Category Archives: Nifty History People

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

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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VP John Nance Garner: “Cactus Jack”

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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Kate Sprague and Roscoe Conkling: Beauty and the Boss

Some of the juiciest gossip post-Civil War centered around NY Senator Roscoe Conkling and Kate Chase Sprague. Both were married, and the liaison was the stuff of scandal! The Beauty Kate Chase Sprague (1840-1899) was one of the best known … Continue reading

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McKinley and Bryan: The First Battle of the Bills,1896

William McKinley, long time Congressman and former Ohio Governor, was the odds-on favorite Republican candidate for president in 1896. McKinley: Bill the First William McKinley (1843-1901) was a sweetheart of a fellow. An Ohioan of a poor, hardworking family, he … Continue reading

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Mary Lincoln’s Rivals

Thirty year old Harriet Lane enjoyed a hugely popular tenure as de facto First Lady in the late 1850s. Her social leadership was as successful as her Uncle James Buchanan’s political administration was a flop. When First Lady-to-be Mary Lincoln … Continue reading

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Martha Randolph: Jefferson’s One Slender Thread

Martha Jefferson Randolph had many advantages as Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, but her life was far from happy. Patsy: The Early Years Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was twenty-seven when he married Martha Wayles Skelton, a twenty-three year old widow with a toddler … Continue reading

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Civil War Medicine: Dr. Letterman’s System Evolves

Dr. Jonathan Letterman had devised, implemented and had gained success with a well-trained ambulance corps.  Then he turned his attention to medical practices itself. Civil War Doctors and their Equipment By 1860s, medical practice in America had barely evolved since … Continue reading

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Mrs. Adams, Dr. Physick, and Her Unmentionable Problem

Louisa Catherine Adams: A Brief Medical History Louisa Catherine Adams (1775-1852), London born and Paris educated, was raised to be exactly what she would become: a perfect consort for a man of distinction. John Quincy Adams was the US minister … Continue reading

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Washington and Lincoln: The Weems Connection

George Washington died in 1799, ten years before Abraham Lincoln was born. GW: A Symbol for his Age When George Washington died a few weeks before his sixty-eighth birthday, he was a towering figure, arguably the most important and respected … Continue reading

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Grover Cleveland’s Scandal: “Where’s My Pa?”

Presidential candidate Grover Cleveland was accused of fathering an illegitimate child.   It was true.  Maybe. Grover Cleveland: The Bachelor Candidate Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) was a forty-seven year old bachelor when the Democrats chose him as their presidential candidate in 1884. … Continue reading

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