Tag Archives: White House history

Sarah Polk: Gas Lighting

Sarah Childress Polk was FLOTUS in the mid-1840s – a time of major technical and industrial advances. Technology, Circa 1840s When James and Sarah Polk were in the White House (1845-49), the country had grown enormously. Between 1830 and 1840, … Continue reading

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Woodrow Wilson and the Spanish Flu

Woodrow Wilson had delicate health from childhood. Woodrow’s Delicate Health If health problems were a major campaign issue a hundred or more years ago, it is unlikely that Woodrow Wilson would have been considered for high office. Severe headaches, stomach … Continue reading

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Lincoln’s White House: A Book Review

If one had to describe Lincoln’s White House: The People’s House in Wartime, one could easily call it a string of pearls encased in a Tiffany box. It is more than just a mere delight. It is a treasure that … Continue reading

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Lucretia Garfield: The Rough Road to a Happy Marriage

When the Garfields became First Couple in 1880, they had a solid and happy marriage, but… …A Long Time A-Comin’ When James Garfield and Lucretia Rudolph married in 1858, they were both twenty-seven – and had been engaged for five … Continue reading

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TR and the Bull Moose Assassin

TR: Ex-POTUS When Theodore Roosevelt retired after seven-and-a-half years of the presidency, he was only fifty. Too young. Too vigorous. Too antsy. In a phrase, Too Theodore. He had hand-picked his successor and good friend, William Howard Taft, to carry … Continue reading

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Eleanor Roosevelt: The Bonus Army

In 1933, when Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt became the First Family, the Great Depression was strangling the country. The USA: 1933 After the stock market crash in October, 1929, it took some time for the economy to be seriously felt … Continue reading

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Tippecanoe and Lincoln: Coalitions

In 1804, the office of Vice President devolved into one of geopolitical accommodation. Geopolitical Accommodation: After the tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr in the Presidential election of 1800, Aaron Burr became Vice President, according to the premise that … Continue reading

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Dolley Madison: Some Evicted Evening

Dolley Madison’s reputation as the most popular First Lady is enshrined for all times…except Washington: The Summer of 1814 Whether he wanted it or not, President James Madison found himself embroiled in the War of 1812, in essence, the “second” … Continue reading

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James Garfield’s Tea House

The Beleaguered President James A. Garfield (1831-81) was a surprise candidate in 1880, mostly due to the vicious political infighting among various factions of the Republican party. Despite having been the youngest Major General in the Union Army, and having … Continue reading

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Grace Coolidge and Helen Keller

Nearly 100 years ago, First Lady Grace Coolidge met a truly exceptional woman. GC: Special Ed Teacher Grace Goodhue Coolidge (1879-1957), a Vermont New Englander born to a middle class family, was the First FLOTUS who earned a full four-year … Continue reading

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