The American Presidents

[Guybrush]

Wow, so well researched. I'm still lurking and reading these. It's amazing how we haven't made a single George Clinton funk joke yet.

Kinda fun that you describe Van Buren's childhood home as middle class, yet they had 6 slaves.

[Rubber Soul]

9. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON (You give me fever)




Born: February 9, 1773, Charles City County, Virginia
Died: April 4, 1841, Washington DC (died in office, pneumonia)

Term: March 4, 1841- April 4, 1841
Political Party: Whig

Vice President: John Tyler

First Lady: Jane Irwin Harrison (daughter-in-law)

Before the Presidency: William Henry Harrison grew up in an elite Virginia family and was old enough to remember at least some of the events of the Revolutionary War, particularly since he was raised just 30 miles from Yorktown where the British surrendered in 1781. The youngest of seven children, his father, Benjamin Harrison, wanted William Henry to pursue a medical career, but the elder Harrison died in 1791, and William Henry had other plans.

So, he went into the military. Harrison used his family connections with the Lee's and Washington's and procured an officer's rank in the infantry. He started out as an Ensign, but he rose through the ranks rather quickly, becoming the aide to General Mad Anthony Wayne at Fort Washington. He fought bravely against Indian raids on this fort in Western Ohio and won praise from his General. Harrison, by this time in 1794, was now a Lieutenant.

In 1796, he took command of Fort Washington but after marrying into a well-to-do family despite his now father-in-law's objections, he resigned his commission as a captain. His father-in-law was not pleased, but as a judge with connections of his own, he was able to get President John Adams to make Harrison secretary to the Northwest Territory. He also would become a delegate representing that territory.

In 1800, Harrison was named as the Governor of Indiana. Harrison, as Governor, was known as something of a land grabber. But he also had a reputation for being honest and was credited in improving the infrastructure and roads in his territory.

But he was primarily charged with acquiring as much land as he could from the Native Americans and exploited them into signing seven treaties from 1802 to 1805. He took advantage of the weaknesses and naivety of the Sac tribe and was able to wrestle much of Indiana and one third of Illinois as well as parts of Wisconsin and Missouri for use by settlers.

But not all of the natives were so easily duped. There was a chief known as Tecumseh, who was angered at the rush of white settlers. So, he formed an alliance with the British, still holding hope of getting the colonies back. Harrison, meanwhile, was trying to purchase more land, three million acres in fact, in hopes of establishing Indiana as a state. Tecumseh wasn't invited to the negotiations and when the treaty of Fort Wayne was signed, Harrison found himself with a formidable nemesis.

The territory of Indiana found itself at war with Tecumseh and his warriors and it all led to what would become known as the battle of Tippecanoe. Harrison was taking charge of a group of 950 men when they were surprised by Tecumseh. It looked like all was lost.

But Harrison was not a man who liked retreat. He rallied with his surviving soldiers. The Indians couldn't break though and Harrison ordered a counter attack and would rout the Indians by the next day. Unfortunately, they celebrated by also desecrating some Indian graves.

News of the battle reached the press and Harrison was touted as something of a national hero. And, while it made Tecumseh a legend among Native Americans (and still a force to be reckoned with), it also propelled Harrison into greater military glory as the War of 1812 broke out. Harrison, proved to be  a crafty General, holding out on an invasion of Detroit until he knew that the supply lines to the British had been cut off. Once that happened, all systems were go, and Harrison's forces retook Detroit in 1813.

After taking Detroit, General Harrison again pursued Tecumseh along with the British forces. They engaged and, after routing the outnumbered British, they killed Tecumseh, and thus, ended the Indian threat, at least for the time being.

So, like Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison would be seen as a great military hero. Unlike Jackson, however, who seemed hungry for more war, Harrison basked in his celebrity status, touring the East until he resigned from the Army in 1814.

His political career proved to be a mixed bag losing as many elections as he won. He did serve in the House of Representative for two terms and won a State senate seat in Ohio but lost a bid for Governor the next year. He lost three more political contests before finally winning a Senate seat in 1824. He still had connections and, through Henry Clay, won an ambassadorship to Colombia.

The Ambassadorship wasn't Harrison's finest moment. He sided with the opposition against the Government led by Simon Bolivar. Jackson was now President and had Harrison recalled and he settled to a private life in Ohio.

For a while anyway. For, in 1836, he found himself as one of the leaders of an anti-Jacksonian faction known as the Whigs. This was a conservative party to be sure and Harrison would be one of the candidates to run against Van Buren, representing the West in his case. Like the other two, he couldn't defeat the Jackson backed Van Buren, but he made a strong showing, and he was more or less anointed to be the Whig's candidate in 1840.

Summary of offices held:

1791-1798: United States Army

1798-1799: Secretary of the Northwest Territory

1799-1800: US Delegate, Northwest Territories

1801-1812: Governor, Indiana Territory

1811: Major General, Indiana Militia

1812-1814: Major General, US Army

1816-1819: House of Representatives

1819-1821: Ohio Senate

1825-1828: US Senator

1829: Minister to Grand Colombia

1836: Whig candidate for US President




What was going on: Not a lot, March 1841 was quiet.

Scandals within the administration: he didn't have any time for a scandal

Why he was a good President: Maybe because he died before he could do any damage. Judging from his early life, he was just as bad as Van Buren, putting his own interests ahead of the American people.

Why he was a bad President: Because he again put his ego first which led to his cold and, consequently, his death

What could have saved his Presidency: The dummy could have at least worn a coat.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Had he lived, I fear he might have been another Van Buren, albeit with a more Populist edge.

Election of 1840: President Van Buren, it's safe to say, was not a popular man in 1840 and the Whigs seized the opportunity to put their man in the White House. The obvious candidates were the legislative stalwarts Henry Clay and  Daniel Webster, but neither could garner widespread support.

But Harrison, even with all his foibles, proved to be immensely popular. I mean, everybody loves a military hero, right? He wouldn't be the first to be elected President and he certainly wouldn't be the last.

So, the Whigs nominated the war hero to run against Van Buren. Van Buren was counting on the varying factions within the Whig party and there were quite a few.

But he didn't count on the one thing that unified all the Whigs, their hatred of Andrew Jackson. They weren't too crazy about Van Buren either as they painted him as being uncaring, which may have been true. Meanwhile, they advertised the ticket of Harrison and John Tyler as Tippecanoe and Tyler too, taking advantage of Harrison's glory as a war hero. They even used the Democrats' attack of Harrison as a log cabin and hard cider candidate, the Dems not realizing that proved to be appealing to the Populist mood of the country. Indeed, this election was something of an entertainment spectacle, as the gregarious Harrison toured the country entertaining the masses with native American war whoops among other things.

And with that, Harrison won in pretty much of a cakewalk, winning 234 electoral votes to Van Buren's 60. The next four years were about to become quite interesting.



First term: But not for the reasons you would expect, for the fun began as early as inauguration day. For now President Harrison, sixty -eight years old, but still wanting the attention like a rambunctious puppy, refused to wear a coat in the chilly  Washington weather (It was early March for Caesar's sake). He didn't go inside very quickly either as he orated his nearly two hour inauguration speech.

So, the dummy caught a cold and, three weeks later, that cold developed into pneumonia.

And, after 33 days in office, President Harrison was dead, and the first true Constitutional Crisis in American History was upon us.

Post Presidency: As noted, the death of President Harrison left us with a Constitutional crisis. The Constitution has stated that the Vice President, in this situation, would more of less act as acting President, but it didn't stipulate whether he would in fact be the President or even if a special election would be held to determine the next President.

But more on that later as we cover the administration of John Tyler.

Odd notes: His father in law refused to give Harrison his daughters hand in marriage.

https://www.ducksters.com/biography/uspresidents/williamhenryharrison.php

Final Summary: As noted, I wasn't too impressed with his early history as he relied on important connections as he stepped up the ladder. He certainly had a bit of military acumen, but he was too easily swayed by the accolades his military conquests afforded him.

As far as his Presidency goes, we really don't know what direction he would have taken the nation. I imagine he would have at least tried to address the financial depression that was still gripping the nation as he deeply had the need to be popular, but I saw no real indications of anything he stood for during his campaign, which was very much personality driven.

