Mindfulness

great thread!

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February 28th, 2024

rubber soul

20. JAMES GARFIELD (Life is very short...)




Born: November 19, 1831, Orange, Ohio
Died: September 19, 1881, Elberon, New Jersey (assassinated- shot in Washington DC July 2, 1881)

Term: March 4, 1881- September 19, 1881
Political Party: Republican

Vice President: Chester Arthur

First Lady: Lucretia Rudolph Garfield

Before the Presidency: James Garfield never knew his father as he died when he was an infant. The youngest of three children, he spent most of his childhood helping out his widowed mother work her farm outside of Cleveland. He didn’t like farming, however, and dreamed of a life at sea.

So, Garfield tried his hand working on canal boats between Cleveland to Pittsburgh but that didn’t work out very well.

So, Garfield went into teaching while attending school. He later paid his way through college by working as a janitor, finally entering Williams College in Massachusetts at the age of twenty-three. While at college, he was excited at the prospect of hearing Ralph Waldo Emerson. He also developed his anti-slavery views during this period.

After collage, he returned to teaching at the Eclectic Institute, becoming its President in 1857. Also studying law, he passed the Ohio bar in 1861.

In 1856, the Radical Republican campaigned for John Fremont and, three years later, he was in the Ohio legislature. He was a true abolitionist, opposing the spread of slavery anywhere. He didn’t agree with the John Brown raid but had hopes for a better day as a result. He campaigned for Lincoln in 1860 even though he didn’t like him very much (Lincoln’s views were seen as too moderate for him).

When the South seceded, he strongly favored military intervention. As such, he organized the 42nd Ohio Infantry. He rose to the rank of Colonel and distinguished himself in at least two battles. He defeated the Confederates at Middle Creek in early 1862 and took control of Eastern Kentucky. The next year, and now a Major General, he made a daring ride under enemy fire at the battle of Chickamauga. Later, he was appointed Chief of Staff to Major General Rosecrans although it’s likely the two didn’t get along.

It didn’t matter for Garfield was, unbeknownst to him, elected to the US House of Representatives as a war hero and he resigned his commission to take his seat in December 1863.

In the House, he distinguished himself as one of the most radical of Republicans. He supported the seizure of rebel assets in the North and advocated the execution and exile of Confederate leaders. He grew in his office though and would become quite the seasoned politician. He moderated during reconstruction taking a less severe approach than his radical counterparts. He did support the impeachment of President Johnson, however.

Garfield supported the nominations of Grant in 1868 and 1872 though he did have questions about his judgment. He backed Hayes in 1876 even before the nomination as he was a favorite son (both hailed from Ohio). Meanwhile, he became an expert on banking matters as chair of the Banking and Currency committee. In that capacity, he was an advocate of the gold standard. He also opposed the Granger laws which advocated collective farming (He called it Communism in disguise, interesting comment as this was four decades before the Russian Revolution though after Marx’ manifesto). He also opposed labor unions and the eight hour work day.

Garfield was also caught up in the Credit Mobilier scandal. Garfield admitted taking $329 from the company. He also voted for a retroactive salary increase and it nearly cost him re-election.

Hayes was elected in 1876 as the Republicans lost the House. Garfield was named as House Minority Leader. As such he worked behind the scenes in the Compromise of 1877 which more or less ended Reconstruction in the South. Indeed, as Minority Leader, Garfield was known as a master of compromise within the factions of his party. The major factions were known as the Stalwarts, led by Roscoe Conkling, who really wanted to still punish the South and wanted Grant back in the White House. The Half-Breeds, led by James Blaine, were known for supporting higher tariffs. Both factions were notoriously corrupt.

Such was the state of the Republican Party circa 1880.

Summary of offices held:

1857-1861: President, Eclectic Institute

1860-1861: Ohio State Senate

1861-1863: US Union Army, Major General, served in Civil War.

1863-1880: US House of Representatives

1871-1875: Chairman House Appropriations Committee

1877-1880: House Minority Leader


What was going on: Civil service reform, Post-reconstruction

Scandals within the administration: The Star Route scandal

Why he was a good President: At the onset, he seemed to be going after the patronage system like Hayes before him. And he stood up to Conkling.

Why he was a bad President: He didn’t get to do anything else. Plus were his intentions really what they seemed?

What could have saved his Presidency: Better doctors for one.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: If he had turned out as corrupt as Conkling and his cronies.

Election of 1880: As the Republicans convened in Chicago, it was expected to be a battle between Former President Grant and the Stalwarts and James Blaine and his Half Breeds. Garfield ostensibly was a Half Breed being more on the economic side of things. But Garfield, as head of the Ohio delegation, backed Treasury Secretary John Sherman as a compromise candidate.

For thirty-four ballots, no one could come up with a nominee. Surprisingly, Garfield might get a vote or two, but no one really took his candidacy seriously nor did Garfield himself.

But on the thirty-fifth ballot, the Wisconsin delegation voted all in for Garfield and in the end, Garfield was nominated with 399 votes to Grant’s 305. Garfield found himself as the reluctant Republican nominee. Conkling’s protégé, and with Garfield’s blessing, was chosen for the Vice- Presidency. He was the once fired Chester A. Arthur.

Meanwhile, on the Democratic Side, Tilden withdrew his candidacy, and the Dems went with their own Civil War hero in the form of Winfield S. Hancock.

As for the general election, the states were about as split as they are today. The Democrats had a lock on the South while the Republicans had most of the North with the Western states more or less up for grabs. The Democrats painted Garfield as corrupt from the Credit Mobilier scandal while Republicans stayed away from character issues, instead painting Hancock as uninformed.

It’s possible that the Dems were guilty of incredible stupidity in the end though when a letter that Garfield allegedly wrote to businessmen pledging to continue Chinese immigration so wages could stay low was published in a Democratic newspaper (both Republicans and Democrats opposed Chinese immigration). Garfield vehemently denied writing it and it would be exposed to be a forgery.

And perhaps that was enough to tilt a very close election to Garfield for he only won by 2000 popular votes, the closest in US history. He fared a little better in the Electoral College though and, since there was no major fraud to report this time, no one had to go through the circus of 1876.

First term: James Garfield would go down as the great what-if of American History for reasons we’ll see very soon. As it was though, he started out the gate going after the Stalwarts. He named Half Breed Blaine as Secretary of State and appointed others that especially angered Stalwart Conkling. The biggest issue concerned the appointment of the Collector of the New York Customhouse. Garfield blocked Conkling’s man for W.H. Robertson. Conkling was infuriated and tried to hold up all the appointments. President Garfield got the last laugh, however, when after an agreement to end a filibuster, he withdrew all of his appointments- except for Robertson. Needless to say, Conkling was pissed and, along with fellow New York Senator, Tom Platt, resigned from the Senate.

There wasn’t much time for anything else even as the Star Route Scandal was exposed. This scandal involving the Post Office would later implicate members of Garfield’s cabinet.

Assassination: July 2,1881 was, more or less, an ordinary day. It was a bit past nine in the morning and President Garfield was about to board a train to Massachusetts to introduce his sons to his alma mater.

The President was approached by a reported office seeker. He was armed with a .44 caliber British Bulldog. He shot Garfield in the abdomen and announced that he was a Stalwart and Arthur was now President. He waited to be arrested and the deranged man obviously thought he was some sort of American hero of sorts. As for Garfield himself, he assured bystanders that he wasn’t shot that badly and he would be fine.

Indeed, his wounds were not really that much worse than Reagan’s when he was shot a century later. But this was 1881, not 1981, and the medical procedures and technology were a lot different, even primitive by 1981 standards.

And the doctors weren’t doing Garfield any favors either. They spent two months looking for the bullet that lodged in the President’s pancreas, often with their unsanitized hands.

So, imagine their surprise where, after two and a half agonizing months, President James A. Garfield succumbed to blood poisoning.

Odd notes: Alexander Graham Bell tried to save Garfield’s life (needless to say, he failed)

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/...garfield-facts

Garfield’s favorite food was squirrel soup (yuck!)

https://facts.net/james-garfield-facts/

Final Summary: As mentioned, Garfield goes down as the great what-if in American Presidential history. Most historians like to give him the benefit of the doubt given his history of support for African American suffrage and what appeared to be his advocation of Civil Service reform.

I have no doubt he would have been a friend to the blacks but what about civil service reform? Was he really going to push for reform or was he just trying to stick it to the Stalwarts? After all, he admittedly took a bribe in the Credit Mobilier affair and he was aligned with the Half Breeds, who were just as corrupt as the Stalwarts, even going so far as having the head half Breed, James Blaine, as his Secretary of State.

He also supported the gold standard which, by the Great Depression, was proven not to work very well when people had a run on banks among other things.

So, as he only really accomplished one thing and skeptical of his motives in the four months before he was shot, I’m tempted to be kind and give him an incomplete. But after reading about his political history, I’ll simply call him average and hope I might be wrong.

