Author Archives: Feather Schwartz Foster

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About Feather Schwartz Foster

Feather Schwartz Foster is an author-historian who has made more than 500 appearances discussing presidential history. She teaches adult education at the Christopher Wren Association (affiliated with William and; Mary College), and adult Education programs at Christopher Newport University. She has been a guest on the C-SPAN "First Ladies" program. She has written five books.

Lincoln’s Secret Spy: A Book Review

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Feather Schwartz Foster

Authors Jane Singer and John Stewart are very quirky writers. Not a bad thing by the way. Quirk works. And they chose a very quirky subject for their anti-hero look at “the great con” of the Civil War. Had Lincoln … Continue reading →

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Warren Harding and the Ohio Gang

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Feather Schwartz Foster

The term “The Ohio Gang” is misleading. First of all, not all of them were from Ohio. Warren Harding: A Lackluster Politician Warren Gamaliel Harding (1865-1923) was a lackluster fellow.  His abilities were moderate, not stellar. His ambition for high … Continue reading →

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William R. King: The VEEP Who Never Was

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Feather Schwartz Foster

The office of Vice President was merely an afterthought to our Constitution’s founders. It was so insignificant that for nearly 39 years(!), the office remained empty. The Early VEEPS For the first twelve years of the USA being the USA, … Continue reading →

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Emilie Todd: Mary Lincoln’s Little Sister

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Feather Schwartz Foster

Mary Todd Lincoln came from a huge family. There were fourteen children. Children and Steps: Mary Todd was the fourth of six children born to Robert Smith Todd and his first wife, Elizabeth Parker.   She died when Mary was only … Continue reading →

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McKinley and Bryan: The Second Battle of the Bills: 1900

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Feather Schwartz Foster

The rematch election in 1900 between “Bills” – William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan – was not an unusual occurrence. There have been a few “rematch” Presidential elections. Adams & Jefferson in 1796 and 1800, where the office exchanged hands. … Continue reading →

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The Horrible Health of Andrew Jackson

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Feather Schwartz Foster

How Andrew Jackson managed to live to be seventy-eight is a wonderment, considering his dreadful health. AJ: The Young Frontier Boy Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) was a posthumous boy; his father died only weeks before Andy was born. Raised in the … Continue reading →

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VP John Nance Garner: “Cactus Jack”

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Feather Schwartz Foster

The longest lived Vice President was FDR’s first VEEP, John Nance Garner. He lived to be just shy of his 99th birthday. JNG: Rural Texan John Nance Garner (1867-1965) lived between Johnsons: born during VP-turned-POTUS Andrew Johnson’s administration, and died … Continue reading →

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Passionate Crusaders: A Book Review

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Feather Schwartz Foster

All Presidents, no matter how great, wise or popular, will have some black marks on the escutcheon. Sometimes the exigencies of politics lead to decisions that later generations will decry. Such a decision, and such a political exigency is the … Continue reading →

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President Garfield’s Train

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Feather Schwartz Foster

 James A. Garfield, President for barely six months, was dying from an assassin’s bullet. Garfield: The Long Hot Summer The summer of 1881 had been one of the hottest ever remembered by Washingtonians. The temperatures soared over 90 degrees practically … Continue reading →

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Eleanor Roosevelt Looks In The Pot

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Feather Schwartz Foster

Eleanor Roosevelt had a decade of social and political activity when her husband became New York Governor in 1928. But she still had lessons to learn. Eleanor Roosevelt: The Wilderness Years Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), born to an aristocratic New York … Continue reading →

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