But, I'll be fair and let him go down as the only President not to get a grade.

Overall rating: I (Incomplete)

https://millercenter.org/president/harrison

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[Janszoon]

Wow, so well researched. I'm still lurking and reading these. It's amazing how we haven't made a single George Clinton funk joke yet.

Kinda fun that you describe Van Buren's childhood home as middle class, yet they had 6 slaves.

Maybe Van Buren was in the middle of the upper class.

[Rubber Soul]

10.JOHN TYLER  (Accidents will happen)





Born: March 29, 1790, Charles City County, Virginia
Died: January 18, 1862, Richmond, Virginia

Term: April 4, 1841- March 4, 1845
Political Party: Whig/Independent

Vice President: none

First Lady: Letitia Christian Tyler (died 1842), Julia Gardner Tyler (married 1844)

Before the Presidency: John Tyler was born into an aristocratic family in Virginia. His father was involved in politics as he served as a US District Court judge in Richmond. His father was an avid states' rights advocate. He also opposed the Constitution on the grounds that it gave voting rights to commoners.

Yes, Virginia, John Tyler Sr. was an elitist, and the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. The junior Tyler also had an air of superiority about him and began his political career quite early, following his now Governor father to Richmond in 1809. Tyler worked with Edmund Randolph, Virginia's first Attorney General, but really wanted a political career.

So, Randolph arranged for Tyler to be elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. He quickly went after legislators who supported the Bank of the United States. Tyler did not believe in a centralized bank, or a centralized national government for that matter.

In the War of 1812, Tyler supported the conflict and headed a small militia company, but they wouldn't see any action. It didn't hurt him politically, however, as he would be elected to the House of Representatives in 1816.

While in the House, Tyler fit in quite well with his elitist background, and was a fixture at Dolley Madison's parties. Politically, he was vehemently opposed not only to the centralized Bank of America, but the idea of Western settlement as well as a shift to an industrial economy, which he felt would be at the expense of the agrarian South. He especially didn't like Andrew Jackson who, by now, had his star on the rise.

The final straw for Tyler was the Missouri Compromise of 1820. With dozens of slaves of his own, Tyler felt that slavery should be allowed in any state that wanted it. He was frustrated with the limits the Government was putting on future states and he left the House in 1821. He returned to law and the Virginia State Legislature. While there, he fought against the popular vote as he thought only the state legislatures should be allowed to choose the electors.

The State legislature elected Tyler as Virginia Governor in 1825 but he had no real power as the state was controlled mainly by cotton and tobacco interests, so he convinced the legislature to elect him to the US Senate.

And it was here where Tyler would flourish. He was one of the leaders of the loyal opposition to Jackson's policies, even to the point of supporting John Quincy Adams for President. He would reluctantly switch to Jackson in 1828 as Tyler couldn't deal with Adams' political philosophy. He nonetheless still despised Jackson and he joined the new Whig party that Clay and Webster would form. Tyler hated the spoils system seeing it (rightfully) as rather corrupt. 

The second half of Jackson's administration was an interesting period for Tyler. He didn't like South Carolina's take on the tariff issue but he was horrified as what he saw as saber rattling by President Jackson as he more or less threatened war on South Carolina. Tyler would be the lone nay vote against a compromise known as the Force Act that did lower the tariff on South Carolina but didn't address the issue of South Carolina's rights as a state.

The Bank of America was yet another schizophrenic issue of sorts. Tyler certainly would have supported the dissolution of the bank but he despised the method by which President Jackson was doing it. He voted for Jackson's censure but would later leave the Senate after the Virginia Legislature (now a Jacksonian body) ordered him to vote to expunge said censure.

So, now all that was left was the quest for Presidential politics. Tyler didn't necessarily have any Presidential desires but he was popular enough with the Whigs that he was named on two of the three Presidential tickets as Vice President.

Then came 1840.

Summary of offices held:

1811-1816 Virginia House of Delegates

1813: Military Captain, War of 1812.

