret Service agent. "I want to get an early start."
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Warren Harding, President 1921-1923.

President Harding died at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco on August 23, 1923 under circumstances that began as mysterious and were then varnished by rumor in the aftermath of scandals and salacious revelations that surfaced following the president's demise.

The ailing president arrived in San Francisco and was taken to the Palace Hotel where he died either of anxiety, stroke, heart attack, food poisoning, or from deliberate poisoning by First Lady Florence, fed up with her husband's philandering.

The legend continues that Mrs. Harding's psychic had, on the eve of his nomination, predicted the president would die in office. The fact that Mrs. Harding refused to allow an autopsy of the president contributed to suspicion of her guilt; the official cause of President Harding's death is listed as a heart attack.

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

(These entries were originally posted at my old site.)

Reagan, Eisenhower, and Harding in the extended.

Ronald Reagan, President 1981-1989.

On March 31, 1981 President Reagan was shot by John Hinckley. Reagan managed to keep his sense of humor even as he was rushed into the emergency room. Arriving at the hospital, he told the doctors waiting for him, "Please tell me you're Republicans."
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Dwight Eisenhower, President 1953-1961.

Inauguration Day for President Eisenhower was very busy and very long...despite the late night, he rose the next morning bright and early. He took the White House elevator from the family quarters to the ground floor, eager to start his day.

One problem.

"Would you show me where my office is?" he asked a nearby Secret Service agent. "I want to get an early start."
_______________________________________________________

Warren Harding, President 1921-1923.

President Harding died at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco on August 23, 1923 under circumstances that began as mysterious and were then varnished by rumor in the aftermath of scandals and salacious revelations that surfaced following the president's demise.

The ailing president arrived in San Francisco and was taken to the Palace Hotel where he died either of anxiety, stroke, heart attack, food poisoning, or from deliberate poisoning by First Lady Florence, fed up with her husband's philandering.

The legend continues that Mrs. Harding's psychic had, on the eve of his nomination, predicted the president would die in office. The fact that Mrs. Harding refused to allow an autopsy of the president contributed to suspicion of her guilt; the official cause of President Harding's death is listed as a heart attack.

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

In the extended entry are the first three Presidential Fun Facts I ever posted.

(They were originally posted at my old site.)

The first is about Andrew Jackson, and the second is about Woodrow Wilson. The third is a story Abraham Lincoln liked to tell about Ethan Allen and George Washington.

Andrew Jackson, President 1829-1837.

In 1806 Andrew Jackson entered a duel with Charles Dickinson.

Dickinson was an expert marksman, while Jackson was neither a quick shot nor an especially good one. Jackson decided not to compete with Dickinson for the first shot, but to take the hit and rely on his willpower to sustain himself until he could aim deliberately and shoot to kill.

On the day of the duel Jackson wore a dark blue frock coat and trousers of the same material. Dickinson got off a shot first, as Jackson had planned.

A witness describes what happened:

A fleck of dust rose from Jackson's coat and his left hand clutched his chest. For an instant he thought himself dying, but, fighting for self-command, slowly he raised his pistol. Dickinson recoiled a step horror-stricken. "My God! Have I missed him?" Overton (Jackson's second) presented his pistol. "Back to the mark, sir!" Dickinson folded his arms. Jackson's spare frame straightened. He aimed...and fired. Dickinson swayed to the ground...(and later died) (Jackson, too, was wounded to the point where his left boot had filled with blood.) Jackson's surgeon found that Dickinson's aim had been perfectly true, but he had judged the position of Jackson's heart by the set of his coat, and Jackson wore his coats loosely on account of the excessive slenderness of his figure.

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Woodrow Wilson, President 1915-1921.

President Wilson had a reputation for being a bit on the grumpy, serious side. He wasn't known for being jovial. However, looks can be deceiving...

* The morning of his inauguration, he sang and danced before his wife childishly, "We're going to the White House today; we're going to the White House today!"

* He chased up and down the White House corridors playing tag with his daughter Nellie.

* On nights when he was awakened by the owls hooting in the magnolia tree outside, he went to his bedroom window and hooted right back. The next day he bragged about how he "hooted those hooters away."

* He took great delight in operating the White House's small electric elevator, a functional box made ornamental with panels of mirrors.

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Abraham Lincoln told the following anecdote about George Washington, which he attributed to Colonel Ethan Allen, a hero of the American Revolution. During a post-war visit to England, Allen's hosts took great pleasure in ridiculing Americans, particularly George Washington. To irritate Allen they went so far as to hang a picture of Washington in the "Back House" (toilet). Allen announced this was highly appropriate, because "there is nothing that will make an Englishman shit so quick as the sight of General Washington."

Rerun: Presidential Fun Facts

In the extended entry are the first three Presidential Fun Facts I ever posted.

(They were originally posted at my old site.)

The first is about Andrew Jackson, and the second is about Woodrow Wilson. The third is a story Abraham Lincoln liked to tell about Ethan Allen and George Washington.

Andrew Jackson, President 1829-1837.

In 1806 Andrew Jackson entered a duel with Charles Dickinson.

Dickinson was an expert marksman, while Jackson was neither a quick shot nor an especially good one. Jackson decided not to compete with Dickinson for the first shot, but to take the hit and rely on his willpower to sustain himself until he could aim deliberately and shoot to kill.

On the day of the duel Jackson wore a dark blue frock coat and trousers of the same material. Dickinson got off a shot first, as Jackson had planned.

A witness describes what happened:

A fleck of dust rose from Jackson's coat and his left hand clutched his chest. For an instant he thought himself dying, but, fighting for self-command, slowly he raised his pistol. Dickinson recoiled a step horror-stricken. "My God! Have I missed him?" Overton (Jackson's second) presented his pistol. "Back to the mark, sir!" Dickinson folded his arms. Jackson's spare frame straightened. He aimed...and fired. Dickinson swayed to the ground...(and later died) (Jackson, too, was wounded to the point where his left boot had filled with blood.) Jackson's surgeon found that Dickinson's aim had been perfectly true, but he had judged the position of Jackson's heart by the set of his coat, and Jackson wore his coats loosely on account of the excessive slenderness of his figure.

_______________________________________________________

Woodrow Wilson, President 1915-1921.

President Wilson had a reputation for being a bit on the grumpy, serious side. He wasn't known for being jovial. However, looks can be deceiving...

* The morning of his inauguration, he sang and danced before his wife childishly, "We're going to the White House today; we're going to the White House today!"

* He chased up and down the White House corridors playing tag with his daughter Nellie.

* On nights when he was awakened by the owls hooting in the magnolia tree outside, he went to his bedroom window and hooted right back. The next day he bragged about how he "hooted those hooters away."

* He took great delight in operating the White House's small electric elevator, a functional box made ornamental with panels of mirrors.

_______________________________________________________

Abraham Lincoln told the following anecdote about George Washington, which he attributed to Colonel Ethan Allen, a hero of the American Revolution. During a post-war visit to England, Allen's hosts took great pleasure in ridiculing Americans, particularly George Washington. To irritate Allen they went so far as to hang a picture of Washington in the "Back House" (toilet). Allen announced this was highly appropriate, because "there is nothing that will make an Englishman shit so quick as the sight of General Washington."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Lyndon Johnson's inauguration:

1. LBJ was very much involved in all the planning of his inaugural festivities.

2. When LBJ took the Oath of Office, Lady Bird Johnson held the Bible. This was the first time a First Lady did this and it became the custom.

3. LBJ's Bible was one given to him by his mother.

4. The inaugural parade included a group of Coast Guard cadets just as JFK's parade had four years previously. This time, however, there were three black cadets in the group.

5. LBJ was the first president since William Henry Harrison to dance at his own inaugural ball. He was only the third president to dance--but now it is customary to do so.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from John Kennedy's inauguration:

1. There was a blizzard in D.C. the night before the inauguration--luckily it subsided by morning. The weather was cold and windy yet sunny for the inaugural ceremony.

2. JFK's was the first inauguration to be shown on color television.

3. Before JFK took the Oath of Office, Cardinal Cushing stepped up to the podium to pray. While giving his prayer, he noticed smoke rising from the lectern. Fearing a bomb, the Cardinal dragged his speech out to 20 minutes long in hopes that any explosion would hit him rather than the new president. The smoke was from an old motor used to adjust the lectern's height. (The Secret Service almost evacuated the area.)

4. JFK made his inauguration unique by inviting poet Robert Frost to speak. (Clinton later emulated this.) When Frost pulled out his poem, he was blinded by the sunlight and could not read. He instead recited the poem from memory.

5. JFK's parade had 32,000 participants but he noticed when the Coast Guard cadets marched by there were no blacks. Soon afterwards, the Coast Guard made a concerted effort to recruit blacks.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration:

1. Eisenhower and Truman had been friendly before the election, but sore feelings lingered after it was over. These were not helped when Ike declined a lunch invitation from Truman before the inauguration, and the tension continued through inaugural day. Accounts vary regarding a couple of arguments the two men had on the ride to the Capitol, but it was apparently an unpleasant ride.

2. Ike used two Bibles when he took the Oath of Office. One was the same Bible George Washington used, and the other was the Bible Ike's mother gave him when he graduated West Point.

3. The first Eisenhower inauguration ceremony was the first to include a rabbi.

4. Ike also offered a prayer of his own before giving his inaugural address.

5. Ike had helped plan the inaugural festivities, and made sure the parade was shortened.

6. Jacqueline Bouvier was a member of the press corps at Eisenhower's first inaugural parade. She was 24 years old and working for the Washington Times-Herald.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Tidbits from Harry Truman's inauguration:

1. Truman's 1949 inauguration was the first broadcast on television. Of course, not many people saw it since not many people had televisions at that time, but that's beside the point.