Overall rating: C

https://millercenter.org/president/garfield

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rubber soul

21. CHESTER A. ARTHUR (For he's a dedicated follower of fashion)




Born: October 5, 1829, Fairfield, Vermont
Died: November 18, 1886, New York, New York

Term: September 19, 1881- March 4, 1885
Political Party: Republican

Vice President: none

First Lady: Mary Arthur McElroy (sister)

Before the Presidency: Chester Arthur was the son of a Baptist minister in Vermont. His father was a passionate abolitionist. He learned how to read and write at home before entering school as a child.

Arthur attended Union College in New York and, while not an A student, still graduated in the top third of his class.

He taught school for a while but had dreams of becoming a wealthy lawyer. Even at an early age, Arthur had fine tastes in clothing and was getting a reputation as a bit of a dandy. He passed the bar in 1854 and secured a clerkship in a New York legal firm. While at the firm, Arthur worked on an appeal to free seven slaves. He assisted in arguments before the New York Supreme Court, and they ultimately won the case in 1860. This case also got Arthur connections with other legal minds as well as some politicians.

Arthur, now a partner, also won another important case. A black woman had been forced out of a New York streetcar and told to catch the next one (shades of Rosa Parks a century later). Arthur argued the case and the woman won. After the case, all railroad companies in New York were told to seat black people without prejudice on their streetcars.

Arthur signed up for the Civil War as a way to further his political connections and maybe to make friends along the way. The Governor appointed Arthur Engineer-in Chief with the rank of Quartermaster General in the state militia. He would leave with the rank of Brigadier General as he became known for his administrative skills and efficiency.

Arthur, as a Unionist, wanted to go into battle, but his wife‘s family were from Virginia, so he never pushed his case.

So, he went back to his law practice in 1863. It was through this practice where he met Roscoe Conkling, a New York Republican Party boss. Conkling was also a Senator who used patronage and party discipline to gain more power. Think Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago for a comparison.

It wasn’t long before Arthur became one of Conkling’s top Lieutenants. Through Conkling, he became Chief Counsel to the New York Tax Commission, and he would become fairly wealthy as a result.

And, thanks to Senator Conkling, no doubt, President Grant appointed Arthur as the Collector of the Port of New York, a very important position as they controlled the majority of the nation’s import duties. It also had a bit of a reputation for corruption although Arthur, himself, was never implicated in any graft. He did, however, collect salary kickbacks from custom house employees to give to Conkling’s machine.

In 1878, the gravy train all but ended. President Hayes was determined to end the practice of patronage, and Roscoe Conkling, and the New York Customs House, were in his crosshairs. Arthur was initially fired and offered a consulship in Paris, but he and Conkling fought the firing. Arthur instead was suspended and he and Conkling vowed to support Grant in 1880.

Summary of offices held:

1861-1863: Engineer-in- Chief, New York Militia

1871-1878: Collector of the Port of New York

1879-1881: Chairman, New York Republican Party

1881: Vice President of the United States


What was going on: the Gilded Age, Civil Service reform, Chinese immigration, Naval reform

Scandals within the administration: Ordway corruption scandal

Why he was a good President: He ended the spoils system once and for all and made improvements to the Navy.

Why he was a bad President: He never was truly able to shake the corrupt tag on him from his days as a Stalwart, and there really is no civil rights record one way or the other.

What could have saved his Presidency: He was able to kill the Stalwarts, but he needed to go after the more corrupt wings of the Half- Breeds. Also, maybe a stand against the bigotry towards the Chinese could have glorified his presidency (though it certainly would not have helped him in the 1880s)

What could have destroyed his Presidency: If he had continued to favor Conkling and the Stalwarts and vetoed the Civil Service Act, well, we would have been putting him in with Buchanan and Pierce.

How he became Vice President: The Republican convention was more of less a war between Conkling’s Stalwarts by way of Grant, and James Blaine’s Half- Breeds. Both sides were known for their patronage habits, and both truly despised each other. It was an ugly battle, and it took thirty-six ballots to nominate a compromise candidate, James Garfield, who aligned with the Half- Breeds.

Now why Arthur, with no real political experience, was even considered for the Vice-Presidency is a bit of a mystery. What we do know is that some of Conkling’s lackeys were pushing Arthur for the ticket and a reluctant Garfield acquiesced as he knew he would need the New York machine if he wanted to win the election. Conkling, meanwhile, had nothing to do with his lieutenants’ zeal and he tried to persuade Arthur to turn the Vice-Presidency down. Conkling hated the Half-Breeds so bad, he would apparently have rather had a Democrat in the White House.

But Arthur’s ego was pretty much flattered, and he accepted the nomination saying that, “ The office of the Vice-President is a great honor than I ever dreamed of attaining.”

And Garfield won a fairly close election. Chester A. Arthur was the Vice-President of the United States.

First term: The Vice-Presidency was an interesting one to say the least. Already accused of being in Conkling’s pocket, Arthur broke with the President over the Robertson appointment (pushed by now Secretary of State Blaine) to the New York Custom House. Conkling and the other New York Senator resigned in protest. It was obvious Garfield and Arthur didn’t like each other and Arthur was more of less powerless, at first anyway.

For, on that fateful July day, President Garfield was shot. Two and half months later, he was dead, and Chester A. Arthur was now the President of the United States. Roscoe Conkling was dancing a jig.

But Garfield’s assassination created a public outcry for civil service reform and President Arthur, to the shock of Conkling, voiced his support for it. It was one thing to dislike Garfield; it was another thing for him to die so unnecessarily.

Arthur, indeed, surprised everybody by being a fairly capable President. He vetoed the Chinese Exclusion act (though he would sign a watered down bill later). Then he went after the graft, first by vetoing the River and Harbor act (overridden) that he considered a pork barrel bill.

Then came the big blow. After losing big time in the midterms, the Republicans passed the Pendleton Civil Service Act in hopes to salvage some patronage at least. President Arthur signed the bill.

Then he appointed the members of the new Civil Service Commission to the astonishment of the Democrats at least and the ire of Boss Conkling who must have felt fairly betrayed. Chester Arthur did what his predecessors couldn’t do (though Hayes came close), end the spoils system in government once and for all.

Well, sort of. Presidents still appoint friends and political allies to cabinet positions to this day. Even Arthur would be accused of appointing a Secretary of the Navy via the spoils system.

But mostly, people are now appointed on the basis of their merits and not on who they donated to, and Arthur gets the credit for that.

He also gets credit for refurbishing the Naval fleet as he appropriated funds for the Navy’s first steel vessels.



Post Presidency: President Arthur was secretly diagnosed with a fatal kidney disease in 1882. He kept it quiet even as he half-heartedly sought re-election in 1884. But he didn’t get much support as his Stalwart allies turned against him and the Half Breeds really wanted Blaine. Arthur would lose out on the fourth ballot.

And that was fine with Arthur as he was dying anyway. He tried to return to his law practice, but the disease had a devastating effect on his heart. He died in November 1886 surrounded by family and friends. He was buried with honors in Albany, President Grover Cleveland was in attendance.



Odd notes: In college, he helped to throw the school bell into the Erie Canal

Arthur owned at least 80 pairs of pants

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/...21st-president

Final Summary: Chester A. Arthur is the perfect example of how the Presidency can change you into a better person. Once corrupt, Arthur became a reformer. And for someone who had no business being in the White House to begin with, Arthur proved to be quite adept and even if he wasn’t considered a hard worker (Got that from an episode of the Presidents on the History Channel), he certainly took the office seriously. I would have liked to have seen him take a stand against discrimination in the South (The Republicans were still pro-civil rights in the 1880s) and maybe attempted to do something to end the genocide against the Native Americans that was going on.

But all in all, ending the political patronage for the most part and starting to beef up the Navy isn’t a bad legacy to go on.

Overall rating: B-

https://millercenter.org/president/arthur

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Plankton

Good read. My mom, for some reason, always claimed we were related to Arthur. I have no idea if this is true, but that's always been something I've carried with me.

Your knowledge of all these Presidents is quite commendable.

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See location...

rubber soul

22 and 24. GROVER CLEVELAND (Ma, Ma, where's your PA?)





Born: March 18, 1837, Caldwell, New Jersey
Died: June 24, 1908, Princeton, New Jersey

Terms: March 4, 1885- March 4, 1889, March 4, 1893- March 4, 1897
Political Party: Democrat

Vice President(s): Thomas Hendricks, Adlai Stevenson

First Lady: Ann Cleveland (sister) Frances Folsom Cleveland (married 1886)

Before the Presidency: The son of a minister, Cleveland grew up in central New York State. He had dreams of college but had to put it aside to support the family after his father died. He worked with his older brother in New York City then studied law in Buffalo while working as a clerk. It was there where he was admitted to the bar in 1858.

During the Civil War, he worked as an assistant district attorney for Erie County. He also got out of the war by paying a substitute $300. It was legal though obviously controversial, and it would be a factor in his political career later. Still, he was a good attorney with a photographic memory, and he took advantage of that when giving arguments in court.

The political career of sorts started in 1870 when he was elected Sheriff of Erie County. He also gained a bit of weight and might have been, after William Taft, the second heaviest President in history. He was a gregarious guy, not extremely cultured. He also stayed active in the Democratic Party.

Though Cleveland had been a sheriff, he tried to stay away from partisan politics and yet, would become Mayor of Buffalo by way of the Democratic machine there. It was a surprising endorsement as the new Mayor would be known quickly as a reformer as he exposed graft and corruption in some of the city’s services. He vetoed dozens of pork barrel bills and earned a reputation for honesty and efficiency. This got the attention of Democratic leaders in New York and the nominated him for Governor in 1882. He won the support of Tammany Hall (who would soon regret it) and he was elected that November.

And, as Governor, Cleveland went after, guess who, Tammany Hall. He was a workaholic and vetoed many a spending bill, especially those that were blatantly of the pork barrel variety. He became nationally known being the Governor of a prominent state and was already being talked about as a potential Presidential candidate in 1884.

Summary of offices held:

1871-1873: Sheriff or Erie County, New York

1882: Mayor, Buffalo, New York

1883-1885: Governor, New York


What was going on: 1885-1888: The Statue of Liberty, the Gilded Age, the Dawes Act, Great blizzard of 1888

1893-1896: Lizzie Borden, Coxey’s Army, Dreyfus Affair, Plessy vs Ferguson

Scandals within the administration: none that we know of

Why he was a good President: He was an advocate against corruption and, was a pretty solid administrator if nothing else. Plus, while not the greatest policy maker, he was at least honest.

Why he was a bad President: He was, at best, insensitive to racial concerns and pretty much was the President to give Jim Crow laws a green light in the South. For someone with excellent administrative skills, he did virtually nothing to alleviate the economic impact from the Panic of 1893.

What could have saved his Presidency: A more active approach to the Panic of 1893 and maybe a better Foreign Policy. The fact that we could have gotten to war with England in 1895 seems rather scary.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: A situation like Harrison would have with the Wounded Knee massacre. And, of course, there was the Panic of 1893 that nearly did.

Election of 1884: This would prove to be one of the ugliest campaigns in history. Cleveland came in early on as the favorite to take the Democratic nomination. He was lauded for his taking on of Tammany Hall plus, it was assumed New York, along with the South, would make Cleveland a shoo in for the White House.

Meanwhile, the Republicans were in disarray. The Stalwarts were staring to fade away, but Blaine remained the most powerful man in the Republican Party. But he now had a new faction to contend with, the Mugwumps, a group that really was reform minded and they were secretly supporting Cleveland.

In the end, Cleveland and Blaine were the opposing candidates and the mudslinging began in earnest. At first, the campaign was issue oriented as Blaine talked about Tariffs and Cleveland was emphasizing honesty in Government.

The Cleveland camp fired the first shot as they depicted Blaine in political cartoons as corrupt and even came up with a slogan: Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, the continental liar from the state of Maine.

Blaine’s camp responded with something a little more personal. Cleveland, in his younger days, was having a bit of fun sowing his wild oats, the result being having a child born out of wedlock.

So, the Blaine camp came up with the infamous: Ma, Ma, where’s your Pa?

Now the typical politician might have tried to cover the whole details up, but Cleveland fessed up to possibly having an illegitimate child, thus neutralizing the political damage.

As far as the accusations go. Both Cleveland and his law partner had slept with the woman in question which is why Cleveland had said his fatherhood was possible. The woman also suffered from mental health issues and was indeed committed, but that had nothing to do with Cleveland as the Republicans were suggesting. In any event, neither Cleveland nor his law partner would see the child, adopted by a couple later on, again.

In the end, Cleveland won just enough states to eke out a close victory.

And the Democrats crowed: Ma, Ma, where’s your pa? Gone to the White House ha, ha, ha.

First term: President Cleveland quickly earned a reputation as something of a miser when it came to public funding. He vetoed hundreds of Veteran’s Pension bills seeing them as fraudulent. He also denied drought relief to farmers in the West as he didn’t think it was the responsibility of the Government, this was no FDR.

On the other hand, he continued the crusade to end government corruption. He expanded the list of classified positions under the merit system among other things and he fought against attempts to weaken reform laws already on the books.

President Cleveland wasn’t known as an activist President and he only rarely advocated legislation to Congress, but he did approve of the streamlined Presidential Succession Act which established the order of Presidential succession after the Vice President. That would be law until 1947 when a new act to include the Speaker of the House and the President Pro-Tempore would be passed.

1886 was also something of an interesting year for President Cleveland as he became to first President to marry in the White House. It was also year he welcomed the Statue of Liberty from France.

But when it came to relations with minorities, Cleveland wasn’t so hot. He signed the Dawes act which divided tribal lands with the intention of assimilating the Natives to the American way of life. It backfired. It made the railroad barons happy though as that took the land that was divided and made them even more money.

It wasn’t a good time for African Americans either as Cleveland more or less let the South do its thing with the Jim Crow laws. The Chinese didn’t fare much better. Cleveland, at first, was reluctant to bar them from the US seeing them as an important workforce, but pressure from Western whites resigned him to think that their culture was way too different from American (read: white) culture for them to ever really assimilate . So, he signed the Chinese Exclusion Act.

He did, however, repeal the 1867 Tenure of Office act, deeming it unconstitutional, which it likely was.

Election of 1888: As the election of 1888 approached, it was obvious that Cleveland wasn't setting the country afire. He wasn’t unpopular by any means, but he wasn’t exactly a rock star either and he seemed beatable in this election.

The Republicans nominated former Senator Benjamin Harrison, yet another Civil War hero. Meanwhile, the only drama on the Democratic side was on who to choose for Vice President since Vice President Hendricks had died three years earlier, thus sparking the Presidential Succession Act. They would go with Allen Thurman of Ohio.

The general election was much more issue oriented than the previous one. The Republicans pushed for higher tariffs as usual and blasted Cleveland on his numerous vetoes (he holds the record for vetoes by any President to this day). Cleveland, meanwhile, campaigned on his civil service reform and the lowering of tariffs.

In the end, and this may be one of the arguments against an Electoral College, Cleveland won the popular vote by a close margin.

But Benjamin Harrison was going to be the new President because he won the Electoral College rather handily. Indiana (Harrison’s home state) swung back to the Republicans and Cleveland lost his state of New York narrowly (New Yorkers liked high tariffs apparently).

President Cleveland left the White House with dignity, but his First Lady and wife, Frances Folsom informed the staff. “I want you to take good care of all the furniture and ornaments in the house, for I want to find everything just as it is now when we come back again four years from today.”

She proved to be prophetic.

Election of 1892: Grover Cleveland emerged as the favorite in 1892. People had had enough of four years of Benjamin Harrison, and they missed the relatively good times of Cleveland’s term.

So, after some competition from the likes of David B. Hill of New York who had hoped to get some support from the South and Midwest, who were a little skeptical of Cleveland’s chances. As such, Cleveland would barely win on the first ballot.

The general election proved to be a bit easier as Harrison was quite unpopular with his high tariffs (and makes you wonder how McKinley ever got elected in 1896 considering it was his tariffs). Because of the economy, a new party called the Populists were created and they would have an effect on both candidates. Cleveland would win the popular vote again but this time with just a plurality, the Populists scoring eight percent of the vote.

The Electoral College though was a clean victory for Cleveland as he swept the South and lost only most of New England as well as a handful of other states.

And Grover Cleveland would make history as the only person (so far) to serve two non-consecutive terms.

Second Term: The honeymoon for President Cleveland ended just two months into his term as the Panic of 1893 hit. And of course, as is typical of Americans (and I bet all people actually), whoever is holding the ball at the time gets the blame, even if it was the predecessor who actually fumbled the ball.

The real question now, though was, what was President Cleveland going to do about it? Well, as noted earlier, he wasn’t any FDR, so if you expected economic help on a lower level, you wouldn’t want to hold your breath.

The Panic of 1893 affected other areas as strikes were on the rise. Gold reserves were at such a low point that Cleveland had to borrow $65 million in gold from J.P. Morgan, thus making Americans beholden to the very rich. On top of that there was the infamous Pullman Railroad strike of 1894. To say the least, that was handled badly as Cleveland sent in federal troops to break the strike, giving the affluent another victory.

Things weren’t going very well on the Foreign front either. The US threatened war with Britain over a border dispute with Venezuela citing the Monroe Doctrine. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed, and war was averted.

He also failed in Hawaii as he rejected annexation and tried to get Queen Liliuokalani reinstated. It was all well meaning as he was trying to save Hawaii from an overthrow by sugar interests. But neither side seemed exactly moral, and Cleveland simply washed his hands of the whole affair.

So, Cleveland was no more popular than Harrison had been by the mid-terms and the Republicans swept through to again take over Congress. As a result, Cleveland’s last two years were somewhat ineffective and even had opposition from a group known as Silverites, a group that would dominate the Democratic party very soon.

And, even as a pro-Gold faction tried to persuade Cleveland to run for a third term, he declined.

And left the White House an embittered man.

Post Presidency: While Cleveland’s popularity upon leaving the White House would make even Donald Trump blush, he would end up about as popular an ex-President as he had been when he lost in 1884. He arrived to a hero’s welcome in Princeton, New Jersey and the bitterness he felt after leaving the White House began to dissipate. He wrote a book about his most controversial Presidential decisions and became well-respected as an elder statesman. He often would comment on President Roosevelt’s administration, usually with civility, and twice would turn down drafts to run in 1900 and 1904.