1816-1821: House of Representatives

1825-1827: Governor of Virginia

1827-1836: US Senate

1836: Vice Presidential Candidate, Whig Party

1841: Vice President of the United States







What was going on: The Oregon trail, second Seminole War

Scandals within the administration: none that we know of

Why he was a good President: The one thing Tyler really accomplished was the assurance that the Vice President would automatically be the President in the event of a Presidential vacancy (i.e., death). It ensured that there would always be stability in the Executive branch, at least initially.

Why he was a bad President: Well, he was pro slavery. He was an elitist to the end, and he didn't necessarily work well with others.

What could have saved his Presidency: A better relationship with Congress for starters, but maybe that was a bit impossible with the Machiavellian Clay running the House. Maybe a compromise with the Texas annexation on the slavery issue may have helped also but he and his second Secretary of State, John (the humanitarian) Calhoun, were way too pro slavery to even consider a more reasonable path.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: If the economy hadn't started to improve, which it did at least a bit during Tyler's term.

How he became Vice President:  The 1840 Campaign proved to be an interesting one for John Tyler. On the Whig side, he supported Henry Clay's candidacy for President. Clay wasn't to be the nominee however as Northern Whigs opposed Clay's pro slavery stance; thus, the nomination would go to the popular William Henry Harrison. Tyler, if anything, was even more pro-slavery than Clay but he nonetheless proved to be the popular choice as Harrison's running mate. In many ways, Tyler was the exact opposite of Harrison. Harrison was an extrovert, Tyler wasn't. Harrison appealed to the North, Tyler to the South, anyway, you get the picture.

And, combined with the unpopularity of President Van Buren, Harrison and Tyler would win in a landslide.

First term: When President Harrison died in April 1841, Tyler was home in Virginia. He was told of the news by Daniel Webster's son, and he rushed back to Washington. The city was in disarray. No one seemed to know what to do in case of a Presidential vacancy.

So, Tyler settled the matter in the only way he could, he took the oath of office and declared himself President.

But this wasn't a power grab by any means. Whatever Tyler's flaws, and he had many, he was at least wise enough to know that someone had to be in charge and since he was the Vice President, it seemed logical it should be him. Of course, not everyone agreed, and his term was not to be a pleasant one.

Indeed, he would lose his entire cabinet with the exception of Secretary of State Daniel Webster when he refused to sign a bill creating a new Bank of the United States.

It wasn't all bad. During his term, the Webster- Ashburton treaty was enacted which settled some border disputes between British Canada and the US. He also pushed for the annexation of Texas though the treaty itself would fail, but, with the election of expansionist crazy James Polk, the annexation would be a foregone conclusion and President Tyler signed the annexation bill in one of his last acts.

But overall, things would not be pleasant for President Tyler. The Whigs, frustrated that he was opposing many of their policies, expelled him from the party. As the Democrats didn't want him either (nor did he want them), he spent most of his tenure as an independent, the only President to have such a designation

Still, considering he had just about no support in the Congress, he still managed to accomplish more than Presidents like John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren.


Election of 1844: Amazingly, Tyler was up to the idea of a second term, and he had enough support to place him as a third party candidate, but it was a quixotic campaign, and he wouldn't be much of a factor in the election. With the urging of former President Jackson, Tyler formally withdrew in August and endorsed James Polk.

Post Presidency: After leaving office, he mostly lived a quiet life with his second wife, Leticia.

That all changed around 1860, however as the South threatened secession. Tyler supported secession and would even be elected to the first Confederate legislature. Sadly, however, he died before he could serve and would be labeled as a traitor upon his death in 1862.

Odd notes: Tyler still has a living grandson as of 2021.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/25610/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-john-tyler

Tyler was considered a traitor when he died in 1862.



Final Summary: This is a tough one. Personally, I pretty much dislike the man. He obviously thought he was better than most people given his upbringing. He not only looked down on nonwhites, particularly blacks, but he also looked down on basically average people. And, like many Southerners circa 1860, he all but betrayed the country.

But at least as President, he tried to do what he felt was the right thing. He refused to follow the party line and he paid the price for it. If nothing else, he was a man of principle. And he did save us from possibly Alexander Haig had things not gone so well in 1981 though he couldn't have possibly known that at the time.

Still with those Confederate tendencies...

Overall rating: C-


https://millercenter.org/president/tyler

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[Rubber Soul]

11. JAMES POLK (California, here I take)




Born: November 2, 1795, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Died: June 15, 1849, Nashville, Tennessee

Term: March 4, 1845- March 4, 1849
Political Party: Democrat

Vice President: George Dallas

First Lady: Sarah Childress Polk

Before the Presidency:  James Polk was born in the wilderness of North Carolina, but the family followed his Grandfather to Tennessee when he was ten. His father would prosper there with a thousand acres of land and more then fifty slaves. Samuel Polk also got involved in politics and was an ardent supporter of Andrew Jackson.
James was a sickly child. That and his strict religious upbringing, via his mother, gave the young Polk something of a hard work ethic. He was bright and articulate though he was mostly home taught. He did finally get a formal education when he entered the University of North Carolina in 1816, graduating in 1818.

Polk studied law under the tutelage of future Senator Felix Grundy in Nashville. Grundy would also become Martin Van Buren's Attorney General. In 1820, he passed the bar and secured a job in the Tennessee State Senate. This was the beginning of his political career, and he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1823. Two years later, he would be elected to the US House of Representatives and became one of Andrew Jackson's biggest supporters. This paid off for him as, with Jackson's influence, he would become the Speaker of the House in 1835.

As a Representative, and then Speaker, he proved to be President Jackson's biggest supporter. He supported Jackson's war against the National Bank and supported his stance during the South Carolina nullification crisis. In 1839, he left the House to become Governor of Tennessee. There, he lobbied for bank reform, but the Whigs, buoyed from a political standpoint over the financial crisis Jackson precipitated, were able to link Polk with the Jacksonian policies and he would lose re-election, losing again in 1843.

So, he went back to his plantation with his supportive wife while the Whigs weren't exactly doing themselves any favors either. The political atmosphere in 1844 made it ripe for a James Polk comeback.

Summary of offices held:

1823-1825: Tennessee House of Representatives

1825-1839: US House of Representatives

1835-1839: Speaker of the US House of Representatives

1839-1841: Governor of Tennessee


What was going on: Mexican- American war, Annexation of Texas, slavery issue, Irish potato famine

Scandals within the administration: none that we know of unless you count invading a sovereign country

Why he was a good President: The Continental United States that we know of today is due mainly to Polk's Manifest Destiny policy. His expansionist policies would add most of the Southwest, including California, to the United States. Yes, it came at a moral price (we'll get into that later), but, like it or not, there might not have been a Hollywood were it not for James K. Polk.

Why he was a bad President: While obsessed with gaining new territories, he tended to ignore more domestic matters. Yes, he did arrange for an independent treasury and honored his pledge for lower tariffs.

But he totally ignored the elephant in the room, the slavery issue. Polk himself was a slave owner, but it likely wasn't a factor in his expansionist activities. As such , he was oblivious to the raucous divide between North and South even at this early stage. It would be something that would become a front burner issue in the Taylor- Fillmore years.

What could have saved his Presidency: More attention to the slavery issue. Polk did own slaves, but he had it in his will that his slaves would be freed upon the death of his wife, so he clearly wasn't unsympathetic to their plight. Maybe a stand against slavery would have made him less of a forgotten President.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: This is an easy one. If we had lost the Mexican- American war (and don't think the Mexicans weren't a formidable foe), Polk almost certainly would have gone down as one of the worst Presidents in history. This very easily could have been Polk's Vietnam and history would not have been kind to him.

Election of 1844: When the Democratic Party met in Baltimore, no one had Polk on their radar. Indeed, the early betting was that former President Van Buren had the inside track.

But Van Buren didn't enjoy the same support he had in 1836 or even 1840 within his own party. Some Democrats thought he didn't have a chance in the general election, others felt he was part of the old dynasty if you will. In a sense, Jacksonian politics was becoming a bit, well, passe in some minds.

But the clincher was probably  Van Buren's curious stand against the annexation of Texas. He did it for political reasons as he didn't want to lose the North (plus President Tyler was supporting it). But, of course, he lost the South as a result and that was pretty much the Democratic base.