2. Broadway star Tallulah Bankhead didn't have a ticket to join Truman's reviewing stand at the parage, but when she raised a commotion a Secret Service agent recognized her and let her in.

3. Bankhead loudly booed when Strom Thurmond passed the reviewing stand. Thurmond had run against Truman and Dewey in the election. Mrs. Truman murmured to a friend that she wished she "had nerve enough to do that."

4. For his part, Truman simply turned his back on Thurmond's group.

5. Truman pledged to integrate the inaugural festivities, and blacks were included in all major events--including his inaugural ball. The inaugural ball tradition was revived with Truman.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from FDR's first inauguration:

(Note: I am only covering his first since he had so many. And this is also a test. If you read these presidential entries and enjoy them, please leave a comment here. Otherwise I am going to assume no one actually reads them and stop doing them once I get through GWB. Thanks and have a lovely day.)

1. Before the inauguration, the Roosevelts called on President Hoover. FDR and Hoover were at odds over the New Deal proposals and had endured a bitterly-fought election. After an awkward tea, FDR politely told Hoover he did not "have to return our call if you don't want to." Hoover coldly informed FDR that the President "calls on nobody." Eleanor hustled her family out of the White House before FDR could respond. James Roosevelt later remarked that he'd never seen his father angrier.

2. FDR began the custom for the president-elect to attend church services the morning of the inauguration.

3. As was tradition, FDR and Hoover rode to the Capitol together before FDR was sworn in. FDR's attempts to be polite failed miserably as Hoover refused to speak to him.

4. During the Oath, FDR omitted "so help me God" but he remembered it for his next three inaugurations.

5. The Roosevelts held a luncheon for 1,000 people after the inaugural ceremony. Eleanor helped the staff serve, and the new President had to wait his turn for food just like the other guests.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Herbert Hoover's inauguration:

(Note: as I was looking over the list of presidents I had coming up, I saw Herbert Hoover's name and decided to take a little trip over the weekend. In the Hoover library you can sit and watch excerpts of the inauguration. The crowd was excited and happy to see their hero sworn in. Hoover had won 58% of the popular vote and 444 of the 531 electoral votes. The good feelings, of course, would not last. But it is undeniable that Hoover was very popular up until the stock market crashed.)

1. Hoover's inauguration was the first to be filmed with sound.

2. Former President Taft administered the Oath and slipped up by saying "preserve, maintain, and protect" instead of "preserve, protect, and defend" the Constitution. No one seemed to notice.

3. Another slip-up regarding the Oath involved the Bible. Hoover had requested the Bible be opened to the Sermon on the Mount. Instead it was opened to Proverb 29.

4. The weather was rainy, but it did not dampen the high spirits of the spectators. The Hoovers shared the stormy weather with the crowd and kept their convertible top down.

5. Dispensing with an inaugural ball, the Hoovers held a charitable event instead.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Calvin Coolidge's inauguration:

1. Coolidge ascended to the Presidency when Warren Harding died. Before his inauguration in 1925, he took a few moments to sign bills into law. He hesitated over one of them however--a bill raising the pay for congressmen. He planned to address government spending in his inaugural address. Finally at 11:56 he signed the bill.

2. Former president William Howard Taft administered the Oath of Office.

3. Coolidge's inauguration was the first to be broadcast on radio.

4. Coolidge opted not to have an inaugural ball.

5. During the parade, Coolidge demonstrated little interest and appeared indifferent to the marchers--who in turn seemed to lose all enthusiasm for the event. After the parade, the president had a snack and took a nap.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Warren Harding's inauguration:

1. It was the first time automobiles rather than horse-drawn carriages were used to transport the presidential party.

2. It was also the first time an amplifier was used during the Inaugural Ceremony...people could actually hear the new president's inaugural address outdoors!

3. Like Helen Taft had done in 1909, Florence Harding rode back with her husband after he took the Oath of Office. This became standard practice.

4. Harding, like his predecessor, opted not to have an inaugural ball.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Woodrow Wilson's inaugurations:

1. Wilson's journey to Washington, D.C. from Princeton, New Jersey was the last time a president-elect's journey played a large part in the inaugural festivities. Over 600 Princeton students accompanied the Wilsons on the train to D.C., singing the school fight song and later participating in the inaugural parade.

2. Wilson's wife was seated in front of the inaugural stand, and she could not see her husband as he prepared to take the Oath. Mrs. Wilson proceeded to move her chair to the side of the stand, where she stood on the chair and peered over the stand to see her husband take the Oath of Office and deliver his inaugural address.

3. When Wilson stepped up to deliver his address, he noticed the police has moved the crowd away from the stand for security purposes. He instructed them to "Let the people come forward!"

4. For the parade, only one band was allowed to play "Hail to the Chief" before the President. Previous parades had every band subjecting the new president to the same song over and over, and parade organizers decided to put an end to it.

5. Wilson's second inauguration occured with the country on the brink of war. Security was the tightest it had been since Lincoln took office.

6. For his second inauguration, Wilson's wife broke with tradition and rode to the Capitol with her husband.

7. For the first time, many women marched in the inaugural parade.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from William Taft's inaugurations.

Incidentally, WHT was not a Jew. (That comment is explained here.)

1. Taft's first inauguration was the first since 1833 to be held indoors. The weather was so bad that outgoing President Roosevelt suggested the move. Not until Senator Henry Cabot Lodge pointed out that Chief Justice Fuller was old and frail did Taft agree to move things inside.

2. At the end of the Oath of Office, the not particularly religious Taft kissed the Bible and yelled out, "So help me God!"

3. Roosevelt broke with tradition and declined to ride back to the White House with the new president. Instead, he joyously rushed off to Union Station to meet his wife and leave D.C.

4. This opened up a spot in the presidential carriage, and for the first time the First Lady accompanied the President back to the White House.

5. Helen Taft was also the first to donate her inaugural gown to the Smithsonian, which has a collection of First Ladies' gowns.

Presidential Fun Fact of Yesterday

It occurred to me last night that I forgot to type up my Presidential Fun Fact of the Day. So because I'm lazy I'll just throw it up later today as Today's fact. (Assuming I don't forget again.)

To make up for yesterday's lack, here's a little bonus tidbit:

Skippy, Abraham Lincoln's dog, was one of the first dogs ever to have its picture taken. In 1861 when Lincoln had to leave for D.C., he was told his beloved dog was unlikely to survive the long trip. Lincoln had Skippy's photograph taken so he could keep a reminder of his pet.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Theodore Roosevelt's inaugurations.

Incidentally, TR was not a Jew. (That comment is explained here.)

1. Roosevelt ascended to the presidency in 1901 when McKinley was assassinated. TR was hiking in the Adirondack Mountains with his family at the time, and he was rushed to Buffalo to take the Oath of Office.

2. Roosevelt elected in 1904, and was ecstatic. The day before the inauguration he proclaimed, "Tomorrow I shall come into office in my own right. Then watch out for me!"

3. Among the souvenirs for his 1905 inauguration, there were little brown bears that danced when wound up.

4. His parade featured cowboys, Rough Riders, and six prominent Native Americans--including Apache warrior Geronimo. Roosevelt watched the entire parade with great enthusiasm, interacting with the participants.

5. The president's daughter, Alice, had her own suggestion for participants in the parade. She suggested that her father's campaign opponent could march along the parade route in chains, accompanied by other powerful Democrats.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from William McKinley's inauguration:

1. Not since Lincoln's journey from Illinois to Washington, D.C. had the newly elected president's journey been part of the inaugural festivities, but McKinley enjoyed a victory tour of sorts when he left Canton, Ohio for Washington. Crowds cheered him on throughout his trip.

2. The weather for McKinley's inauguration was pleasant and sunny.

3. Riding with President Cleveland before the Oath, McKinley remarked, "Mr. President, you are a happier man than I am."

Cleveland responded, "I am sure of that, Major."

4. McKinley's inauguration was the first to be filmed (without sound).

5. The decorations for McKinley's inaugurations were gold. What could be more fitting for the champion of the gold standard?

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Benjamin Harrison's inauguration:

1. John Philip Sousa composed "Presidential Polonaise" in Harrison's honor, which the Marine Band played for the inaugural festivities.

2. The weather for Harrison's inauguration was cold, with a rain and snow mix. Despite the terrible weather and some people's superstitions about his grandfather, Harrison refused to move the ceremony indoors.

3. His grandfather's memory was ever-present at the younger Harrison's inauguration. Life-size posters of Benjamin with the slogan "Big Chip off the Old Block" were displayed prominently in the parade.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Grover Cleveland's inauguration:

1. Cleveland delivered both of his inaugural speeches from memory. Only he and Franklin Pierce gave their speeches without notes of any kind.

2. He took the Oath of Office with his hand on the Bible his mother had given him when he was a boy.

3. The second Cleveland inaugural parade was the first to feature female marchers.

4. The weather for his first inauguration was very nice, but the second was stormy and cold. Despite the weather, he removed his hat when he stood to give his inaugural address. Apparently the onlookers were reminded of William Henry Harrison, because there were several shouts of "Put on that hat!" from below.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Taking a one-day break from the inaugural theme to bring you this little factoid:

In 1972, President Nixon brought Elvis Presley into the fight against drugs. Presley was even given an honorary narcotics officer badge.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Chester Arthur's inauguration:

1. Arthur became president when James Garfield was assassinated. Garfield's cabinet sent a telegram to Arthur to take the Oath of Office "without delay." He did so in New York City, but took it again when he returned to Washington, D.C. at the Attorney General's suggestion.