His health began to decline after the death of his daughter, Ruth, and he would die of a gastro-intestinal disease in 1908.

Odd notes: Cleveland was affectionately known by his family as Uncle Jumbo

https://twitter.com/mental_floss/sta...38003107549186

Grover Cleveland allegedly paid to avoid conscription in the Civil War

https://facts.net/grover-cleveland-facts/

While President, he secretly had an operation to remove a cancerous tumor from his mouth.

Final Summary: History has been kind to Grover Cleveland and most historians tend to rate him as an above average President.

But I don’t see it. I mean the man all but opened the door for Jim Crow. He basically was no better than Herbert Hoover when it came to financial hardships. His foreign policy was pretty questionable as well as he nearly went to war with Britain over a dispute with Venezuela.

On the plus side, especially in his first term, he was a stanch advocate for civil service reform and, whatever you thought of the guy politically speaking, you couldn’t question the man’s integrity and honesty.

But he wasn’t a friend of minorities and, as a social liberal, I guess I have a hard time with that.

At least they named a candy bar after his daughter (for those who thought it was named after Babe Ruth).

Overall rating: First term: C
Second Term: D

https://millercenter.org/president/cleveland

__________________

music_collector

I know president Arthur from such movies as Die Hard With A Vengeance.

rubber soul

23. BENJAMIN HARRISON (It's all about the Benjamins)




Born: August 20, 1833, North Bend, Ohio
Died: March 13, 1901, Indianapolis, Indiana

Term: March 4, 1889- March 4, 1893
Political Party: Republican

Vice President: Levi Morton

First Lady: Caroline Scott Harrison

Before the Presidency: Benjamin Harrison came from a political family. His grandfather was the ill-fated William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the United States and his father, John Scott Harrison, was a congressman. On top of that, his Great-Grandfather was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

As for Benjamin, he was raised in rural Ohio where he enjoyed hunting and fishing among other things. He was schooled by private tutors. He grew up with a certain self-assurance that some people took as arrogance and later was given the derisive nickname, the Human Iceberg.

Benjamin was a good student, and he was near the top of his class at Miami of Ohio University in 1852. He passed the bar in 1854 and he and his wife moved to Indianapolis where he set up a law practice.

Harrison joined the new Republican Party in 1856 and backed John Fremont for President. He became Indianapolis City Attorney in 1857. He later served with the Indiana Republican State Central Committee as secretary and supported Abraham Lincoln for President. Harrison was an ambitious sort and he also took on the job as state reporter for the Indiana Supreme Court.

Harrison’s career was interrupted by the Civil War. He joined the Union Army ending his stint as Brigadier General under William Sherman, who liked Harrison. Harrison, though, hated the war, finding it a filthy business.

After the war, Harrison returned to his law career and worked as a court reporter. He also continued on with his political career, running unsuccessfully for Governor in 1872. He ran again four years later as the Republican nominee but would lose in the General election. He was a supporter of Rutherford Hayes and Hayes would appoint Harrison to the Mississippi River Commission in 1879. He chaired the Indiana Delegation at the 1880 Republican National Convention. There, he threw his support behind the dark horse, James Garfield.

Harrison finally made the big time as he became a Senator from Indiana in 1881. It was here where we have an idea of where Harrison stood on the issues. He supported pensions for Civil War veterans, meaning he wasn’t a fan of Grover Cleveland. He also supported statehood for Dakota, high tariffs, some civil service reform, a modernized Navy. He also broke with his party by opposing the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Summary of offices held:

1857- 1861: City Attorney, Indianapolis

1862-1865: US Union Army, Brigadier general, served under William Sherman

1881-1887: US Senator


What was going on: The Sherman Anti-trust act, Wounded Knee massacre,

Scandals within the administration: none that we know of

Why he was a good President: He continued the drive towards civil reform and, while he had mixed success on the foreign affairs front, he did start the Pan American Conferences which was essentially the North and South American United Nations.

Why he was a bad President: His aloof and arrogant personality tended to turn people off, so he wasn’t the greatest diplomat. His push for high tariffs would precipitate the Panic of 1893. And he obviously wasn’t very sensitive in the arena of Indian affairs.

What could have saved his Presidency: Better attention towards the economic conditions might have lessened the severity of the Panic of 1893.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: A disastrous foreign policy could have led to war with both Italy and Chile. I don’t see how either could have defeated us and Chile in fact caved in to US demands. As for Italy, it was certainly our bad and we managed to smooth things over.

But, if we hadn’t, well…

Election of 1888: Harrison’s Senate career ended after the Democrats took over the State Legislature 1887 and he declared his candidacy for President calling himself a living and rejuvenated Republican, thus inventing a catchphrase of the times briefly. Meanwhile, Blaine was again seen as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, but unlike 1884, he was unable to get enough support to guarantee his nomination.

So, he threw his support behind Harrison in hopes of uniting the party. It became a hotly contested contest between Harrison and new favorite James Sherman of Ohio. Harrison would win out on the eighth ballot and be given Levi Morton as his running mate. The Democrats, meanwhile, had an easy selection and renominated President Cleveland.

The 1888 general campaign was much less hostile than the infamous Cleveland-Blaine battle. Harrison limited his campaign to front porch speeches while Cleveland would make only one public appearance. Their backers, of course, were a totally different story, but even they, for the most part, stayed civil.

It was an issue oriented campaign as Harrison talked about tariffs, sound currency (Harrison supported the Gold Standard), and Civil War pensions. One issue that did cause some tensions was over the Civil War itself. Cleveland wanted to return captured Confederate Flags to Southern States which caused some consternation in the North. There was also some fraud in some of the states, notably in Harrison’s hometown of Indianapolis which strangely went for Cleveland.

And it ended in a rather controversial election count. President Cleveland won the popular vote and with a majority, but Harrison won the electoral vote and he was to be the next President of the United States.

At least the Congress didn’t have to decide the outcome this time.

First term: President Harrison started right of the gate as he condemned the practice of Senatorial courtesy and the spoils system. James Blaine, as under Garfield, was the Secretary of State and he was quite active, organizing the first Pan-American Conference among other things. The Sherman Anti-Trust act was also passed during Harrison’s term though it wouldn’t really be used until the Roosevelt Administration. Harrison also pushed for the Sherman Silver Purchase Act though that would have little effect on the economy.

President Harrison also signed the McKinley Tariff act increasing duties by nearly 50%. This proved to be one of the less popular bills in the Harrison Administration. Plus, he had to deal with an International Crisis when eleven Italian immigrants were lynched in New Orleans. Italy had considered going to war over it. There were also tensions with Chile and war was being threatened there as well.

But perhaps the lowest point of Harrison’s Presidency was the infamous Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. In that incident, there was an uprising that resulted from the attempted arrest and murder of Sitting Bull (another thing for Trollheart to delve more deeply into). A group of Lakota Indians were met by the 7th Cavalry. There were escorted to camp at Wounded Knee and, after being told to disarm, there was confusion as Chief Yellow Bird began what was called the Ghost Dance. After some confusion, shots rang out and, in the end, nearly 400 Lakota men, women, and children lay dead.

At the time, it probably did little to hurt Harrison’s political chances and it is uncertain as to what he even knew (he basically was more pro than anti civil-rights at the time, even going so far as to appoint Frederick Douglass minister to Haiti).

But it pretty much destroyed his legacy.

Election of 1892: Harrison entered 1892 as not the most popular President going. He had differences with Secretary of State Blaine and Blaine resigned that summer, running against him for the nomination. Meanwhile, Grover Cleveland was back and was more popular than ever. And though there was some resistance from within the party, Cleveland eked out the nomination on the very first ballot.

Harrison, too, would be nominated on the first ballot but only because Blaine had turned down a draft (he would die in early 1893) and as for up and comer William McKinley, well, it just wasn’t his time yet.

So, it was going to be a Harrison- Cleveland rematch. It was a quiet campaign as Cleveland, out of compassion for President Harrison’s ailing wife (she would die just two weeks before the election), didn’t campaign at all. Harrison, for his part, limited his campaign to just New York and New Jersey, considered swing states at the time.

There was also a third party to contend with known as the Populists. They nominated Civil war General James Weaver and advocated the free coinage of silver.

In the end, Cleveland again won the popular vote but this time, he also ran away with the electoral vote, thus making history.

Harrison, now widowed, was just going home.

Post Presidency: Harrison had a quiet retirement, speaking on Constitutional Law at Stanford University and working as Chief Counsel for Venezuela during a boundary dispute with British Guiana.

Benjamin Harrison passed away in 1901 at the age of 67.

Odd notes: Harrison owned a goat named Old Whiskers

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/...bably-planning

Harrison had electricity installed in the White House

Final Summary: Harrison wasn’t the most eloquent of Presidents and he certainly lacked the ability to rally Americans around a cause like Theodore Roosevelt would do a decade later.

But he did have some accomplishments on the foreign front, notably the Pan-American Conference. He backed American sailors after an incident in Chile, and he supported the expansion of the Navy.

But, overall, he probably goes down as one of the littlest known Presidents in history. And I’m sure being sandwiched between Grover Cleveland’s two terms didn’t help.

He did try to do his best though.

