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.

Abraham Lincoln’s Life and Limb

Abraham Lincoln had an innate instinct for Public Relations – but with him, it usually meant “Political Realities.” The Fall of Fort Sumter Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) had only been President for six weeks when Fort Sumter was attacked in Charleston … Continue reading

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Herbert Hoover and the First Hoover Dam

In 1921, Herbert Hoover was a household word, and a newly appointed Secretary of Commerce in the Harding Administration. Herbert Hoover: A Quick Background Herbert Clark Hoover (1874-1964) was a self-made man in the truest sense of the word.  Born … Continue reading

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Nellie Taft’s Lonely Dinner

 Helen Herron Taft (1861-1943) did not have a long time to enjoy wearing her stylish Edwardian gowns on the magnificent occasions she had been planning for decades.  Only three months into William Howard Taft’s presidency, she collapsed from a stroke. Mrs. … Continue reading

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First Ladies of Indisposition

Between 1849 and 1857, the three First Ladies of the United States were, in their individual ways, indisposed in the true meaning of the word: they did not have the disposition to perform the highly visible social duties that were … Continue reading

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Chester Alan Arthur: “Nobody’s Damn Business”

Chester Alan Arthur, known only by his distinctive and imposing whiskers, is one of the least known and least studied of our Presidents.  Chester Alan Arthur: The Basic Facts Chester Alan Arthur (1830-1886) was a clergyman’s son, born in Vermont … Continue reading

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The Vice Presidency, A Peculiar Institution

The office of the Vice President of the United States, until the mid-twentieth century, could be summed as perfectly respectable with a dose of public ridicule. Vice Presidential Impressions According to the Constitution, the Vice President’s only proscribed duty is … Continue reading

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Dolley Madison Saves Washington: Part II

Within hours after Dolley Madison “rescued” the portrait of George Washington, British Redcoats marched in and torched the city. The British Invade Washington Politicians and military personnel alike were surprised when the British Army targeted Washington, DC. In 1814 the … Continue reading

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DOLLEY MADISON SAVES WASHINGTON: PART I

 In the old days, every school child knew that First Lady Dolley Madison saved the portrait of George Washington from the approaching British Army. Fact? Legend? The War of 1812:  Target Washington The War of 1812, the second war between … Continue reading

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