2. The second Oath was taken in the Vice President's office at the Capitol with former presidents Grant and Hayes in attendance.

3. After taking the second Oath, Arthur read a short statement praising Garfield.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from James Garfield's inauguration:

1. According to his diary, Garfield toyed with the idea of skipping the inaugural speech. He wrote that past speeches "except Lincoln's, are dreary reading. Doubtless mine will be also." He finally wrote out a speech late the night before he was inaugurated.

2. His speech wasn't extraordinary, but he was satisfied with it as well as public reaction to it. He said it was "far better than I expected."

3. The new president watched more than 15,000 military members file by his stand in the afternoon parade, which lasted 2 1/2 hours.

4. After Garfield's inauguration, the afternoon parade became more important than the morning procession.

5. Garfield's inaugural ball was the first to be illuminated by electric lighting.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Rutherford B. Hayes's inauguration:

1. March 4 fell on a Sunday, and after a bitterly contested election that was decided by an electoral commission's 8-7 vote, the Republicans were anxious to install Hayes as the president without any problems. They wanted him to take his Oath of Office on time to avoid complications, but Hayes refused to break the Sabbath. With President Grant's permission, Hayes actually took his Oath privately on Saturday, March 3. The public inauguration was held on the following Monday.

2. Hayes placed his hand on the open Bible, and the Supreme Court's chief clerk marked the passage after the Oath was taken. The clerk sent the Bible to Mrs. Hayes, who laughed when she read the passage. It was Psalms 118:12, which read, "They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns; for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them." Mrs. Hayes found this passage humorous because she thought her husband too gentle to destroy anything.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Ulysses S. Grant's inaugurations:

1. Grant did not seem to enjoy the time leading up to his first inaugural. His secretary wrote that the president-elect was "very reserved and even restrained."

2. The weather in Washington, D.C. was cold for both of Grant's inaugurations, but especially the second. It was so cold that the musicians' instruments froze up for the parade and there was no music.

3. After taking the Oath of Office, Grant turned to his wife to say, "And now, my dear, I hope you're satisfied."

4. No alcohol was served at the inaugural reception. This was meant to discourage rowdy behavior.

5. When the waitstaff couldn't keep up wth the demand for food, there was a stampede of guests rushing to the kitchen. A cook threw dishcloths at people to keep them at bay.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Andrew Johnson's inauguration:

1. Johnson took the Oath of Office at 11 a.m. April 15 in the Kirkwood House, where he lived. All the members of Lincoln's cabinet were present except for Secretary of State William Seward, who had been wounded in an assassination attempt.

2. After taking the Oath, Johnson made a short speech. To the dismay of the cabinet-members, he barely mentioned slain President Lincoln and never even spoke his name.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Lincoln's inaugurations:

1. Until Lincoln's first inauguration, the journeys of the president-elects were festive occasions. With the United States on the brink of Civil War, however, Lincoln's trip from Illinois to D.C. was decidedly somber.

2. The railroad company hired Allan Pinkerton (founder of the famous detective agency in Chicago) to investigate threats to Lincoln's journey by southern sympathizers. Pinkerton's agents found explosives on the train as well as track sabotage.

3. Death threats against Lincoln made security around the inauguration a top concern. His carriage was surrounded by cavalry as it road up Pennsylvania Avenue. Soldiers patrolled the side streets, and riflemen were positioned on rooftops along the parade route.

4. After the inauguration, the out-going president, Buchanan, remarked that Lincoln "was far from evincing the slightest apprehension of danger."

5. Lincoln's first inaugural address contained the last reference to Christianity in inaugural history.

6. For Lincoln's second inauguration, black soldiers were allowed to participate in the inaugural parade for the first time.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from James Buchanan's inauguration:

1. Buchanan was ill before and during his inauguration with a stomach infection half-jokingly called the "National Hotel Disease" in reference to the hotel he was staying at. Once he moved into the White House with his own cook, the stomach ailment went away.

2. There were two spectacular floats in his inaugural parade that were meant to symbolize the strength of the (then-fragile) Union. One had a woman dressed as the goddess Liberty, and the other was a replica of the ship Constitution.

3. There have only been three references to Christianity in the presidents' inaugural addresses. Buchanan's was one of them. He pushed for a "spirit of Christian benevolence towards our fellow-men" in his speech.

4. Buchanan's inaugural ball was lit by gas chandeliers. All previous presidents had candlelight.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Franklin Pierce's inauguration:

1. Pierce was the first president to deliver his inaugural address from memory.

2. He was the only president to affirm his loyalty to the Constitution rather than swear it.

3. Only weeks before the inauguration, the Pierces' son was killed in a train accident. This may explain Pierce's unwillingness to swear on the Bible.

4. Jane Pierce refused to attend her husband's inauguration. She had been opposed to his political career and had only recently found out that he had actively sought the presidency.

5. Understandably, Pierce behaved all day as though he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from Millard Fillmore's inauguration:

1. Fillmore became president upon the death of Zachary Taylor.

2. He was sworn in before a joint meeting of the House and Senate.

3. Like Tyler before him, Fillmore sent a message to Congress a few days after taking the Oath. This was in lieu of an inaugural address.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Tidbits from Zachary Taylor's inauguration:

1. Taylor traveled to D.C. separate from his wife, who took a different route. Margaret had been opposed to her husband's presidential campaign, and he wanted to spare her the fanfare surrounding his trip.

2. The president-elect's journey encountered several mishaps--his boat was stuck in ice, a trunk fell down a gangway and hit him, and a crowd of people excited to see him pushed him into a guardrail and injured his right hand.

3. When Taylor arrived in D.C., there was a throng of admirers waiting for him at the depot. It took over an hour for him to make it through the crowd.

4. At the inaugural party there was a stampede once the food was served. Men and women fainted and had to be carried outside.

5. The party continued until 4 a.m.--the servants had left and put all the hats and coats in a big pile in the lobby of City Hall. Young congressman Abraham Lincoln never did find his hat.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Tidbits from James Polk's inauguration:

1. Polk's was the first inauguration to be relayed by telegraph.

2. It was also the first time the Marine Band played "Hail to the Chief."

3. At the age of 49, Polk was the youngest president ever elected at the time.

4. Polk traveled from Tennessee to Washington, D.C. with his wife Sarah. They took a steamboat from Nashville to Wheeling, Ohio. Along the way, a group of musicians boarded one Sunday in the hopes of playing in Polk's honor. Religious Sarah wouldn't allow it on the grounds that it violated the Sabbath, and the musicians left quietly. Her husband explained that she was in charge of their domestic affairs.

5. Polk quoted from Thomas Jefferson's inaugural address in his own address.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Tidbits from John Tyler's inauguration:

1. Tyler was the first Vice President to become President due to the death of the President.

2. As such, he set several precedents. One of them was having the Vice President's title become President. This seems obvious, but Harrison's cabinet suggested "Vice President of the United States, Acting President" instead.

3. Tyler thought the oath he'd taken as vice president was good enough, but just to be on the safe side, he had a judge swear him in as president anyway.

4. Three days after taking the Oath, he issued a statement about his views in lieu of an inaugural address.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Tidbits from William Harrison's inauguration:

1. Before the inauguration, Harrison had to journey from Ohio to Washington, D.C. As the oldest president yet elected, he was determined to demonstrate his stamina. He made speeched and attended dinners and receptions throughout the journey. He was often outside without the proper attire despite the bad winter weather that followed him east.

2. Thousands of Harrison's supporters joined his procession to the Capitol. This cemented the custom of the pre-inaugural parade.

3. Also involved in the procession was a new sight: parade floats. People crowded along Pennsylvania Avenue to see the spectacle.

4. After an hour of shaking hands with his well-wishers, Harrison's hand was so sore that he refrained from shaking any more hands. Instead, he nodded and said hello to those who greeted him.

5. Harrison was the first president since George Washington to dance at his own inaugural ball. No president would dance again until Lyndon B. Johnson.

6. As most everyone knows, Harrison died of pneumonia shortly after taking office. He should have worn a coat and hat for his outdoor inaugural.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Tidbits from Martin Van Buren's inauguration:

1. Van Buren was the first to ride with his predecessor to the Capitol for the Oath of Office. It became customary for the incoming and outgoing presidents to ride together to and from the Capitol.

2. The procession to the Capitol included horse-riding representatives of various political groups who had supported Van Buren's campaign.

3. The weather for Van Buren's inauguration was beautiful, and a large crowd gathered to witness the Oath of Office.

4. During his speech, Van Buren referred to the United States as "the chosen spot" of the world.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Tidbits from Andrew Jackson's inaugurations:

1. Jackson had two pairs of glasses--one for reading and one for distances--and he wore both to his inauguration. The unused pair sat atop his head, and some citizens were convinced the metal glints they saw were pieces of metal inserted in his head to fix bullet wounds.

2. Jackson opened the White House reception to the public, who came in droves. Fistfights broke out, china was broken, people stood on the furniture to see the President, and they mobbed waiters carrying tubs of punch. The waiters and the punch ended up on the floor. To clear out the White House, the staff carried tubs of punch out to the lawn.

3. His wife, Rachel, died shortly after his election to the White House, and Jackson was still in mourning when he traveled to Washington, D.C. for his inauguration. He wanted to make sure there was no commotion surrounding his journey, but at every stop there were crowds of people and cannons and rifles to salute him.

4. He learned that an escort of well-wishers, marching bands, and cannons were scheduled to meet him at the Washington city limits. Jackson made sure to get to the city hours before he was expected and managed to get to his hotel with only a small group following him.