Overall rating: C-

https://millercenter.org/president/bharrison

__________________

rubber soul

25. WILLIAM MCKINLEY (Shufflin' off to Buffalo)




Born: January 29, 1843, Niles, Ohio
Died: September 14, 1901, Buffalo, New York (assassinated)

Term: March 4, 1897- September 14, 1901 (assassinated)
Political Party: Republican

Vice President(s): Garret Hobart, Theodore Roosevelt

First Lady: Ida Saxton McKinley

Before the Presidency: William McKinley grew up with a happy childhood. His mother was deeply religious and taught young William the vales of honesty and prayer among other things while his father taught young William to have a strong work ethic.

It was this work ethic that made William want to get a good education. Entering Allegheny Collage in 1860, he had to drop out after a year, because of illness and financial difficulties.

His illness must not have been too debilitating, however, as he joined the Twenty-Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry at the start of the Civil War. As a Private, he fought bravely at Antietam. Later, he was a Lieutenant under Colonel Rutherford B Hayes. He considered Hayes his mentor and they would enjoy a lifelong friendship. By the time the war ended, McKinley was a Brevet Major.

After the Civil War, McKinley entered Albany Law School, passing the bar in 1867. He opened a practice in Canton, Ohio and it was there where he met his wife, Ida Saxton.

He became involved in Republican politics in 1869 and won an election as County Prosecutor that year. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1876. He served three terms before losing in 1882 but he won his seat back two years later.

It was as Chairman of the House and Ways Committee where he became nationally known. He drafted and pushed through what was known as the very protectionist McKinley Tariff of 1890. It had an effect of raising consumer prices and McKinley ended up losing his second election that year.

He didn’t try to return to the House. Instead, McKinley made a run for Governor of Ohio where he won by a razor thin margin.

McKinley had considerably better success as a Governor as he tried to lessen the rift between management and labor. McKinley was certainly pro- business but that didn’t stop him from developing a system of arbitration designed to settle labor agreements. It wasn’t all fun and games, however, as Governor McKinley called in the National Guard to quell strike related violence by the United Mine Workers in 1894.

McKinley was personally affected by the Panic of 1893, and he could sympathize with voters when he ran for re-election in 1894. Voters sympathized with him as well and he was re-elected Governor easily.

And it put him in position as a candidate for President in 1896.

Summary of offices held:

1861-1865: US Union Army, Brevet Major

1869-1871: Prosecuting Attorney, Stark County, Ohio

1877-1883: US House of Representatives, Ohio

1885-1981: US House of Representatives, Ohio

1889-1891: Chairman, House and Ways Committee

1892-1896: Governor of Ohio




What was going on: Spanish American War, The Philippine Insurrection, the Gold Standard, the Gay Nineties

Scandals within the administration: Oregon land fraud scandal

Why he was a good President: The United States more or less was recognized as a global power after the Spanish-American War. And, though his tariffs were controversial from a historical standpoint, the economy was improving.

Why he was a bad President: The concept of big money controlling elections more or less started with him. He wasn’t corrupt by any means, but some of his followers, well… He was also something of an Imperialist President so that doesn’t go well on his resume either.

What could have saved his Presidency: Historically speaking, I’d say maybe if he had shown more restraint when it came to wars, particularly the ill-advised Philippine one. I would have also liked to have seen him take a stand on civil rights.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: If people knew more about the Philippine resurrection. If they hadn’t discovered more gold, which had a lot to do with the now booming economy.

Election of 1896: 1896 is something of a historic election, for a new political Machiavellian was taking over the Republican Party. He was an affluent businessman from Ohio named Mark Hanna. He especially pushed for McKinley, and he won on the first ballot.

The Democrats, burned from the Panic of 1893, were looking for some new blood. They found it in a young Populist, William Jennings Bryan. Bryan, of course, would be remembered mostly for being the prosecutor in the infamous Scopes trial of 1925. For anyone interested, I’ll explain that trial later (assuming Trollheart doesn’t beat me to it first). Anyway, basically Bryan was an Evangelical Christian, certainly not a handicap in 1896 and not even a factor in the campaign.

The Republican and Democratic platforms were quite different in 1896. The Republicans wanted to stay on the Gold Standard, pushed for protectionist policies, and supported the annexation of Hawaii.

The Democrats, through the charismatic Bryan, was primarily for the Silver standard. His passion for free silver was likely the dominant issue in both campaigns. It was in this campaign where Bryan made his famous Cross of Gold speech. The Democrats also opposed protectionism, pushed for cheap foreign labor through immigration, and the use of injunctions to end strikes. They also supported an income tax (that still goes so well with Americans even today- yes, I’m being sarcastic).

The third party Populists lost their platform to Bryan, so they nominated him as their candidate as well.

The campaigning styles were quite different as well. McKinley, as was the tradition, ran a front porch campaign. But, Bryan campaigned all over the country, 18,000 miles in all. He spoke to enthusiastic crowds and painted McKinley as a puppet to big business (and, in a sense he was, $4 million dollars was donated to his campaign by, um, big business).

Bryan’s campaign seemed to be going fairly well, but there was a faction of Gold Democrats who bolted from the party. Bryan would go on to be, the Scopes trial notwithstanding, to be one of the most decent people ever to run for President (wait till we get to Woodrow Wilson, and I’ll tell you why).

But he was not to be President. William McKinley would win by over 600,000 votes and pulled a solid win in the all-important Electoral College.

First term: The first thing President McKinley did upon entering office was to go after the tariffs. He would sign the Dingley Tariff act that raised the average tariff by nearly 50%

But it would be wars that would dominate McKinley’s first term, notably, the Spanish-American war. Expansionists had been looking for an excuse to take Spain’s territories in the Caribbean and Pacific, even if it meant war with Spain. In fact, some were hankering for a war with Spain, no longer the powerhouse they were during Colonial times. McKinley, to his credit, did everything he could to avoid going to war.

But the saber rattlers had their excuse when an explosion on the Battleship Maine was blamed on the Spanish off Cuba. Yellow journalists, led by William Randolph Hearst, convinced the public that Spain was essentially the epitome of evil (Actually, they weren’t far off the mark; Spanish authorities were indeed guilty of some human rights abuses in Cuba).

So, President McKinley sent in the military to free Cuba from the Spanish. The Rough Riders were formed by Congress and McKinley’s Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, resigned to lead one of the regiments in Cuba.

The war was more or less a rout as Spain surrendered within months. As a result, Hawaii was finally annexed, the US also gained Puerto Rico and Guam, Cuba was independent, and the Philippines was up in the air.

And that created an issue that isn’t much talked about today, for a rebellion was brewing in the Philippines and the US was going to get caught right in the middle of it. Called the Philippine Insurrection, McKinley sent troops to the islands in order to stifle the rebels. It only made matters worse, and McKinley just avoided ending up with his own Vietnam. Thanks, strangely enough and inadvertently, of course, to Leon Czolgosz. (It would be Theodore Roosevelt that got us out of that quagmire).

President McKinley would also send troops to China as the Boxer Rebellion was underway in 1900. McKinley had adopted an Open Door policy regarding China. What he didn’t know that there was a group, known as the Boxers, who wanted all foreigners out of the country and went on a rampage, massacring Western missionaries, diplomats, garbage collectors, you get the picture.

So, McKinley sent troops and gunboats along with Britain, Germany, Russia, and Japan to crush the rebellion. In the end, the Chinese had to shell out $300 million in indemnities to the five nations.

So, whatever the economic climate was in the US (and it was good for the most part), McKinley’s successes in war (two out of three isn’t bad I guess) put him in fairly good position for re-election.

Election of 1900: The election of 1900 was more or less a repeat of 1896 as the popular McKinley won re-nomination easily, the only drama being who would be his running mate. His Vice-President, Garret A. Hobart, had died in office, so they had to find someone to counter McKinley. They went with Theodore Roosevelt, the hero of San Juan Hill, and the Republicans left very happy with their ticket.

The Democrats decided to go with the popular Williams Jennings Bryan for a second time, going with former Vice President Adlai Stevenson as the running mate. An interesting rematch was brewing.

Some of the issues were old as Bryan continued to push for free silver. The Democrats also opposed the Philippine War and American Imperialism in general. The Republicans, of course, had the success of the Spanish-American war on their side and could point to the economic upturn as the result of gold discoveries in Alaska and South Africa (and, by the way, the Boer War involving Britain and Germany, was going on then too).

In the end, the silver issue was more or less dead and McKinley would win re-election rather easily.

Second Term: The second term got off to a good start as the leader of the Philippine rebels, Emilio Aguinaldo, surrendered, and the US gained the upper hand. Fighting still would continue for another year, however.

The next months would be rather quiet as President McKinley worked on trade and tariff issues. It was about tariff reciprocity that dominated a speech President McKinley made in Buffalo during the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo.

It was the last speech he would ever make.

Assassination: The next day, September 6, 1901, would prove a fateful one for President McKinley. He was visiting the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. After making his speech, he stood last in a line of greeters shaking hands with admirers, well, mostly admirers.

Because, at 4:07 in the afternoon, McKinley offered his hand to a professed anarchist named Leon Czolgosz. Czolgosz happened to have a concealed weapon under his shirt and fired point blank into McKinley’s chest. He fell backwards, telling his Secret Service men not to hurt the assailant. He also worried on how they would tell his wife, for the First lady was very emotionally dependent on her husband and he obviously loved her as well.

It was hoped that McKinley would survive the wound (and he might have under today’s technology), but gangrene set in, and he would die eight days later. At least he didn’t have to suffer the way Garfield had.

Odd notes:

McKinley had a pet parrot named Washington Post

https://www.visitcanton.com/blog/sta...-may-not-know/


Wife Ida hated the color yellow

10 Interesting Facts About William McKinley

Final Summary: William McKinley, in some ways, is an example of being beholden to special interests. It wasn’t all his fault of course; Mark Hanna deserves much of the blame. But it is true that more money poured into McKinley’s two Presidential campaigns than any candidate previously. We became a world power during his administration and some of it can be attributed to McKinley’s foreign policy and, of course, a rather formidable military, but, as in the Polk Administration, was it worth losing our souls?

Still, while I can’t say I was a fan of McKinley’s economic policies (I’m definitely not a protectionist), the economy did improve significantly during his one term plus. Yes, it had more to do with external factors such as the new gold discoveries than of McKinley’s policies. I guess you can say, on that score, McKinley was quite lucky.

But of course, and tragically, he wasn’t lucky at all.


Overall rating: C

https://millercenter.org/president/mckinley

__________________

rubber soul

26. THEODORE ROOSEVELT (Won't you be my Teddy Bear)




Born: October 27, 1858, New York, New York
Died: January 6, 1919, Oyster Bay, New York

Term: September 14, 1901- March 4, 1909
Political Party: Republican

Vice President: Charles Fairbanks

First Lady: Edith Carow Roosevelt

Before the Presidency: Theodore Roosevelt grew up in a fairly affluent family in New York City. He suffered from asthma as a young child but was surrounded by love from his parents and three siblings.

Young Theodore was a determined young man, and he took it upon himself to get out from under his bad health. He took up gymnastics and weight lifting and built up a fairly rugged physique. He became an advocate of exercise and the adventurous life as a result. It also instilled quite a bit of confidence in the young man. He also spent his childhood traveling extensively overseas with his family and no doubt gained a perspective on other nations, particularly in Europe.

In 1876, Roosevelt entered Harvard College where he studied a variety of subjects. It was there where he met his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee, who he would marry in 1880. He dropped out of Columbia Law School a year later to begin a life of public service.

Roosevelt was elected to the New York Assembly in 1882 where he served for two years. Unfortunately, tragedy would strike in 1884 when both his mother and wife died on the same day. Distraught, Roosevelt left for the first of his many adventures, hanging out in the Dakota Badlands where he hunted Grizzly bears, herded cows, and chasing outlaws as a frontier sheriff. Roosevelt was quite happy living the rugged life.

But he would return to the East after a devastating winter all but wiped out his cattle. He had rekindled a love with his childhood sweetheart, Edith Kermit Carow, and they would marry in England in 1886, settling at Oyster Bay, New York.

Back in New York, Roosevelt resumed his writing career, writing about the Naval War of 1812. Several more books followed, and it is possible Roosevelt could have been a successful non-fiction author.

But public service was his first calling, and he ran for Mayor of New York in 1886. He lost but, after campaigning for Benjamin Harrison in 1888, he was appointed to the US Civil Service Commission. And indeed, he was a reformer, being re-nominated by Grover Cleveland in 1893. As Commissioner, he enforced the Civil Service laws and clashed with both parties who wanted him to look the other way when it came to patronage.

In 1895, Roosevelt left the Commission to accept the job of Police Commissioner in New York City. There he developed a reputation for honesty as he cleaned up the corrupt Police Board and enforced the city’s blue laws (no liquor to be sold on Sundays). Needless to say, Roosevelt wasn’t popular with the party bosses.

Lucky for them, Roosevelt was off to accept a new job as President McKinley appointed him as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, an interesting position, since, up to then, he hadn’t served in the military.

Of course, that would change a year later when the Spanish-American War broke out. Roosevelt left the Administration to join the Rough Riders as a Lieutenant Colonel. The Rough Riders were essentially a rag tag bunch of Ivy Leaguers like himself, Western cowboys, sheriffs, police officers, even Native Americans. Roosevelt was a popular leader and he led them up San Juan Hill. His contingent suffered heavy casualties, but they emerged victorious; Roosevelt becoming perhaps the biggest military hero since Ulysses Grant.

Roosevelt came home a war hero, and the Republicans tagged him for New York Governor against the Tammany Hall backed Democrat, Judge Augustus Van Wyck. Roosevelt too benefitted from party bosses, in his case Boss Thomas Platt. Roosevelt, though, was not a big fan of patronage and he let it be clear he would be his own man. He narrowly won the election.

And, indeed, he wouldn’t be a favorite of party bosses as he refused to appoint party regulars to the most powerful positions in the state. He really went against Platt when he supported a bill for taxes on the public services, who had been in Platt’s pocket before.

So, Platt had a pow wow with Senator Mark Hanna to devise a way to get rid of Roosevelt. Their solution was to kick him upstairs as the Vice Presidential candidate in 1900.

And, as they say, don’t ask for something too hard- you might just get it.

Summary of offices held:

1882-1886: New York National Guard

1882-1884: New York State Assembly

1883: Minority Leader, New York State Assembly

1889-1895: Commissioner, United States Civil Service Commission

1895-1897: New York City Police Commissioner

1897-1898: Assistant Secretary of the Navy

1898: United States Army, Colonel (Spanish-American War)

1899-1900: Governor of New York

1901: Vice President of the United States



What was going on: Trust busting, the Panama Canal, the Great White Fleet, Russo- Japanese War

Scandals within the administration: none that we know of

Why he was a good President: Where should I start? He broke up the monopolies, or at least some of them anyway (it was the one Roosevelt legacy Taft would continue), he ensured the US would stay a World power, he broke tradition when he guested an African American, and he passed laws to make sure the Grand Canyon wouldn’t become a landfill among other things. Did I miss anything? Probably.

Why he was a bad President: Well, as history shows, he wasn’t, but I wish he could have been more forceful with his beliefs on civil rights.

What could have saved his Presidency: Not a thing. It wasn’t perfect (what Presidency is?) and he made his mistakes, but you can’t accuse this Presidency of needing any saving.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Roosevelt took a lot of chances, especially in his second term, and anything could have destroyed it at any given time. If the economy had tanked (and there was the Panic of 1907), could he have saved it? What if he had turned his back on labor to appease the Republican majority? It is to his great credit that he didn’t.

How he became Vice President: Indeed, Mark Hanna pushed Roosevelt for the Vice-Presidency in 1900. Roosevelt was nominated by acclamation. Roosevelt proved to be the perfect pit bull for McKinley as he furiously campaigned for the President. He traveled 21,000 miles and seemed like an endless bundle of energy, putting opponents Bryan and Stevenson, also actively campaigning, to shame. In the end, McKinley won by a larger margin than he had in 1896. Mark Hanna got what he wished for.

But then he had to pay the piper, though not in the way anyone would wish for. For in September 1901, President McKinley was assassinated, and that damned cowboy, as Hanna put it, was now President.

And, to Hanna’s consternation, the United States would never be the same again and, even more frustrating for Hanna, for the better.

First term: Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office in Buffalo moments after President McKinley died. At 43, he was the youngest President ever.

And the Republicans were none too happy, for Roosevelt absolutely represented the Liberal wing of the Republican Party. Yes, he was pro-business, but he was also pro-labor as well. And he wasn’t in office much more than a month when he invited Booker T. Washington, a prominent black educator, to the White House. You can imagine the outrage in the South right now.

President Roosevelt would also go to war with the trusts. He began to enforce the Sherman-Anti Trust Act and won an important victory in the Supreme Court. While the court case was going on, Roosevelt also went after the railroads, signing the Elkins act in 1903. This prohibited railroads from granting rebates to larger companies, thus leaving the smaller companies out. Railroads unfortunately found a way around this, but TR would have a response to that in his second term.

The beginnings of what would be the Panama Canal began in Roosevelt’s abbreviated term. He signed the amended Hay- Pauncefote treaty opening the way for a canal at the isthmus of Panama. Unfortunately, Colombia controlled Panama. Colombia did not want to give the US permission to build a canal.

So, there was a rebellion for Panamanian independence, backed by the US. Roosevelt sent the Navy to deter Colombia from crushing the revolt. They succeeded, Panama gained their independence, and the United States was getting their canal.

The other major event was the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902. Coal miners walked off the job in Pennsylvania in 1902. It went on all summer and Roosevelt thought executive action was needed to get the miners back to work.

But he didn’t send the army to quell the strike. Instead, he called for the mine operators and Union leaders to the White House where he was able to arbitrate an agreement, an agreement that probably favored the coal miners. It was the precursor to what would be called the Square Deal later.

President Roosevelt, much to the consternation of the more conservative Republicans, I’m sure, would come into 1904 a very popular President indeed. And, with Mark Hanna dying, early in 1904, they would be hard pressed to find a candidate that could wrestle the party’s nomination from him.


