Author Archives: Feather Foster

Presidential Friendships: How They Changed History 

A Book Review Political beings, as a whole, are generally outgoing souls, with a long retinue of friends, ranging from pleasant how-ya-doin’ acquaintances to long-standing trusted companions. Presidents, at the top of the political pecking order, are no exception. Author … Continue reading

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Grant, Buckner and the Pillow Flight

Gideon Pillow was first and foremost a “political” general of massive pretensions. The Stuffed Pillow Gideon Pillow (1806-78) was born and raised to a prosperous and well-connected Tennessee family. He attended the University of Nashville, became an attorney, and went … Continue reading

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John Adams: Four Months in the White House

On November 1, 1800, 65-year-old President John Adams took up residence in the unfinished Executive Mansion in Washington, DC, only a few days before the quadrennial election. The White House…  …was neither “white” (it was sandstone), nor would it be … Continue reading

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Edward Porter Alexander. Soldier. Engineer. Gettysburg.

EPA: The Young and Handsome Edward Porter Alexander wanted to be a soldier from early youth. His well-to-do father, a successful Georgia planter, wanted him to be an engineer. When a family friend advised the senior Alexander that a West … Continue reading

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The Lincolns: A Tale of Two Stepmothers

Among the many commonalities between Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd was the sad memory of being motherless at an early age. Abraham Lincoln: Semi-orphaned at Nine Nancy Hanks Lincoln died of the milk sickness, said to be from poisonous grasses … Continue reading

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George Washington: Disposing of Stuff

The Retired General George Washington (who preferred his military title of “General” once retired from the Presidency) was only 67 when he died in December, 1799 – a couple of weeks before the turn of the nineteenth century. No doubt … Continue reading

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Mother Bickerdyke: Civil War Ranking Nurse

Right after the Civil War, there was a huge parade in Washington, DC. Leading the Soldiers On May 23, 1865, as the intense mourning over the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln began to slowly ebb, the newly discharged Army of … Continue reading

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The Tragic Death of Bennie Pierce

The Pierce Parents When Franklin Pierce (1804-1869) married Jane Means Appleton (1806-63) in 1834, he was nearly thirty, a fine age for a man to marry. Mature, and financially solid enough in trade or profession to provide for a wife. … Continue reading

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Corinne: The Long Neglected Roosevelt

Little Sister Corinne The iconic Theodore Roosevelt was one of four siblings. The oldest of the four remarkable Roosevelts was Anna (1855-1931), called “Bamie” by her siblings, and “Auntie Bye” by the next generation. Despite an early childhood illness which … Continue reading

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G.P.A. Healy and the Portraits of Presidents

The Young Artist George Peter Alexander (usually known as G.P.A.) Healy was definitely born poor in 1813 to Irish immigrants in Boston. A bit late to his calling, he was sixteen when he first picked up a brush, but the … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Chester Arthur, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, James K. Polk, John Quincy Adams, John Tyler, Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Ulysses S. Grant | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment