Category Archives: Nifty History People

POTUS Chet Arthur: Private Civil Rights Advocate

Chester Alan Arthur, 21st President, was one of our most private Presidents. The Making of a Private Man Chester Alan Arthur (1829-1886) was born in Vermont, and raised in upstate New York. His father a farmer-minister, was far from cosmopolitan. … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Chester Arthur, James Garfield, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

George Washington: The Trouble With Mama

Prof. Emeritus Peter Henriques says it perfectly: Complicated, Very Complicated GW: The Humiliation In 1781, General George Washington received a confidential letter from his old friend Benjamin Harrison V, then-Governor of Virginia. The Governor had quietly advised Washington, who at … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, George Washington, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

General Joe Hooker: The Man, The Myth and the Legend

Joe Hooker was a pretty interesting fellow any way you look at it… Joseph Hooker, Making of a Soldier Joseph Hooker (1814-79) was Massachusetts born, and perhaps genetically destined for the military. His grandfather had been a Captain during the … Continue reading

Posted in Abraham Lincoln, American Civil War, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Millard Fillmore: The Insecure Politician

  Millard Fillmore, 14th President, had little illusion about his own capabilities. The Struggling Farm Boy Millard Fillmore (1800-74) was the son of a minister-farmer, living not far from Buffalo, NY. Ministers are seldom rich, and farming is iffy at … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, James K. Polk, Millard Fillmore, Nifty History People, Zachary Taylor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Abigail Smith: Becoming Mrs. Adams

Abigail: Third Generation Abigail Smith Adams, born in 1744, was already the third generation born in Massachusetts Bay. If her forebears didn’t come on the Mayflower, they surely followed along on some later “midsummer flower.” They were all Englishmen (and … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, John Adams, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

George Washington and Lafayette: The Gifts

The orphaned boy and a childless father. The Orphaned Boy Gilbert de Motier, with a long string of additional names, but primarily the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834), was orphaned as a toddler, and inherited a huge estate in Auvergne, France. … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, George Washington, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Andrew Johnson and Jefferson Davis: The Feud

Two Southern legislators, poles apart, bitter enemies. Andrew Johnson: Mechanic Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) was arguably the poorest of our Presidents, measured in family position (low) and wealth (even lower). His father, a porter for a small tavern-hotel in Raleigh NC, … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, American Civil War, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, Nifty History People, Zachary Taylor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Zachary Taylor: For Want of a Stamp

Zachary Taylor was arguably the most reluctant of our Presidents. ZT: A Brief Run-Up Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) was born in Virginia, but grew up near Louisville, when Kentucky was still part of Virginia. His family was relatively prosperous, but young … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, James K. Polk, Nifty History People, Zachary Taylor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Martha Washington, Lucy Knox and Kitty Greene: Revolutionary Pals

In late fall, 1775, Martha Washington joined her husband in Cambridge, MA. The Continental Army General It was never a secret that the bonds of affection between the American Colonies and Great Britain, the mother country, had been fraying for … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, George Washington, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

FDR: Meeting on the High Seas

Every public person wishes to escape “privately” from time to time. Caveat: This does not mean to “hide” anything salacious, criminal or embarrassing. It may only mean to have the personal freedom to enjoy a good book, or a quiet … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment