Tag Archives: White House history

George Clinton: VP 4 and Maybe 5

Everyone knows John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, VPs 1 and 2. Some know Aaron Burr, VP 3. But George Clinton? George Clinton’s Qualifications George Clinton (1739-1812) was a New Yorker from upstate, considered among our Founding Fathers (perhaps minor, but … Continue reading

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Florence Harding: The Lost Decade

Florence Harding was a woman with deep secrets. Florence Kling: Lonely, Angry Girl Florence Kling (1860-1924) was born to Amos Kling, a middle-class businessman in Marion, Ohio, just as the Civil War was getting underway. She was eldest, with two … Continue reading

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Gideon Welles and the Naval Battle

Gideon Welles was Secretary of the Navy during the Civil War. March 9, 1862 It was a Sunday. Navy Secretary Gideon Welles rushed over to Lincoln’s office, where he found the President and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in a … Continue reading

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Edith Wilson and the Lalique Brooch

Edith Bolling Galt was the widow of a prestigious Washington jeweler. The Jeweler’s Wife Edith Bolling was born in 1872. Her father was a well respected Virginia judge, somewhat down on his fortunes following the Civil War. Edith was also … Continue reading

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John Quincy Adams: Arborist

John Quincy Adams came late to nature. JQA: The City Fellow John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) was born in rural Massachusetts, but lived within ten miles of Boston, then considered a major city (pop. 10,000) in the Colonies. As a very … Continue reading

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James Buchanan: Tired Ol’ Buck

James Buchanan was nearly seventy in 1861, a time when 75 was a ripe old age. The Election of 1856 When James Buchanan (1791-1868) was elected in 1856, he was a) the last President born in the 18th century; b) … Continue reading

Posted in A POTUS-FLOTUS Blog, Abraham Lincoln, James Buchanan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mrs. Coolidge and Mrs. Hoover: A Rare Friendship

On the surface, there were only superficial commonalities between FLOTUS Grace Coolidge and her successor Lou Henry Hoover. The FLOTUS Sorority Many historians refer to the position of First Lady as a sorority. There are only a few dozen FLOTUSES … Continue reading

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Will and Nellie Taft: A Modern Marriage, Part 1

William Howard Taft and Helen (from-birth Nellie) Herron were born and raised Victorians – but they had a very modern marriage. The Early Years Both William Howard Taft (1857-1930) and Helen Herron (1861-1943) were pedigreed Cincinnatians. He was the son … Continue reading

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Theodore Roosevelt and the Maxwell House Connection

Theodore Roosevelt was a mega coffee drinker from earliest childhood. TR: For “Medicinal Purposes” Coffee is non-alcoholic, but still perceived as an adult drink. It is common today for children to abstain from coffee drinking until way past puberty. Parents … Continue reading

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U.S. Grant and Son: Meeting Lincoln

Little Fred Frederick Dent Grant (1850-1912) was the oldest son of Ulysses S. Grant. His earliest memory of his father may have been when he was four, and he and his two-year-old brother were playing on the porch of their … Continue reading

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