Election of 1904: Theodore Roosevelt had to walk a thin line if he wanted to win the nomination in his own right. At first, he used the White House as a “bully pulpit”, to advocate how government should regulate big business but would tone down the rhetoric come election time. He also was able to place his people in key positions within the party and managed to win the endorsement of Mark Hanna, now the RNC Chairman. Roosevelt also appealed to the public at a time when there wasn’t primary voting.

Things eased up a bit when Mark Hanna died suddenly. TR’s nomination was more or less etched in stone after Hanna’s death. As for the Vice-Presidency, he nabbed conservative Charles Fairbanks as his running mate. His ties to the railroad industry were no doubt attractive to the big business wing of the party.

The Democrats too went conservative, picking Judge Alton P. Parker from New York, and Henry Davis, at 81, the oldest man ever to run for the Vice-Presidency. They had wanted Bryan to run again but he agreed with much of Roosevelt’s policies and, besides, if he couldn’t beat McKinley, he sure wasn’t going to defeat Roosevelt.

As for the campaign itself, the Democrats painted Parker as the sane and safe choice while the Republicans touted Roosevelt’s foreign policy. Neither candidate campaigned actively.

In the end though, it was a matter of personalities as Parker’s affable but staid personality couldn’t match up with Roosevelt’s extroverted optimism. As a result, Roosevelt won in a landslide for the most part, particularly in the North and, well, everywhere but the South. Guess they hadn’t forgiven him for Booker T. Washington.

Second Term: After the election of 1904, President Roosevelt introduced the Roosevelt Corollary as a companion to the Monroe Doctrine, essentially giving the US police power in the Western Hemisphere or the Americas anyway. It was a controversial doctrine and would later cause resentment in South America.

But even as Roosevelt carried his big stick which ended with the Great White Fleet Tour at the end of his Presidency, Roosevelt was also a man of peace. He mediated negotiations between the warring factions in the Russo- Japanese War, winning the Nobel Peace Prize as a result. He also mediated an agreement with France and Germany over Morocco. Many historians believe it may have averted, or at least postponed a major European War (Alas, he couldn’t save Europe in 1914). It certainly strengthened ties between the US and France.

There was a racial incident in Brownsville, Texas that tainted Roosevelt’s record a bit. White civilians taunted a group of Black soldiers. Violence erupted and three whites were killed. The public (it was still a racist time in the United States) assumed that it was all the Blacks’ fault and President Roosevelt would discharge 160 black soldiers as a result. Probably not a proud moment given his own more enlightened opinions on race.

But, as before, his biggest peeve was against the monopolies, and he signed the Hepburn Act which gave the Interstate Commerce Commission more power to regulate railroad rates. Roosevelt was in his second term, and he wasn’t going to run for a third, so he had free reign whether the conservatives liked it or not.

And he used that knowledge to improve the environment. He started by establishing the National Forest Service in 1905 followed by the National Monuments Act a year later. His big act, however, would be the Antiquities Act which gave the President the power to create national monuments from Federal lands. The landscape of the Unites States would certainly have been different if not for this law in particular.

And Roosevelt wasn’t done. After Upton Sinclair published the Jungle, an indictment against the meat packing industry, President Roosevelt pushed more laws to make food safer with the Meat Inspection Act and the Food and Drug Act in particular.

Things quieted down a bit by 1908 as Roosevelt was now a lame duck President but he launched the Great White Fleet which toured the world both as a sign of American strength and of goodwill. They were received with warm welcomes in most of the ports they visited.

He also engineered a compromise with Japan over immigration. Japan agreed not to issue any more visas with the understanding that the US would allow laborers to come to the States

President Roosevelt was indeed a very popular man, but he declined another run for the Presidency honoring the two-term tradition. Still, he didn’t feel like he fulfilled everything he needed to (and as history would prove just six years later, he hadn’t), and he would return to the political stage four years later.



Election of 1912: Roosevelt had handpicked President Taft to succeed him in 1908, but he would be disappointed, even angry, at Taft’s more conservative policies overall.

So, equipped with an ego the size of Montana, Roosevelt decided to make another run. It would cause a split within the GOP. Roosevelt had won a series of preferential primaries and had the lead in delegates. Taft, as the sitting President, controlled the floor and his backers refused to accept the credentials of the Roosevelt delegates. Roosevelt was infuriated and withdrew, thus, giving Taft the nomination.

But it wasn’t over yet, for TR formed the Progressive Party, otherwise known as the Bull Moose Party. He was drafted as their candidate. Roosevelt described the new party platform as a “New Nationalism”, seeking social justice, an eight-hour workday, and a minimum wage for women. He also campaigned on a social security program (That his distant cousin, Franklin D, would push through two decades later), a National Health Service (TR was a Communist? Just kidding), and direct elections of US Senators (which was right around the corner, actually). It was very forward thinking to say the least.

It was an interesting campaign to be sure and it nearly cost TR his life. On October 12, 1912, while making a speech, Roosevelt was shot in the chest by a would-be assassin. He was lucky, though. He had a book in his jacket where the bullet hit. It slowed down the bullet and, while it penetrated the former President’s chest, the damage was minimal; so minimal, in fact, that Roosevelt continued on with his speech.

With Woodrow Wilson, a progressive (sort of, more on that later) within the Democratic Party, Roosevelt didn’t expect to win, but he did overtake Taft to become Wilson’s toughest opponent. Still, in the end, Wilson would win election easily and Roosevelt would finally retire for good… maybe.

Post Presidency: Of course, Theodore Roosevelt may have retired but he wasn’t finished living. He explored the jungles of Brazil with his son, Kermit, and developed malaria in the process. Of course, as usual, he survived. After his return to the United States, he went back to writing again.

World War I broke out in 1914 and Roosevelt led the cause for military preparedness. He supported US involvement in the war effort and was disappointed in President Wilson’s neutrality stance. When the US did enter the war, Roosevelt wanted to join and form his own volunteer division, but President Wilson turned him down. Roosevelt was 58 by then. He mellowed a little after his youngest son, Quentin, died in the war.

Down, but not out, Roosevelt was being touted as the frontrunner for the 1920 Republican nomination, but death took the gallant man by surprise on January 6, 1919. It was said that it was a good thing he died in his sleep, otherwise death would have had a fight on its hands.

Odd notes: TR kept a virtual zoo at the White House

He was blind in one eye as the result of a boxing mishap

He hated the nickname Teddy

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/...eddy-roosevelt

Final Summary: I think I mentioned that I didn’t quite think Abraham Lincoln was the greatest President (though he came close). Theodore Roosevelt is the reason why. No, he wasn’t perfect. I could have done without his Cowboy interventions in Latin America for example and I do wish he had taken a stand on the Brownsville riots instead of firing 160 Black servicemen.

But look at all the accomplishments. No, he didn’t make it okay to mix races in the White House but at least inviting Booker T. Washington was a start. More importantly, he broke several monopolies, he made sure that the most beautiful areas of the United States would be preserved, he was a friend of labor, and he negotiated peace between several countries and ended one major war in the process. Plus, he established the Presidency as a position of inspiration as future Presidents such as FDR, Kennedy, Reagan (yes, Batlord, Reagan too), and Obama would use the bully pulpit for their own agendas, mostly in the name of good, as Theodore Roosevelt had.

And he foresaw the need of the safety nets that his distant cousin, FDR, would implement as well as would Lyndon Johnson with Medicare.

So, is Theodore Roosevelt the greatest American President ever?

You’re damned right he is!

Overall rating: A

https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt

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rubber soul

27. WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT (You can't judge a book by looking at its cover)



Born: September 15, 1857, Cincinnati, Ohio
Died: March 8, 1930, Washington, DC

Term: March 4, 1909- March 4, 1913
Political Party: Republican

Vice President: James Sherman

First Lady: Helen Herron Taft

Before the Presidency: William Taft grew up in Cincinnati. Despite being overweight, he was quite the athlete. He also was quite intelligent finishing second in his class at private Woodward High School.

Following his father’s advice, Taft refrained from athletics at Yale and concentrated on academics. After graduation, he returned to Cincinnati to attend law school and passed the bar in 1880.

The Taft family was a very political family, and it didn’t start with William. His father, Alphonso Taft, served as Secretary of War and then Attorney General in President Grant’s cabinet. He would later serve as Minister to Austria-Hungary and Russia under President Arthur. Alphonso, though conservative overall, was quite liberal when it came to women’s rights. That, no doubt, rubbed off on William.

William put a lot of pressure on himself to please his parents. But he never really wanted a political career, not in the classic sense anyway. His actual dream was to one day be Chief Justice of the United States.

Of course, he fouled up on the onset when he married Nellie Herron. Her father had been a law partner of Rutherford Hayes and she had dreams of one day becoming First Lady.

So, with that in mind, Taft, through his father’s connections, became assistant prosecutor of Hamilton County in 1881. He worked as a lawyer for a while thereafter before he was appointed to the Cincinnati Superior Court in 1887. He must have gotten someone’s attention because, in 1890, he was appointed as United States Solicitor General under President Harrison. While Solicitor General, he became friends with Theodore Roosevelt, and it was Taft who persuaded President McKinley to appoint Roosevelt as Assistant Secretary to the Navy.

