Tag Archives: US history

John Adams and The Validation of America

March 4, 1797 is one of those barely recognized dates – but it is a pivotal one. The Lonely Inaugural of John Adams Inaugurals today are times of celebration: parades, parties, balls. People come from all over the globe to … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, George Washington, John Adams | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Three Major Inventions of Garfield’s Assassination

The Industrial Age was at its height when Garfield was assassinated in 1881.  Inventive minds were at work! The President Is Shot President James A. Garfield (1831-1881) was a robust, athletic man of forty-nine when an assassin pumped two bullets … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, James Garfield | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Mary Lincoln: The Tragedy of Time

A thought. Mary spent seventeen years as the Widow Lincoln. Mary Lincoln: Choices of Tragedy Millions of words have been spent on Mary Lincoln, her various tragedies, her various ailments and the peculiarities of her personality and disposition in general. … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Abraham Lincoln, American Civil War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Adams Sorrow: The Second Generation

   John Quincy Adams was never a teetotaler. The eldest son of John and Abigail could even be considered a heavy drinker. The Second Adams Generation Having spent his formative years in the great capitals of Europe, John Quincy Adams … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, John Quincy Adams | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Andrew Jackson and The Peggy Eaton Affair

Andrew Jackson came to Washington wearing a mourning band. His beloved wife Rachel had died only weeks before his inauguration in 1829. Jackson believed his sixty-one-year old wife was killed by the poisoned arrow of slander and calumny. (That she … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Andrew Jackson, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“Prince” John Magruder: Confederate Showman

John B. Magruder was the Confederacy’s master showman whose tactics have gone down in history as the best flim-flam of the Civil War. John Bankhead Magruder: Virginia Soldier John Bankhead Magruder (1807-1871) was Virginia born and raised, University of Virginia … Continue reading

Posted in American Civil War, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Lincoya: Andrew Jackson’s Indian Son

Andrew Jackson, Indian fighter, with no love lost on his enemies, adopted a Creek Indian baby and raised him as his own.  Andrew Jackson: Becoming the General At age forty, Andrew Jackson had been a major figure in Tennessee for … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Andrew Jackson, Nifty History People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Mrs. Harding and Mrs. McLean

For fifty years, Florence Kling Harding was a lonely woman, with few, if any, real friends. The Embattled Duchess Florence Kling (1860-1924) was the daughter of Marion, Ohio’s wealthiest and nastiest businessmen. His tyrannical ways resulted in Florence’s youthful escape … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Nifty History People, Warren G. Harding | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Destiny of the Republic: A Book Review

Its subtitle, “A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President” says it all. The Assassination of James A. Garfield Shooting a President, his lingering death, unbelievably incompetent doctors and a deranged assassin makes for a fine and … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, James Garfield, Recommended Reading | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Lincoln’s Tablecloth: A Metaphor

In an apt metaphor, Mary brought the tablecloth and the good dishes to the Lincoln table.     Mary Lincoln is unquestionably a divisive figure. She was divisive in her own time, and nearly two centuries later, remains so. People either … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Abraham Lincoln, American Civil War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments