Tag Archives: Presidential history

VP Thomas Marshall and the Flag

Thomas Marshall is one of the unknown and generally disregarded Vice Presidents….but… About Tom Marshall Thomas Riley Marshall (1854-1925) was an attorney, and like James Madison, diminutive in stature – perhaps only 5’2 or 3”. An Indiana Hoosier, he gravitated … Continue reading

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Lou Hoover and the Cow-Pup

Lou Henry Hoover had one of the most interesting lives of any First Lady. A Brief Background: Lou Henry (1874-1944) was Iowa born, but her family moved to California when she was a small child, and California was still part … Continue reading

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William McKinley: The Carnation Story

Few Presidents were as genuinely considerate as William McKinley. Poor Boy Makes Good William McKinley (1843-1901) was one of seven children born to an Ohio iron-worker and his wife. They were poor, devout Methodists, but firmly focused on their children’s … Continue reading

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George Washington and the Rules of Civility

If you visit any George Washington-related national site, the gift shop usually includes a slim volume of George Washington’s Rules of Civility. The Processes of 18th Century Education When George Washington was born in 1732, schools as we know them, … Continue reading

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1861: A Year of Six Presidents

Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration in 1861 set many precedents. Presidential Precedents. Abraham Lincoln was a President of many firsts: The first POTUS born west of the Appalachian Mountains (KY); the elected first from Illinois; the first elected by popular plurality in … Continue reading

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Harry Truman’s Best Birthday Present

Harry Truman was just shy of his 61st birthday when he became President. HST: The Unprepared Vice President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) was elected Democratic Senator from Missouri in 1934, two years after  Franklin Delano Roosevelt was first elected Democratic … Continue reading

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Chester Alan Arthur: The Dandy President

Nothing but the very best would satisfy Chester Alan Arthur. An Insignificant Upbringing Nothing in his background remotely suggested that Chester Alan Arthur (1829-86) would ever be president. Of course that could be said about many of our chief executives. … Continue reading

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Tad Lincoln and The Doll Jack

All kids need toys.  Tad: A Child With Problems Tad was the Lincolns’ fourth and last child born after a grueling two-day labor. He was born with a cleft palate, a not-uncommon malformation in the mouth routinely corrected in infancy … Continue reading

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Nan Britton, Part II: Harding’s Tell-All Mistress

The bad news was that President Warren Harding died in 1923. Without a will. Nan Britton, Nymphette Nanna Popham Britton (1896-1991) had been obsessed with Warren G. Harding since she was a child. She fixated on him like today’s teeny-boppers … Continue reading

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Nan Britton: Harding’s “Lolita”

This is Part One of a very nifty story! The Marion Publisher Warren G. Harding (1865-1923) was a rural Ohio fellow, who, following a mediocre education, gravitated to Marion, Ohio where he purchased an interest in The Marion Star, a … Continue reading

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