Tag Archives: history

Enthroned Washington: The Naked George

Thesis: Where there is art, there are art critics. Corollary: Everybody is a critic. Commemorating George Washington Statues commemorating heroes and saints, sages and scenes of glory have been around since antiquity. It was only natural that when the State … Continue reading

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Governor Theodore Roosevelt: Kicked Upstairs

When the Spanish-American War ended in 1898, Theodore Roosevelt was a hero! TR: The Rough Rider Theodore Roosevelt, was a New York Knickerbocker, Harvard graduate, Republican state legislator, cowboy, Civil Service Commissioner and Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President … Continue reading

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Chet Arthur, Tiffany and the 19-Year Screen

No question about it, the White House receives a great deal of wear and tear. Chester A. Arthur: Accidental President Few people would have ever believed that Chester Alan Arthur, New York “spoilsman” politician, would ever have become President of … Continue reading

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Franklin and Eleanor: The Chasm

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a 5th cousin to Eleanor Roosevelt. The Commonalities of Childhood Descended from Dutch ancestors slightly post-Mayflower, both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelts were New York Knickerbockers, an aristocratic old-line status. Both Franklin (1882-1945) and Eleanor (1883-1961) came … Continue reading

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Martha Washington’s Agony: Patsy Custis

When Martha Dandridge Custis married George Washington, she had two little children, ages four and two. George Washington, Stepfather Martha Dandridge had married Daniel Custis when she was eighteen. Eight years later, he died, leaving his widow with a vast … Continue reading

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Dolley Madison’s Son Payne Todd: The Final Blow

Dolley Madison’s son, Payne Todd, had always been a disappointment. Payne Todd in Brief Dolley Madison (1768-1849) had been married to John Todd, a Quaker lawyer, for three years. Then he died, leaving her with a two-year-old son. When she … Continue reading

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Nellie Taft Writes Her Memoirs

This is a sad story with a delayed happier ending. Nellie: Discovering the Ambition Helen (Nellie) Herron (1861-1943) was smart as a whip, and as ambitious as Caesar. She had the ambition to want things, and the ambition to work … Continue reading

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The Death of George Washington

George Washington died in late 1799, two months shy of his 68th birthday. The Health of George Washington Anyone who had seen George Washington a few weeks before his death would have remarked how well the General looked. They would … Continue reading

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Thank You, John Tyler

The Whig party wasn’t really a political party per se, in 1840. It was more a conglomeration of frictional, factional and sectional needs and angsts, and would remain so for the rest of its short 12-year-run. The frictional part centered … Continue reading

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President and Mrs. Hoover at Rapidan Camp

Both Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover loved the great outdoors. The Outdoorsy Hoovers In the 1880s, when both Herbert and Lou Hoover were children transplanted to Oregon and California respectively, the Wild West was still “wild.” “Bert,” as he was … Continue reading

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