5. Due to the bitter feelings left over from their campaigns, Jackson did not invite John Quincy Adams to attend his inaugural. Adams was advised by his associates not to attend, and did not.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Tidbits from John Quincy Adams's inauguration:

1. JQA was the first American president to take the Oath of Office while wearing long pants.

2. He didn't use the Bible for his Oath. Instead, he put his hand on a law book because he felt the Bible was inappropriate for the government ceremony. He is the only president to use a book other than the Bible.

3. He also refrained from adding "so help me God" to the end of the Oath.

4. Similar to his father, JQA didn't get much sleep before his inauguration. He wrote in his diary that he had two sleepless nights.

5. JQA had fewer popular votes and fewer electoral votes than his opponent, Andrew Jackson. Jackson did not have enough electoral votes to win, and the election was decided by the House of Representatives. Adams addressed this in his inaugural speech, saying, "Less possessed of your confidence in advance than any of my predecessors, I am deeply conscious of the prospect that I shall stand more and oftener in need of your indulgence."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits from James Monroe's inaugurals:

1. Monroe's 1817 procession to the Capitol had not only the militiamen Madison had used, but also hundreds of people on horseback. The inaugural parade was slowly developing.

2. His second inauguration fell on a Sunday and was postponed until Monday. Since his first term officially ended at noon Sunday, there was--strictly speaking--no President for 24 hours.

3. His first inaugural was held outdoors due to a last-minute decision. He and Speaker of the House Henry Clay had a quarrel, and Clay then insisted the floor of the House would not support such a large audience. The weather was warm enough that Monroe responded that he would just hold it outside.

4. The warm weather for Monroe's first inauguration was unusual for Washington, D.C. on March 4. It was the first D.C. inaugural to be outside (George Washington's was outside in New York City), and the second one was scheduled to be held outside as well. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and it had to be moved back indoors.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits about James Madison's inaugurals:

1. Madison was the first president to have an official escort of militiamen. Afterwards, it became customary for the President to have a procession to the Capitol.

2. Madison asked Jefferson to accompany him to the inauguration, but Jefferson declined. "Today I return to the people, and I wish to join them in doing you honor."

3. Madison held grand inaugural balls for both of his terms. Toward the end of the first, the room was so stuffy that some guests fainted. The windows were painted shut and could not be opened, so some of them were smashed open. The dancing continued. After Madison's terms, the inaugural ball became tradition.

4. Another first during the Madison presidency was the White House reception. After taking the Oath, he greeted well-wishers and provided refreshments.

5. A witness claimed Madison spoke so softly at his second inauguration that "scarcely a word could be distinguished".

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits about Thomas Jefferson's inaugurals:

1. John Marshall swore Jefferson in. He was the first of nine presidents Marshall would swear in while Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

2. Jefferson walked to Capitol Hill for his first inauguration. After taking the Oath of Office, he returned to his boardinghouse and had lunch with the other boarders like any other day.

3. Due to his unorthodox views on religion, Jefferson was called an atheist by some. Even so, he did incorporate God into his inaugural addresses. In the first he referred to "that infinite Power which rules the destinies of the universe." For the second, he used "that Being in whose hands we are."

4. Like John Adams, widower Jefferson opted not to have an inaugural ball. He too had fireworks and went to bed early.

5. Federalists were so unhappy with Jefferson's election that on the day he took office, Boston's Columbian Centinel newspaper printed an obituary to "The Federal Administration".

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Fun facts from John Adams's inauguration.

1. There was an abundance of tears at Adams's inauguration. People were distraught that George Washington was leaving the presidency.

2. Adams acquired a new carriage to take him to Philadelphia, where he took the Oath of Office indoors at Congress Hall. Washington, by contrast, had ridden horseback from Mt Vernon to New York City eight years previously.

3. Adams wrote his own address, which was a bit on the wordy side. One sentence was over 700 words long.

4. Adams did not have an Inaugural Ball. Instead, he had fireworks and went to bed early.

5. The president-elect did not sleep the night before he was inaugurated. He wrote to his wife, "I was very unwell, had no sleep the night before...was in great doubt whether to say anything or not besides repeating the oath."

6. Adams also wrote to his wife about Washington's demeanor at the inauguration that, "Methought I heard him think ay! I am fairly out and you fairly in! See which of us will be the happiest."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Fun facts from George Washington's Inauguration.

1. The inauguration was originally scheduled for March 4, but not enough members of Congress could reach New York City in time. It was rescheduled for April 30. Unfortunately, it was too late to fix the souvenirs, which were printed with the original date on them.

2. Washington's inaugural address was originally written with the help of his friend and sometime poet David Humphreys. The draft was 73 pages long and included many historical facts regarding the American struggle for independence.

3. Unhappy with the original address, Washington sent a draft to James Monroe to review. Monroe used some aspects of the original speech in a new draft, which he returned to Washington. Washington liked Monroe's version and fine-tuned it before delivering that speech after he took the Oath of Office.

4. Washington's address was a mere 20 minutes long. It included religious references, which set a precedent: every inaugural speech since has referred to God (but not Jesus).

5. When Washington repeated the Oath, he added "So help me God" to the end. That line is not in the official Oath.

6. After Washington was sworn in as President, the officiant shouted, "Long live George Washington, President of the United States!" This was later criticized as too monarchistic, and has never been used again.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day...Not

My idea for the current round of presidential facts is a little more time-consuming than I can handle right now, so I am suspending the feature for an undetermined amount of time.

Instead, I'll have a quote of the day...not necessarily presidential, but political or historical.

"Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." -Mark Twain.

Fun, huh?

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

The Jefferson Family.

Thomas Jefferson was a widower when he entered the White House, so he brought along more slaves than family members when he moved in. Over the years, however, he was visited occasionally by his adult daughters Martha and Maria.

Martha spent a couple of years in the White House, bringing her husband, five daughters, and son. The presidential grandchildren fascinated the press and the public alike. The president favored his grandson, named Thomas Jefferson Randolph but nicknamed “Jeff.”

Thomas thought the boy had great potential, and spent a lot of time preparing him for boarding school. He warned him about his public visibility, “You will be more exposed than others...because of the relation in which you stand with me.” (Despite his grandfather’s high hopes, Jeff did not further his education and was considered a disappointment.)

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

The Adams Family.

John Adams was the first inhabitant of the White House. After he decided the place was habitable he sent for his wife Abigail, who brought along their granddaughter Suzannah and their niece Louisa Smith. Their nephew William Shaw was already in residence as John’s private secretary. Thomas, the Adamses’ adult son, would also move into the home.

On the way to Washington, Abigail had stopped to see her son Charles on his deathbed. Besides the grief of losing her son, Abigail also knew it was quite probable she would not live in the White House for long. Former family friend Thomas Jefferson was challenging John for the presidency.

The same day Abigail arrived in Washington, Jeffersonian Margaret Bayard Smith also arrived. Smith would chronicle the First Family’s public and private exploits for the National Intelligencer. All social events became political targets...the Adamses’ receptions were criticized as lavish and monarchical.

When son John Quincy Adams married a French-educated and British-born woman, the press nicknamed her “Princess Royal” and used her in their attacks against the president. It was said that John was trying to marry his sons to the daughters of King George III to create a pseudo royal family in America.

Upon leaving the White House, Abigail said, “I am sick, sick, sick of public life.”

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Washington Family

The Washingtons were the first First Family. George, his wife Martha, and two of Martha's grandchildren made up the first presidential family. When George was inaugurated, Nelly Custis was ten years old and George "Little Wash" Custis was eight. The family lived in New York City, which was the temporary capital of the nation.

Before his inauguration, George refused to take the title of King, but he did take on some courtly manners when dealing with people. George and Martha did not have conversations with everyday people beyond pleasantries, and George bowed to guests but would not shake hands or touch them.

Most of their behavior was meant to earn respect for the infant nation, but it didn't take long for George's political opponents to attack the First Family. While doing this, mundane details about the family's life became public fodder. A precedent was set.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Campaign quotes...

"Don't buy a single vote more than necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide."
-John F. Kennedy in 1960, "quoting" his father's instructions on what to do with the family funds used for the campaign.

"From here on, LBJ means Let's Back Jack."
-Lyndon Johnson in 1960, after being chosen as Kennedy's running mate. The two loathed each other.

Next week will be the start of a new round of Presidential Fun Facts.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Election quotes...

"The good news is we're ahead in the polls. The bad news is the election isn't tomorrow."
-George W. Bush, in July, 2000.

"Isn't that like calling Moe the most intelligent of the Three Stooges?"
-Bill Clinton, in 1992, when introduced as the smartest Democratic candidate.

"Boy, I'm glad that thing's over. I don't need anymore of that."
-George Bush, after a 1984 debate with Geraldine Ferraro.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

I made it through the Presidential Quotes, but will throw out a few more election-type quotes to finish the rest of this week. Next week will start a new presidential "theme."

This is more of an almost-presidential quote...from the most recent loser, Al Gore: Al Gore's Top Ten Rejected Campaign Slogans (via his September 14, 2000 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman).

10. Vote for me or I'll come to your home and explain my 191-page economic plan to you in excruciating detail.

9. Remember, America, I gave you the Internet and I can take it away. Think about it.

8. Your vote automatically enters you in a drawing for the $123 billion surplus.

7. With Lieberman on the ticket, you get all kinds of fun new days off. Vote for us, we're going to work 24/6.

6. We know when the microphone is on.

5. Vote for me and I will take whatever steps are necessary to outlaw the term "Whazzzup."

4. Gore-Lieberman: You don't have to worry about pork-barrel politics.

3. You'll thank us in four years when the escalator to the moon is finished.

2. If I can handle Letterman, I can handle Saddam Hussein.

1. I'll be twice as cool as that president guy in the West Wing.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"(He) makes Lesley Stahl look like a pussy."
-George Bush, in 1988 after an interview with Dan Rather.

"My, that's got every fire hydrant in America worried."
-Bill Clinton, in 1992 after Dan Quayle vowed to be a "pit bull" to help keep the GOP in the White House.

"Growing up, she gave me lots and lots of advice. I gave her white hair."
-George W. Bush, speaking of his mother.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"You are."
-Gerald Ford, when Mexican-descended singer Vicki Carr asked him what his favorite Mexican dish was.

"These little guys, who might be making atomic weapons or who might be guilty of some human-rights violations or whatever, are looking for someone to listen to their problems and help them communicate."
-Jimmy Carter, in 1994 after speaking with dictators in North Korea, Haiti, and other hot spots.

"The thought of being President frightens me and I do not think I want the job."
-Ronald Reagan, seven years before being elected.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"I don't see what's wrong with giving Bobby a little experience before he starts to practice law."
-John F. Kennedy, responding to criticism his brother was too young to be attorney general.

"I've never known anyone from Minnesota that could keep their mouth shut. It's just something in the water out there."
-Lyndon Johnson, whose vice president (Hubert Humphrey) was from Minnesota.

"I would have made a good Pope."
-Richard Nixon.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"He certainly is a wonder, and I wish we could make him president of the United States. There couldn't be a better one."
-Franklin Roosevelt, speaking of Herbert Hoover after WWI.

"All the President is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway."
-Harry Truman.

"If you give me a week, I might think of one."
-Dwight Eisenhower, when asked what administration decisions his vice president (Richard Nixon) had participated in.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"I am in jail, and I can't get out. I've got to stay."
-Warren Harding, on the presidency.

"I think the American public wants a solemn ass as President and I think I'll go along with them."
-Calvin Coolidge.

"Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt."
-Herbert Hoover.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"The most successful politician is he who says what the people are thinking most often in the loudest voice."
-Theodore Roosevelt.

"I have one consolation. No one candidate was ever elected ex-president by such a large majority."
-William Howard Taft, after losing the 1912 election.

"Prosperity is necessarily the first theme of a political campaign."
-Woodrow Wilson.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"This office-seeking is a disease. It is even catching."
-Grover Cleveland, on politics.

"I am a plain Hoosier colonel with no more relish for a fight than for a good breakfast and hardly so much."
-Benjamin Harrison.

"Let them complain. It's too easy for them to get up here the way it is."
-William McKinley, laughing, when told congressmen were complaining the White House elevator was broken.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"Fighting battles is like courting girls. Those who make the most pretensions and are boldest usually win."
-Rutherford B. Hayes, on campaigning.

"My God! What is there in this place that a man should ever want to get into it?"
-James Garfield, on the presidency.

"I may be president of the United States, but my private life is nobody's damn business."
-Chester Arthur, a widower, regarding newspapers linking him with various eligible women.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"Public opinion in this country is everything."
-Abraham Lincoln, in 1859.

"The goal to strive for is a poor government but a rich people."
-Andrew Johnson.

"I know only two tunes. One of them is Yankee Doodle and the other isn't."
-Ulysses S. Grant, when asked if he enjoyed the music at a concert.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"No man should in my judgment accept a degree he cannot read."
-Millard Fillmore, on his refusal of an honorary degree from Oxford University.

"There's nothing left but to get drunk."
-Franklin Pierce, after his party failed to renominate him for the presidency.

"My dear sir, if you are as happy in entering the White House as I shall feel in returning to Wheatland, you are a happy man indeed."
-James Buchanan, to his successor Abraham Lincoln.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"Yes, they cannot say now that I am a president without a party!"
-John Tyler, before a White House social reception. (Tyler was kicked out of his political party while president.)

"In truth, though I occupy a very high position, I am the hardest working man in this country."
-James Polk, workaholic.

"My daughter was a better judge of men than I was."
-Zachary Taylor, to Jefferson Davis after Davis was wounded at the Battle of Buena Vista. (Davis had married Taylor's daughter despite Taylor's refusal to grant them permission.)

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing Presidential Quotes...

"(Russia) was as far as I could send him out of my sight and where he could do the least harm! I would have sent him to the North Pole if we had kept a minister there."
-Andrew Jackson, talking about James Buchanan.

"Why the deuce is it that they have such an itching for abusing me?"
-Martin Van Buren, regarding the press.

"I give my aid to it by renewing the pledge heretofore given that under no circumstances will I consent to serve a second term."
-William Henry Harrison, during his inaugural address. He died one month later.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Continuing with Presidential Quotes...

"The more simple, the more republican we are in our manners, the more rational dignity we shall acquire."
-James Madison, speaking on the debate over what to call the nation's leader.

"A little flattery will support a man through great fatigue."
-James Monroe.

"No election or appointment conferred upon me ever gave me so much pleasure."
-John Quincy Adams, speaking of his election to the House of Representatives after his Presidency.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

For this round I present Presidential Quotes...

"This will be the commencement of the decline of my reputation."
-George Washington, upon learning he was unanimously voted commander-in-chief of Continental military forces.

"I have accepted a seat in the House of Representatives, and thereby consented to my own ruin, to your ruin, and to the ruin of our children."
-John Adams.

"I have no ambition to govern men; it is a painful and thankless office."
-Thomas Jefferson.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Presidential Last Words.

John F. Kennedy (5/29/1917-11/22/1963): some reports say he said, "My God, I've been hit."

Lyndon B. Johnson (8/27/1908-1/22/1973): unknown.

Richard Nixon (1/9/1913-4/22/1994): unknown.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Presidential Last Words.

Warren Harding (11/2/1865-8/2/1923): "That's good. Go on, read some more."

Calvin Coolidge (7/4/1872-1/5/1933): unknown.

Herbert Hoover (8/10/1874-10/20/1964): unknown.

Franklin Roosevelt (1/30/1882-4/12/1945): "I have a terrific headache."

Harry Truman (5/8/1884-12/26/1972): unknown.

Dwight Eisenhower (10/14/1890-3/28/1969): "I want to go. God take me."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Presidential Last Words.

William McKinley (1/29/1843-9/14/1901): "It is God's way. His will be done, not ours. We are all going...oh, dear."

Theodore Roosevelt (10/27/1858-1/6/1919): "James, will you please put out the light?"

William Howard Taft (9/15/1857-3/8/1930): unknown.

Woodrow Wilson (12/28/1856-2/3/1924): "The machinery is worn out. I am ready...Edith!"

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Presidential Last Words.

James Garfield (11/19/1831-9/19/1881): "Oh, Swaim, there is a pain here. Oh, Swaim!" (David Swaim, chief of staff.)

Chester Arthur (10/5/1829-11/18/1886): unknown.

Grover Cleveland (3/18/1837-6/24/1908): "I have tried so hard to do right."

Benjamin Harrison (8/20/1833-3/13/1901): "Are the doctors here? Doctor, my lungs."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Presidential Last Words.

Franklin Pierce (11/23/1804-10/8/1869): unknown.

James Buchanan (4/23/1791-6/1/1868): "Oh Lord, God Almighty, as Thou wilt."

Abraham Lincoln (2/12/1809-4/15/1865): unknown.

Andrew Johnson (12/29/1808-7/31/1875): unknown.

Ulysses S. Grant (4/27/1822-7/23/1885): "Water."

Rutherford B. Hayes (10/4/1822-1/17/1893): "I know I am going where Lucy is."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Presidential Last Words.

James Polk (11/2/1795-6/15/1849): "I love you, Sarah, for all eternity, I love you."

Zachary Taylor (11/24/1784-7/9/1850): "I am sorry that I am about to leave my friends."

Millard Fillmore (1/7/1800-3/8/1874): "The nourishment is palatable."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Presidential Last Words.

Martin Van Buren (12/5/1782-7/24/1862): "There is but one reliance."

William Henry Harrison (2/9/1773-4/4/1841): "I wish you to understand the true principles of the government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more."

John Tyler (3/29/1790-1/18/1862): "Perhaps it is best."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Presidential Last Words.

James Madison (3/16/1751-6/28/1836): "Nothing more than a change of mind, my dear."

James Monroe (4/28/1758-7/4/1831): last words unknown.

John Quincy Adams (7/11/1767-2/23/1848): "I am content" or "I am composed."

Andrew Jackson (3/15/1767-6/8/1845): "We shall all meet in heaven."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Well, I've done "fun facts" for the presidents and their wives. So the question was, what to do next? There were some good suggestions...but I want to keep the "fun facts" presidential for now.

This round...Presidential Last Words. I'll group them together in threes. It'll be a short round.

George Washington (12/22/1732-12/14/1799): "'Tis well."

John Adams (10/30/1735-7/4/1826): "Thomas Jefferson still survives."

Thomas Jefferson (4/13/1743-7/4/1826): "Is it the Fourth?"

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In September, 1989, President George Bush held a national education summit at the University of Virginia. Hillary was attending and happened to have a serious chat with the President about health care for children.

Hillary told him that America was ranked 17th or 18th in the world for infant mortality. The President didn't believe this was true, telling her, "Our health care system is the envy of the world."

"Not if you want to keep your child alive to the year of his first birthday," Hillary responded. The next day President Bush handed Bill Clinton a note. It read, "Tell Hillary she was right."

(Of course, Hillary headed an attempt to revamp healthcare that failed a few years later. I happen to think her heart was in the right place.)

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Barbara Bush.

Barbara's white hair made her look older than her husband as well as older than she really was...Saturday Night Live even had a joke about it in a sketch with Phil Hartman playing Mrs. Bush.

It was in 1953 that Barbara's hair turned white. That was the year the Bushes' four-year-old daughter, Robin, died of leukemia. Still, Barbara was able to joke about her own appearance later on. She once said, "I'm everybody's grandmother. It's the gray-haired ladies who come up and say, 'Gee, you look exactly like my mother' that worry me a bit."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Nancy Reagan.

Nancy's parents divorced when she was quite young, and her mother married Dr. Loyal Davis when she was seven. She didn't see much of her father and grew so attached to her stepfather that she visited a neighbor who was a retired judge. She told him, "I'd like to know how to adopt Dr. Davis."

The judge told the little girl gently, "That's a little difficult, but I think it can be arranged."

After Nancy left, the judge called Dr. Davis, who was delighted, "I've always wanted that but I didn't know how to approach Nancy or her mother."

Dr. Davis later officially adopted Nancy when she was fourteen.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Rosalynn Carter.

While campaigning for her husband in New Hampshire in 1976, Rosalynn would introduce herself as "Mrs. Jimmy Carter." This invariably led to questions of "Who?"

"My husband is running for President," she would say.

"Oh! Jimmy Cahtuh."

Rosalynn learned to call herself "Mrs. Jimmy Cahtuh" and no longer had to explain "who" she was.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Betty Ford.

Betty made no secret of the fact that she and her husband shared a bed in the White House. Apparently this shocked some of the more old-fashioned members of the public. Betty once said, "...people have written me objecting to the idea of a President of the United States sleeping with his wife."

She was quite forthright about intimate matters. When asked how often she had sex with her husband, she replied, "As often as possible!"

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Pat Nixon.

Pat wrote her own epitaph: "I just want to be remembered as the wife of a president."

Even though she hated politics, Pat worked hard for all of her husband's campaigns. She was loyal to him and supported him in all his ambitions...and during his troubles.

Pat was a big believer in volunteerism, and encouraged women who didn't have time to work to spend their free hours helping others. She always made a point of touring hospitals, schools, and orphanages when she traveled abroad. She met with women's groups to shed light on women's progress and plight throughout the world.

A lot of what Pat was able to accomplish was due to being "the wife of a president"...and she made the most of being First Lady.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Lady Bird Johnson.

The first thing you should know about Lady Bird is that she was born Claudia Alta Taylor. Her nickname was bestowed upon her as a baby when her nurse declared she was "purty as a ladybird!" LBJ normally called her "Bird" for short.

Lady Bird had a reputation as a pushover due to her shy, serene nature...but this was not really the case. When he would get home, LBJ's first words were usually, "Where's Bird?" He talked politics over with her, even interrupting discussions with his associates to suggest they ask Lady Bird what she thought.

In 1943, while her husband was serving in the Navy, she purchased a radio station in Austin. She learned the business and oversaw its expansion into a profitable radio and television enterprise.

In 1955, her husband had a massive heart attack, and Lady Bird was strong for his sake. She took the hospital room next door to his and converted it into an office. She remained cheerful and laughing for Lyndon during his five weeks in the hospital.

Lady Bird tried to change her husband's diet. One night she awoke, hearing a clacking noise from the kitchen. He was eating pudding with a metal spoon. The next day the President of the United States sent an aide to find him a quieter, wooden spoon so he wouldn't get caught again.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.

One day in Manhattan, four-year-old Jackie and her nurse left to go to Central Park. Shortly thereafter, the phone rang at the Bouvier home. Mrs. Bouvier answered, and it was the police.

"We have a little girl here. We can't understand her name, but she knows her telephone number. Could she be yours?"

When Mrs. Bouvier arrived at the police station, little Jackie was chatting happily with the lieutenant. He explained that he saw Jackie walking alone in the park, and when she spotted him she came to inform him, "My nurse is lost."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Mamie Doud Eisenhower.

The Eisenhower White House was one of the most social ever. One occasion in particular was quite a sensation...it was a wedding.

In 1959 in the East Room, the Marine Band struck up the Wedding March. A veiled bride in her wedding dress appeared, carrying a bouquet. She stood next to her groom and they repeated their vows. Guests were so moved that sobbing was heard.

The bride and groom? Mamie and Ike Eisenhower, renewing their vows on their 43rd wedding anniversary.

(By the way, Mamie was born in Boone, Iowa.)

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Bess Truman.

Bess's father committed suicide when she was 18 years old. She never spoke about it and would avoid mentioning her father for the rest of her life. The Trumans' daughter Margaret learned about the suicide by accident and when she asked her father about it, Harry told her to never mention it to Bess.

The loss of her father is probably the main reason Bess shirked away from the press and publicity. Margaret believed her mother was afraid the suicide would make its way into the papers; that Harry's political enemies would use the information to sling mud.

The press was quite frustrated by their First Lady. Her predecessor, Eleanor Roosevelt, had conducted her own press conferences for the women reporters, wrote a newspaper column, gave speeches, and was highly visible as well as accessible. Bess was almost a nonentity. She was even able to shop in Washington's department stores unnoticed. She craved anonymity and was nearly successful in achieving it.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Eleanor Roosevelt.

Eleanor was used to coming and going as she pleased. Via planes, trains, and automobiles, she logged about 80,000 miles of travel during her first two years as First Lady. She drove herself--often unescorted. She attended public events without security.

After the attempt on Franklin's life in 1933, her husband wanted the Secret Service to provide Eleanor with a bodyguard, but she adamantly refused. Many times the subject was broached, but Eleanor insisted, "Americans are wonderful. I simply can't imagine being afraid of going among them as I have always done, as I always shall."

Because of her refusal to have a bodyguard, the Secret Service provided her with a gun. She resisted this too at first, but eventually agreed to lessons at the FBI headquarters so she could learn how to handle the weapon. After a few visits to the FBI firing range, Chief J. Edgar Hoover was alarmed. He told the President, "If there is one person in the U.S. who should not carry a gun, it's your wife. She cannot hit a barn door."

Later on, Eleanor did learn how to shoot the gun, and she dutifully carried it in the glove compartment of her car. Unloaded.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

(Dedicated to my fellow Munuvians.)

Lou Henry Hoover.

When Lou and Herbert lived in Tientsin, they kept a cow in order to have fresh milk. One day the cow disappeared, much to its calf's dismay. One of the young Chinese men working for the Hoovers suggested Lou take what he called the "cow's pup" for a walk through the area. When the mother and baby smelled each other, they would moo.

Lou liked the idea, and set out with some friends on a quiet night to find the cow. They suspected German soldiers of the theft, so the group headed for the stockade. Sure enough, the "cow's pup" began making noise and its mother responded from inside.

Speaking the best German she could muster, Lou approached the German sentry to request the return of her cow. He didn't understand her at first, but then had an epiphany: she wanted to reunite the calf with its mother. He took the calf's halter, pulled it inside the stockade, and closed the door behind him.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Grace Coolidge.

Grace was the polar opposite of her reserved, shy husband. She was gregarious and fun-loving, and made a habit of teasing Calvin.

When Calvin was the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, he gave a speech to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Chickering Piano Company despite the fact he had no great interest in music. Grace loved music and attended the dinner as well. To her amazement, she heard her husband talk knowledgeably about the master composers and their works. Later she laughingly asked him when he had learned about music, and he quickly changed the subject. Grace decided the speech was the only ghostwritten one he ever delivered.

Calvin couldn't whistle, but his wife could do it very well. To call the dogs, Calvin got a little whistle he could blow. Unfortunately, he misplaced it one night and was trying his hardest to whistle for the dogs himself. Grace exclaimed, "What's the matter, papa, don't your teeth fit tonight?"

The Coolidges and friends took a cruise one evening, and two ladies were seated next to the quiet President. They were unable to get him to speak at all. The next morning at breakfast, Calvin asked his wife why the ladies had not come down yet. She explained they were still "exhausted by your conversation of last evening!"

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Florence Harding.

"I have only one hobby--my husband," Florence would tell curious reporters. Warren seemed to agree, once saying his car was the only thing "Florence did not have a desire to run."

She had grown up in a wealthy family and was headstrong and educated. She eloped in 1880 with Henry DeWolfe, who ended up being an alcoholic. The marriage soon disintegrated. Florence's father had disapproved of the match and refused to help his daughter when she returned to her hometown, baby boy in tow. So she became a piano teacher and managed to support herself.

When she was thirty years old, she began seeing Warren, who was five years her junior. They married in 1891, and Florence soon took over the business end of the newspaper Warren had bought. She managed the finances very well and made the business quite profitable. Later she was a key factor in Warren's political success, and was no doubt instrumental in his presidential election. Her controlling nature paid off for them both in business and politics.

In their personal life, things weren't quite as rosy. Warren had affairs and even fathered one child with a mistress, but he recognized his wife's contributions to his success. For her part, Florence was protective of Warren when scandals began surfacing in his administration. After his death she sat before his coffin and told him, "No one can hurt you now, Warren." Before she left the White House, she destroyed papers and letters that she thought would embarass her late husband.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Edith Wilson.

Edith was a widow and a friend of Woodrow's cousin when she met the president seven months after Ellen's death. Edith was having tea with her friend at the White House, and Woodrow arrived unexpectedly. He joined the ladies and began seeing Edith shortly thereafter.

Immediately, Edith was filling the void of Woodrow's confidante...he shared the intimacies of his various political dealings with her. In December, 1915, the couple was married quietly in Edith's home. Following the end of World War I, Woodrow's workload increased and his health deteriorated. In October, 1919 he suffered a massive stroke which left him paralyzed on one side. Edith believed he should resign the presidency for the sake of his health, but his doctors insisted his mind was sharp and his best bet for recovery was to have something to work for.