So, the delegation spent five ballots deciding between Van Buren and Lewis Cass, who was very strong in the North. Obviously, there were some other candidates as well as neither were able to muster a majority. Finally, angry that Cass had ruined his chances of regaining the Presidency, Van Buren shocked everybody and threw his support behind Polk. Polk, to this point, was nothing more than a dark horse candidate. Now he was a compromise candidate and he ended up getting the nomination on the sixth ballot.

The Whigs, down but not out, nominated Henry Clay, who finally got the chance he had wanted for years. They wanted to distance themselves from Tyler.

The platforms for the two parties could not have been more different. The Democrats campaigned on a stricter interpretation of the Constitution, lower tariffs, more federal funds for infrastructure and roads, the annexation of Texas and the reoccupation of Oregon, and, most importantly, states' rights, or to be blunt, the right to slavery.

The Whigs, on the other hand, opposed Texas annexation, supported a national bank, restrictions on the Presidential veto, and a one term Presidency. On top of that, they nominated Theodore Frelinghuysen for Vice President, an evangelical who vehemently opposed slavery. On this issue especially the lines were drawn between the Whig north and the Democrat south.

This would be a close election as the Whigs not only had to contend with the relatively unknown Polk, but also had a third party threat, the anti-slavery Liberty party. Now, they didn't have much of a chance to win the election, but the Whigs feared they could siphon just enough votes to put Polk into the White House. Thus, Clay found himself waffling on the Texas issue going from opposing annexation of Texas to supporting it, much like Polk had been all along.

And it was likely Andrew Jackson's endorsement of Polk that put him over the top. Jackson remained a popular ex- President and his distaste of Clay was enough to convince President Tyler to withdraw from the race as an independent and endorse Polk.

So, Polk won the popular vote with a 49.5% plurality but won the electoral vote a little more handily in an election that was closer than the electoral vote indicated.

And James Birney also got his pound of flesh. He likely cost Clay New York which would have been enough for Clay to win the election.

And maybe keep California in Mexico.

First term: It's safe to say Polk was something of an activist President. He was certainly pro-slavery, but more importantly, he was hungry for more land. He adopted the term coined by Democrat James O'Sullivan known as Manifest Destiny. The idea of Manifest Destiny being that all of North America should belong to the United States.

He started slow at first, going after Britain in a border dispute with Western Canada. The term, 54'40 or fight, was coined and there was no doubt Polk would have sent in the artillery to get just that. Meanwhile, Texas became a state at the end of 1845, a slave state, which would also cause some tensions in the Government.

The Oregon dispute was peacefully settled with the 49th parallel compromise. This enabled the US to gain what is now Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington state while the British retained British Columbia and all points east north of said parallel.

Polk engineered the compromise because he had even bigger fish to fry. For after annexing Texas, he had his eyes set on all points west and even south. Thus, the seeds for the Mexican American War was underway.

It started with a fairly flimsy excuse. General Zachary Taylor was engaged at the Rio Grande River, and it was enough for President Polk to ask for a declaration of war. He even had a strategy. Taylor would fight the Mexicans in the Northern regions, another general, Stephen Kearny, would take what is now New Mexico and California, and a third force under Winfield Scott would drive the Mexicans all the way to Mexico City.

As it turned out, Kearny would have the easiest road as he found New Mexico all but abandoned. He subsequently would take both the New Mexico territory and California by early 1847. Taylor, despite a depleted force, was able to take northern Mexican towns, including the important city of Monterrey. He then was sent to bolster Scott's forces at Vera Cruz, probably the most famous battle of the war and the battle that gave both Taylor and Scott national fame.

By late 1847, after Scott took Mexico City, it was clear that Mexico was losing the war and Polk seized on the opportunity to expand the nation's borders. In 1848, through envoy Nicholas Trist, he negotiated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Basically, under the agreement, the US would buy New Mexico and California for $15 million and assume the outstanding debts incurred from the war. Probably not the best deal for Mexico, but it could have been worse. Polk could have just taken the territory and not paid a dime.

Of course, popular as the war was at home (everybody likes a war as long as they don't have to fight in it), there was some vociferous opposition from the Whigs including one relatively unknown congressman from Illinois.