Despite opposition from his wife, who still had White House dreams, Taft accepted a position to the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals. He stayed at the that position for eight years. He also would teach at the University of Cincinnati Law School.

Taft was happy on the Court of Appeals, but his wife wasn’t. Wanting to please his wife, Taft answered the call from President McKinley to become Governor General of the Philippines; like it or not, Taft had entered politics.

And he presided over the Philippine Insurrection. Seventy Thousand US soldiers had been sent to the Philippines to quell the rebellion and things were not going very well. Things were quite brutal on the US side and Taft was often at odds with the military Governor, General Arthur MacArthur (yes, Douglas McArthur’s father). Taft felt MacArthur’s treatment as too brutal and unsympathetic to the Islanders. He was able to remove MacArthur after Aguinaldo’s capture and set up a Constitution and Bill of Rights not unlike the US Constitution. He also established a civil service system, a judicial system, an English-speaking education system, a transportation network, and health care facilities. He even twice turned down the Supreme Court so he could finish his work. He would leave the Philippines in 1903 very much loved by the islanders.

Taft might have stayed in the Philippines longer if not for a request from President Roosevelt to come to Washington and the prodding of his wife. Taft was offered the position of Secretary of War and, since Nellie would be back in Washington, he accepted. He became Roosevelt’s most important adviser, overseeing the work on the Panama Canal and traveled around the world on behalf of the President. He also functioned as the Provisional Governor of Cuba.

It would all set up the Presidential race of 1908, though it wasn’t something Taft really wanted.

Summary of offices held:

1887-1890: Judge, Cincinnati Superior Court

1890-1892: Solicitor General of the United States

1892-1900: Judge, Sixth US Court of Appeals

1901-1903: Governor General of the Philippines

1904-1908: Secretary of War

1906: Provisional Governor of Cuba



What was going on: Progressive labor policies, Mexican revolution

Scandals within the administration: none that we know of

Why he was a good President: Basically, though not the progressive Roosevelt had hoped for, he at least didn’t rock the boat and busted even more trusts than Roosevelt himself.

Why he was a bad President: He really didn’t want the job. He appointed too many pro-businesspeople at the cost of the environment, and he sometimes went against the progressive principles of the time.

What could have saved his Presidency: A more progressive approach with his policies. He should have taken more chances like Roosevelt had.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: If he had actually reversed Roosevelt’s environmental policies, he wouldn’t have been remembered fondly. Had he not been a trust buster in his own right (which is what actually saved his legacy as President). Also, if he had followed the political wind and intervened in Mexico, something that could have ended in disaster.

Election of 1908: President Roosevelt decided not to run again in 1908 despite already having regrets about that decision. He did want someone that would continue his policies and he believed his good friend, William Taft, was the man. Taft really didn’t want to run for President but Nellie, who had always dreamed of one day living in the White House, insisted, as had Roosevelt.

The nomination wasn’t as simple as it sounded though. On the second day of the Convention, a spirted demonstration of Roosevelt supporters wanted to draft Roosevelt. Roosevelt, however, sent word that he wasn’t available, and Taft was nominated on the first ballot.

The Democrats, for the third time in four elections, went with William Jennings Bryan. He remained quite popular with the liberal and populist wings of the party and his closest competitor, reformist Governor John Albert Johnson of Minnesota, couldn’t even come close.

In a sense, Bryan was running against Roosevelt by proxy. Taft had pledged to continue Roosevelt’s progressive policies and Roosevelt himself was on the campaign trail, boosting his friend. Nellie also got into the political game as she persuaded Taft to lose thirty pounds (Taft would be the heaviest man in history, even Grover Cleveland looked like an anorexic next to Taft).

In the end, all Taft really needed to do was to pledge he’d continue Roosevelt’s work and he would win election quite easily.



First term: Taft’s administration seemed to start out at the gate okay as he continued to pledge to push progressive policies, but there was already a rift brewing between Taft and his predecessor. Nellie fulfilled her dream as First Lady, but she suffered a stroke two months into the term, taking over a year to fully recover. Sort of a Monkey’s Paw tale, I guess.

As for President Taft, he introduced what would become the sixteenth amendment, calling for a personal income tax. He also reduced the tariff, something that didn’t go well with the majority of protectionist minded Republicans.

Taft could be a cowboy President too, just as Roosevelt had been. He sent 700 Marines to Nicaragua to prop up a pro-USA regime

The biggest blunder came in 1910 when he fired Gifford Pinchot, head of the Forestry Service. Pinchot was in a feud with Richard Balinger, Head of the Department of Interior. Ballinger was a business minded executive who, no doubt, wanted to dismantle Roosevelt’s work in protecting the environment. Pinchot responded by attacking both Ballinger and Taft leaving Taft with no choice but to fire Pinchot. Roosevelt was on a world tour at the time but when he returned in June 1910, he was none too pleased and the rift between Taft and Roosevelt would be irreparable.

The Mann Act was passed in the Taft Administration. Music historians may remember this as the act that got Chuck Berry busted in 1959 when he transported a minor across state lines.

Most of the rest of Taft’s term seemed to be dominated by the now feud between he and Roosevelt. While both would support each other from time to time, relations between the two were frayed as they seemed to avoid each other at all costs. Taft rejected Roosevelt’s calls for a new nationalism, saying the US would have to adopt a new Constitution. Taft did replace the controversial Ballinger with a Pinchot ally, but they seemed to do little to please Roosevelt.

But it wasn’t all negative. Taft would bust even more trusts than Roosevelt had, and he would veto a bill requiring all immigrants to take a literacy test, and while the US would intervene in Nicaragua and Cuba near the end of Taft’s term, Taft took a political hit by wisely staying out of the mess in Mexico (Though Wilson and Harding would have to deal with Pancho Villa later).

And besides, Nellie got to plant the famous Japanese cherry blossoms in 1912.

Election of 1912: Taft hated his four years in the White House. He really didn’t like the political back and forth and he lost a dear friend in Theodore Roosevelt. Still, he accepted a draft to run for a second term.

But Theodore Roosevelt was back too, and he declared his candidacy as well. Roosevelt felt that Taft was taking the party down. He was upset that Taft went after one of the “Good Trusts” in US Steel. But he was most upset over the Pinchot firing. So, he was back in the game.

Roosevelt spent 1911 and 1912 criticizing the President at every turn. Taft finally would respond with attacks of his own and the gloves were indeed off. Taft compared a Roosevelt election to the reign of terror as a result of the French Revolution.

If the primary system had been in place like it is today, Roosevelt would have been the easy nominee. He remained very popular with the public. But in 1912, only thirteen states actually had primaries, Roosevelt winning eleven of them and Robert LaFollette winning the other two, and the votes didn’t count at the convention anyway.

So, the convention was a tug of war between Taft and Roosevelt and Taft used his patronage card to take control of the floor. Consequently, Taft won the nomination and Roosevelt and his followers walked out.

The Democrats, seeing victory with a split GOP, eventually went with their own progressive, Governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey. They became even more excited when Roosevelt went third party with the intent of torpedoing Taft. In fact, Roosevelt would be so successful in that regard, he would become the man to beat in the general election, not the President.

The election took a toll on Taft to the point where he was in tears. He retreated to the golf course, more or less ceding the Presidency, and let Wilson and Roosevelt battle it out.

In the end, Wilson would win the election easily with Taft finishing third, carrying only Utah and Vermont. Taft’s conservative policies lost the day in 1912.

Post Presidency: Even though Taft had suffered a humiliating defeat, he was relieved that he was leaving the White House. Wife Nellie was disappointed to be sure, but she would support her husband in his judicial endeavors for the rest of his life. He lost a lot of weight and stayed active in politics, supporting Charles Evans Hughes for President in 1916 and backing President Wilson’s European Policy and his Quixotic quest for the League of Nations.

In 1921, his lifelong dream was fulfilled when President Harding appointed him as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It was a conservative court for the most part and it isn’t remembered for many landmark decisions, but Taft proved to be an honorable man worthy of the position.

Taft, falling ill, resigned from the Supreme Court in 1930 and died shortly after. He is one of only two Presidents buried at Arlington National Cemetery (John Kennedy being the other).

Odd notes: While the getting stuck in the bathtub story could be a rumor, he was reported to have spilled water on the heads of guests below in a hotel in 1915.

Taft had a habit of falling asleep at public functions

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/...ard-taft-facts

Final Summary: I guess you could argue that Taft was a caretaker President between two of the better-known ones, Roosevelt and the once praised Woodrow Wilson.

But he did accomplish some things in his own right. He continued some of the progressive policies of Roosevelt at least even if he did have conservative leanings. He didn’t do a lot in terms of race, but he didn’t set things back either.

But he did lean more towards the business interests when it came to the environment. I won’t judge him on labor so much because he didn’t have the same situations that Roosevelt had.

And the bottom line was, even though he did run for re-election, he didn’t really want to be there. Instead, he was just another good person who simply wasn’t that good a President.

But he would be a good Chief Justice, whether you agreed with him or not, and you could feel good for the guy in the end. It was a rocky path, but in the end, he got what he wished for.

He even deserved it.


Overall rating: C

https://millercenter.org/president/taft

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