Edith now shouldered a great deal of responsibility, but she was helped by the fact Woodrow had always discussed political matters with her. Every day she carefully read through the president's papers, chose the most important ones, and took them to her husband. She would then relay his instructions to his associates. The First Lady was an intermediary between her husband and everyone else, including the Cabinet and foreign diplomats.

Woodrow never completely recovered from his stroke, but even his political enemies admitted he was mentally fit throughout his presidency. Eventually he was able to get around with a wheelchair, and even considered running for a third term in 1920, but Edith strenuously objected to that idea. In 1921 they retired to a house in Washington. Woodrow passed away three years later.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Note: Woodrow Wilson had two wives...normally I would post about both, but I am splitting them up. Edith Wilson will get her turn tomorrow.

Ellen Wilson.

Ellen always went without the "finer things" for herself in an effort to economize. This allowed her husband to buy books, their children to study art and music, and for the family to entertain as necessary. She did this gladly, choosing to spend money on things that were more important to her than new clothes or jewelry.

While Woodrow was teaching at Princeton, Ellen once told someone her clothing expenses were only about forty dollars a year. Some faculty wives made rude comments about Ellen's wardrobe not being as fashionable as they deemed appropriate. One wife supposedly remarked with venom, "Mrs. Wilson, every fall you look sweeter in that brown dress."

After Woodrow was nominated for President in 1912, a female reporter demanded to know why Ellen never wore jewels. "Have you some sort of moral prejudice against jewelry, Mrs. Wilson?" Ellen tried to put off the nosy reporter, but the woman persisted.

Ellen finally responded, "I have no prejudice against (jewelry); we just haven't any."

Ellen seems to have been a sweet, unassuming woman. She died in August, 1914, with Woodrow holding her hand.

*Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Helen Taft.

When she was seventeen years old, Helen visited the White House and declared she would return someday as First Lady. She married William Howard Taft, a lawyer whose ambition was to be a judge rather than a politician.

When William was appointed a judge, Helen was displeased. She lamented the fact that a life on the bench relegated them to social circles of "old men." William's biggest dream was to join the U.S. Supreme Court, but when President Roosevelt offered him an appointment several times, Helen persuaded her husband to decline.

The Tafts, of course, ended up in the White House for four years. In that time, Helen alienated a large portion of the mansion's staff with her controlling nature and the changes she made. Chief Usher Ike Hoover complained, "She seems to have forgotten entirely that the White House is, in a measure, a public institution, and made an effort to conduct it along the lines of a private household."

Some of Helen's projects were met with praise, however. She sponsored dramatic and musical performances on the White House lawn. She also arranged for thousands of cherry trees to be planted in an effort to beautify Washington, D.C. Today those same cherry trees are a tourist attraction.

After leaving the White House, William finally accepted the Supreme Court appointment he had longed for...and Helen was happy to live out of the public eye. She didn't miss the excitement of politics as much as she thought she would.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Alice Lee Roosevelt.
Edith Roosevelt.

Theodore Roosevelt's first wife, Alice, gave birth to the couple's daughter, also named Alice, while Theodore was in Albany, New York. He was working at the state capital and began making preparations to return to New York City when he received notice that his wife was seriously ill. He boarded the next train and when he arrived in the city he found that both his wife and his mother were dying.

Theodore's mother died the next morning, and his "sweetest little wife" died the day after that. Alice was only 22 years old. Theodore was stunned, but returned to Albany to finish his work in the legislature. When they adjourned, he went to the Dakota Badlands to pursue the life of a cowboy. He never mentioned his wife again, even to his daughter.

Almost two years later, he ran into Edith Carow, his childhood sweetheart, and they began seeing each other. Theodore was distressed by his feelings for Edith, telling his sister, "I utterly disbelieve in and disapprove of second marriages. I have always considered that they argued weakness in a man's character. You could not reproach me half as bitterly for my inconstancy and unfaithfulness as I reproach myself."

However, Theodore and Edith were married and they were extremely happy together. Their family included four boys and another girl. When the brood took over the executive mansion, Chief Usher Ike Hoover called it "the wildest scramble in the history of the White House." Alice, as the oldest, was the ringleader of the six children and their menagerie of pets. The children once snuck a pony into the family's quarters of the White House to comfort their sick brother Archie.

Edith was often worried that she hadn't been a good mother to her stepdaughter, but Alice definitely disagreed. She later allowed that Edith had probably treated her better than she had treated her other children.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Ida Saxton McKinley.

Ida was a beautiful young lady, working in her father's bank when she met William McKinley. They fell deeply in love and wed in 1871. She was cultured and headstrong, and he was an ambitious young lawyer with a new practice. Upon their marriage, Ida's father bought the couple a beautiful home where they could start a family. Soon they welcomed a little daughter named Katie into the world.

Unfortunately, this idyllic beginning was soon overshadowed by tragedy. In their second year of marriage, Ida's beloved grandfather passed away, followed by Ida's mother. Soon after her mother's death, Ida gave birth to another daughter. This baby lived only five months.

Ida was heartbroken over her losses, and convinced herself God was punishing her. She became ill, developing phlebitis (inflammation of the veins, most commonly in legs due to blood clots) which left her unable to walk by herself. She probably suffered brain damage as a result of the phlebitis, because she would have headaches and seizures for the rest of her life. Ida became obsessed with young Katie's well-being, afraid God would take her, too. Sadly, Katie died of typhoid fever at age four. Her mother was destroyed.

William became his wife's caretaker, and by all accounts was tender and completely devoted to her. The year after Katie died, the McKinleys moved to Washington when William was elected to Congress. He spent all his free time with Ida, taking her for carriage rides and the theater. Gradually her health and spirits seemed to improve.

Fifteen years later, when William became Ohio's governor, the McKinleys moved into a hotel across from the Capitol grounds. Every day at 3:00 he would stop work and wave his handkerchief out the window, waiting for his wife to wave back from her window in the hotel.

When President McKinley was shot in 1901, Ida took the news bravely, hoping her husband would recover. He didn't, and after his funeral she slipped into a deep depression. She prayed to God to let her join William. The federal government made plans for a memorial McKinley Mausoleum, and Ida decided she wanted to live after all. She wanted to see the completion of the memorial. She passed away in 1907, four days before the dedication ceremony, and was laid to rest at William's side.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Caroline Harrison.

"Carrie" was dismayed by the poor shape of the White House when she and Benjamin moved in. The Harrisons lobbied for a new executive mansion, but many people balked at the idea of leaving the historic White House. Instead, Congress set aside $35,000 for renovations.

Carrie threw herself into refurbishing the presidential home. She oversaw the modernization of the kitchen, installation of a heating system, replacement of moldy floors, painting and repapering of the walls, cleaning of the chandeliers, purchasing new curtains, upholstery, and furniture, and the installation of private bathrooms in the bedrooms. The White House was also wired for electricity at this time, and there was a new switchboard with several phone lines installed.

Carrie dug through the White House closets and cupboards to throw out broken and worn out china and utensils. While doing this, she assembled the now-popular White House collection of china. She also decorated the first Christmas tree for display at the executive mansion.

When the previous First Family, the Clevelands, returned to the White House again after four years, they were astonished by the transformation.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Frances Cleveland.

When Grover Cleveland was elected President, he was a forty-eight year old confirmed bachelor. Little did the public know he had his eye on a young girl attending Wells College.

Grover knew Frances since she was an infant, having been a law partner of her father's. He sent her letters and flowers while she was at college, and once told one of his sisters cryptically that he was "waiting for his wife to grow up."

The couple became secretly engaged after Frances graduated from college, and the papers believed the President was up to something. However, they thought Grover's interest was in Frances's widowed mother...not Frances herself. At twenty-one, Frances was the youngest of the First Ladies.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Ellen Herndon Arthur.

Not much information has survived on "Nell" Arthur. She died at age 42 of pneumonia, and Chester destroyed most of his personal papers in 1886.

Of note, however, is her father, William Lewis Herndon. He headed an exploration of the Amazon in 1851, but was unfortunately lost at sea in 1857. He went down with his ship in a storm off Cape Hatteras, and was memorialized at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. To read more about him, try this link.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Lucretia Garfield.

The Garfields had a shaky courtship and early marriage. James even had an affair at one point. However, after a time, things got better between the two. They became good friends and companions for one another.

James once proclaimed, "We no longer love because we ought to but because we do." His papers during the 1870s were filled with similar sentiments, calling his wife "the light of my life" and "the solid land on which I build all my happiness and hope."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Lucy Webb Hayes.

When President and Mrs. Hayes took a western trip in 1880, Lucy was exhausted by the autograph-seekers at every stop. Finally she stayed out of sight at one town until the train was ready to leave the station.

As she resumed her place at the window, the people outside began handing her items to sign. She signed so many that she was ready to collapse when the train finally started.

Soon her son came running into the President's car and handed an autograph book to his mother. He had gotten her signature fifty-six times through the window.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Julia Dent Grant.

Julia was cross-eyed and during her husband's presidency she looked into corrective surgery.

Ulysses, however, talked her out of it. "This operation might make you look better to other people; but to me you are prettier as you are."

Julia cancelled the surgery.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Eliza Johnson.

Eliza suffered from tuberculosis and therefore relinquished First Lady duties to her daugher, Martha. Eliza was so ill that she only made two public appearances during her husband's presidency.

Once was in August, 1866 when Queen Emma of Hawaii visited the White House. The second was in December, 1868 during a children's ball to celebrate President Johnson's 60th birthday. During both appearances, Eliza received guests while seated, explaining, "My dears, I am an invalid."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Mary Todd Lincoln.