His name happened to be Abraham Lincoln.

As for his domestic policy, Polk kept his promise and lowered tariffs and also signed a bill to create an independent treasury.

There were a couple things going on independent of Polk, or even Congress. First, there was the Gold Rush in California that would garner the attention of some politicians during the Taylor administration.

Then there was the Seneca Falls convention led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, It was here where the long campaign for women's suffrage in the US would begin.

But, for President Polk, his work was pretty much done. He would fulfill another promise by not running for a second term. He was likely satisfied as he was responsible for pretty much the Western third of the Continental US and he was ready to retire to his home in Tennessee.


Post Presidency: The post retirement period started off well enough as Polk embarked on a tour of the South. Not surprisingly, the popular Polk was received warmly, and he seemed genuinely touched. Unfortunately, it would be short lived as Polk became sick in New Orleans, likely with cholera, and he died just three months after leaving office.

Odd notes: Polk had surgery to remove bladder stones at age 16

Polk was said to be remarkably boring

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/550281/james-k-polk-facts


Final Summary: From a domestic standpoint, Polk isn't remembered for doing very much as he was much more interested in foreign affairs. He carried a big stick when it came to the Northwest United States, and it paid off with a peaceful treaty thet established the US on the Pacific Ocean once and for all.

But it wasn't so peaceful on the Southwest side, as we waged a Napoleonic two year war with Mexico. It certainly paid off as we now have New Mexico, most of Arizona (there would be the Gadsden Purchase a few years later) and, of course, California. Yes, we paid Mexico for it and it's hard to imagine Los Angeles or San Francisco not as part of the United States.

But I wonder if it was worth losing our souls.

Overall rating: C

https://millercenter.org/president/polk

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[Rubber Soul]

12. ZACHARY TAYLOR (Life is a bowl of cherries)





Born: November 24, 1784, Barboursville, Virginia
Died: July 9, 1850, Washington DC (died in office)

Term: March 4, 1849- July 9, 1850
Political Party: Whig

Vice President: Millard Fillmore

First Lady: Margaret Smith Taylor

Before the Presidency: Taylor was born into an agricultural family in 1784. He wasn't the brightest of students and decided early on for a military career, something that began in earnest as he was assigned to command the garrison at Fort Pickering, where modern day Memphis is today. He went from military outpost to military outpost for much of his career until 1840. Even so, General Taylor earned a reputation as a formidable fighter as he battled various Indian tribes such as the Sacs in 1832 and the Seminoles in Florida later in the decade.

This wasn't another Andrew Jackson hell bent on genocide, however. He was just as willing to protect Indian lands from would be white settlers. He actually admired their military tactics and felt sympathy for what was happening to them. He felt the best solution was to be a buffer between the Native Americans and the white settlers hoping that both sides could live in peace.

His real fame, of course, would come in the Mexican-American War. After Texas became a state late in 1845, President Polk ordered Taylor into disputed lands on the US- Mexico border. This incited Santa Ana to attack Taylor, giving Polk his excuse to declare war.

It didn't end there, of course. Taylor, outnumbered but with superior artillery, won battle after battle, peaking at the battle of Monterrey. Meanwhile, General Scott, in his quest to take (successfully) Mexico City, had half of Taylors troops sent to him to battle at Vera Cruz. Santa Ana thought he had Taylor right where he wanted him and threw his forces against the depleted Taylor at Buena Vista. Needless to say, Santa Ana failed. Taylor's men were victorious and the Mexican Napoleon, as Santa Ana liked to call himself, exited with his proverbial tail between his legs.

Taylor became the talk of mythical legend not unlike George Washington in many ways. Stories of how he took the enemy in hand to hand combat were floated around and by 1848, everyone knew all about Ol' Rough and Ready.


Summary of offices held:

1808-1849: Major General, United States Army.

Fought in War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, the Second Seminole War, and the Mexican-American War.


What was going on: Slavery, Post Mexican- American war, Compromise of 1850

Scandals within the administration: The Galphin Affair

Why he was a good President: He was perhaps the first President to take a stand against slavery, albeit a baby step. He was also the first President to assert that the Union must hold together (It could be argued that Jackson asserted that first, but I suspect that was more to do with the conflict with John Calhoun).