Mary is quite possibly the most maligned and misunderstood First Lady in history. The venom and vigor of the press's attacks on her were unprecedented in her time. Many of the lies and rumors about her persevere to this day.

One of the most vindictive enemies Mary had was William Herndon. Herndon was Abe Lincoln's law partner in Springfield, Illinois. He and Mary never got along, and following Abe's assassination he began preparing a Lincoln biography that was unflattering to Mary.

On November 16, 1866, Herndon lectured in Springfield about Ann Rutledge and her relationship with Abe Lincoln. Herndon spun a tale about Rutledge being Abe's first and only real love. When Rutledge died at age nineteen, Abe was destroyed and never loved again. Over the years, Herndon added to the story. He claimed Abe married Mary Todd only to further his own ambitions. He even said the couple had planned to wed in early 1841, but Abe left Mary at the altar. The couple reconciled and married in 1842, but Mary made Abe's life miserable.

None of Herndon's assertions are based in fact. Historians have found no reliable sources to confirm a romantic attachment between Ann Rutledge and Abe Lincoln. The supposed 1841 wedding was pure fiction. And evidence points to a happy marriage between Mary and Abe. Mary's older sister Francis wrote, "He was devoted to his home...they certainly did live happily together--as much so as any man and woman I have ever known."

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Jane Pierce

Jane was very dedicated to her children. Sadly, one son died in infancy and a second son died at age four. Benjamin was the Pierce's only remaining child, and Jane focused most of her attention on him and his upbringing.

The daughter of a minister, Jane was devoutly religious. She made sure "Bennie" received a strong religious education. His days were filled with worship, Bible readings, and hymns.

When her husband Franklin was being urged to run for the presidency in 1852, Jane was quite unhappy. She had never liked his involvement in politics, and was happy in Concord where Franklin had set up a law practice. Bennie picked up on his mother's angst and said he hoped his father would not be elected.

Franklin was elected, and the family made arrangements to move back to Washington. Two months before the inauguration, the three of them were on board a train from Boston to Concord when it derailed. The cars of the train fell down an embankment, and Franklin pulled his wife from the wreckage. He found his son crushed beneath a beam. The Pierces' thirteen-year-old son was dead.

Jane never really recovered from the loss of her third son. She didn't attend her husband's inauguration and when she did arrive in the White House she kept pretty much to herself for the first two years. Jane reconciled her son's death as God's will, deciding that God didn't want Bennie to be a distraction to his father while he was president.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Abigail Fillmore

Abigail was a schoolteacher when she met Millard Fillmore. Her love of books and learning would continue throughout her life, and when she moved into the White House she was dismayed by the lack of books in the executive mansion.

She decided to establish a library in the home, and once her husband persuaded Congress to allocate the funds necessary, the Fillmores set up a large room on the second floor. It was filled with new and old books as well as reference books and maps.

Abigail spent a good deal of time in the library, and visitors remarked that it was the most pleasant room in the White House.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Margaret Taylor

During the 1848 election, Zachary Taylor's political enemies were afraid to attack the war hero. Instead they focused on his wife. Margaret was painted as a vulgar, illiterate woman from a poor family. Cartoons circulated of her puffing on a corncob pipe.

In truth, Margaret came from a prominent family. She was an educated, gracious, and refined Southern lady. She also happened to be allergic to tobacco. Nonetheless, the legend of Margaret Taylor and her pipe persisted for years.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Sarah Polk

During James Polk's 1844 campaign for the presidency, Sarah Polk came across an older lady who supported the Henry Clays. The lady informed Sarah that Mrs. Clay would be a better First Lady because she was an economical housekeeper who made very good butter.

Sarah replied that if her husband won the presidency, she would manage to live within the President's salary without having to make her own butter to do so.

1974 Trivia: Watergate

This was the year that Richard Nixon and Watergate dominated the American headlines. Beginning May 9, the House Judiciary committee held televised impeachment hearings. Nixon was charged with taking part in a conspiracy to obstruct justice, failure to fulfill his constitutional oath, and unconstitutional defiance of committee subpoenas. On August 5, Nixon admitted to originating plans to have the FBI stop its investigation of the Watergate break-in. President Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Letitia and Julia Tyler

Letitia married John Tyler in 1813 and became First Lady when he was elected president. She was the first First Lady to die in the White House.

About two years later, when John married Julia, he became the first president to marry while in office. Julia was thirty years younger than her husband.

Tyler had 8 children with Letitia and 7 with Julia, making him the most reproductive president in history.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Anna Harrison

Anna's mother died when she was very young, and at age 4 her father snuck her past British lines to live with her maternal grandparents on Long Island. Her father was a Colonel with the Continental Army, and he put on a British uniform and made his way past the enemy to deliver his daughter safely to the care of her grandparents. He then snuck back and resumed fighting the British. He would not see her again until the end of the Revolutionary War.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Hannah Van Buren

Very little is known about Martin Van Buren's wife. Martin was a widower when he became president and didn't mention Hannah in his own autobiography.

Hannah and Martin grew up in the Dutch town of Kinderhook, New York. They attended the same school and married in 1807. The couple spoke Dutch at home and had five sons.

In 1819 Hannah died and Martin never remarried.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Rachel Jackson

Louisa Adams wasn't the only wife maligned in the presidential election between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. Rachel Jackson was the first one subjected to slander and accusations.

When Rachel and Andrew Jackson first met, she was already married to Lewis Robards. The two had a tumultuous marriage, and Robards sent her back to her mother, who ran a boardinghouse. Not long after, Robards wished for a reconciliation and Rachel agreed. About this time Andrew Jackson moved into the boardinghouse, and he and Rachel got along very well.

The Robards' reconciliation didn't last very long and Lewis soon left Rachel once more. In 1790 she heard that her husband was coming to retrieve her and return her home even if he had to forcibly do so. She decided after two tries it would be impossible for them to live together, and fled to Natchez to seek refuge amongst relatives. Colonel Robert Stark planned to accompany her to see that she arrived safely, and Andrew Jackson volunteered to come along as well. This led to Robards's deepening suspicion that his wife and Jackson were involved.

According to Jackson's supporters years later, Jackson heard that Robards had gotten divorced from Rachel. Jackson retrieved Rachel from Natchez and they were married in 1791. Unfortunately, Robards had not gotten a divorce. Rachel and Lewis were not divorced until September, 1793...on the grounds of adultery. Rachel became a convicted adulteress.

Of course, Jackson's political enemies had a field day with this information during the 1828 presidential election. Jackson tried to shield his wife from the fallout as much as possible, but she dreaded moving to the White House. She told friends she would sooner "be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to live in that palace at Washington." Rachel got her wish. She died in December, 1828.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Louisa Adams

Louisa Johnson was the daughter of a Maryland merchant, but was born in London and grew up mostly in France. She met John Quincy Adams in France and they married in 1797. When he became President, she became the only foreign-born First Lady in American history.

When her husband sought re-election in 1828, Louisa became embroiled in one of the nastiest presidential elections ever. Andrew Jackson's supporters accused JQAdams of having premarital sex with his "foreign" wife. In turn, Adams's supporters called Jackson's mother a whore. Adams was not re-elected.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Courtesy "Presidential Wives" by Paul F. Boller, Jr.

Elizabeth Monroe

During the French Revolution, America's old friend the Marquis de Lafayette ended up in a German prison. His wife and children were arrested and placed in a Paris prison. When the Monroes (in France because James Monroe was the U.S. Minister to France) heard that Lafayette's wife was going to the guillotine, they decided to intervene.

On morning in February 1795, Elizabeth Monroe took a carriage to the prison holding Madame Lafayette. When the keeper asked what she was doing there, Mrs. Monroe announced herself as the wife of the American Minister to France and had come to visit Madame Lafayette.

To her surprise, the keeper took Elizabeth into the waiting room and after a few minutes appeared with Madame Lafayette. Lafayette rushed up to Elizabeth in tears and threw herself at her feet. She had been expecting a summons for her execution. When Elizabeth Monroe got up to leave after the visit, she told Madame Lafayette in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear that she would return to see her the following morning.

It turned out that Lafayette had been scheduled for execution that very afternoon, but Elizabeth's visit changed the minds of the French officials. They remembered how popular the Marquis de Lafayette was in America and were anxious to remain on good terms with the United States.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Courtesy "Presidential Wives," Paul F. Boller, Jr.

Dolley Madison

William Wilson Corcoran was Mrs. Madison's creditor after her husband died, and came to know her well enough to talk freely with her.

"Mrs. Madison, may I ask, how old are you?" he once inquired.

"I am seventy-two, Mr. Corcoran," was the response.

The next year he asked again. "I am seventy-two, Mr. Corcoran," she replied.

The next year he asked yet again. She told him, "I am seventy-two, Mr. Corcoran."

He stopped asking.

Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Martha Jefferson.

When Thomas Jefferson became President in 1801 his wife Martha had been dead nineteen years. During his two terms, Dolley Madison and his daughter Martha ("Patsy") helped with White House hostess duties as needed.

After Martha died in 1782, Jefferson rarely spoke of her. In his autobiography he said simply that he "lost the cherished companion of my life, in whose affections, unabated on both sides, I had lived the last ten years in unchequered happiness." There is a story that as Martha lay dying, Jefferson promised never to remarry. He never did.

Patsy described her father's grief: "he was led from the room in a state of insensibility by his sister, Mrs. Carr, who, with great difficulty, got him into his library, where he fainted, and remained so long insensible that they feared he would never revive. The scene that followed I did not witness, but the violence of his emotion, when almost by stealth, I entered his room at night, to this day I dare not trust myself to describe."