Why he was a bad President: Quite simply, he wasn't the most forceful of Presidents. He opposed the Compromise of 1850 and even helped to impede its passage, but he didn't offer any solutions to the impasse.

What could have saved his Presidency: A more forceful approach to the slavery question. Maybe he could have made a gesture by freeing his own slaves. Judging from his early history, Taylor seemed to be a fairly compassionate man, and it would have been nice to see him take a stand, even if it was unpopular, as it most certainly would have been in 1850.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: The same thing that probably destroyed Fillmore's. The indecision over the slavery issue wasn't going to make matters better and, as we will discover, Fillmore's decisions would be nothing short of disastrous.

Election of 1848: General Taylor, much like Eisenhower a century later, didn't wear his politics on his sleeve. In fact, he had never even voted in an election. Various political parties were in demand for his services.

In the end, he chose the Whig party. As it turned out, Taylor was anything but Jacksonian, especially on the money issue. He didn't like the concept of the spoils system (maybe he was born thirty years too early) and even wasn't too keen on expanding slavery, even though he was a slave owner himself. He also agreed with the Whig philosophy of a stronger Congress as well as a strong cabinet (future Presidents would agree with him on the latter). He also was a Nationalist. He was not a fan of secession, much like Abraham Lincoln more than a decade later. And to top things off, he didn't really like President Polk.

So, in a sense, Taylor was running against the lame duck President Polk, who did what he could to torpedo Taylor's campaign. Taylor may not have done himself any favors politically either as he suggested he might not veto legislation prohibiting slavery in the Western lands. He firmly believed a President should only veto a bill if he thought it was unconstitutional. Needless to say, that didn't endear him to the South. Abolitionists in the North weren't all that crazy about him either as he was a well-known slave owner.

Still, most people didn't really know Taylor's positions and that was how the Whigs ran him. In the end, like Polk before him, he won with just a plurality of the popular vote with that crazy Martin Van Buren siphoning 10% of the vote. The real race, of course, was against Democrat Lewis Cass of Michigan but he ended up winning a relatively close victory in the electoral vote.

First term: As soon as Taylor took office, the issue of slavery would be front and center. He urged Congress to admit California and New Mexico as states without addressing the issue of slavery. Taylor had assumed that neither proposed state would support slavery nor would the other western territories. Utah was being occupied by a sect known as the Mormons. They believed in polygamy and were probably considered more of a cult in those days, but they were also vehemently opposed to slavery. President Taylor clearly had no taste to expand slavery any more than it already had so he had hoped a free west would end the spread of slavery for good.

Of course, it only angered Southern Whigs not to mention most of the Democrats. The Southern Democrats in fact were threatening to secede, the last thing Taylor wanted. So, Henry Clay came up with something called the Compromise of 1850 which would allow California as a free state and leave the rest as territories that would still technically allow slavery. Some more moderate Southerners supported the compromise feeling it would still ensure slavery in the South where it really mattered to them anyway. But there was strong opposition from Webster, Calhoun, and a new face, one Stephen A Douglas who was soon to make his own political mark on American politics. Another opponent would prove to be quite notorious; his name was Jefferson Davis.

Taylor himself seemed ambivalent on the compromise but he was leaning against it for different reasons than the Southern Democrats and Whigs. He wasn't for expanding slavery, but he was willing to let the states decide (which he rightfully expected would vote to oppose slavery). I suspect he just wanted the states.

On the foreign front, there wasn't much in terms of accomplishments, but the Clayton- Bulwer treaty was signed on his watch. There was a dispute with British Honduras with the American interest to build a canal in Nicaragua. In the end, they signed a treaty renouncing any control or dominion on any canal that might be built. It effectively ended Polk's dream of Manifest Destiny, but it did strengthen American interests and influence in Central America.

Death: It was the Fourth of July 1850. It was a day of celebration as it was Independence Day. It was a hot summery day as the President relaxed under the blazing sun as he listened to various speakers. Later he took a walk along the Potomac and by late afternoon retired to the White House. There he ate a chilled bowl of cherries along with some milk. He became ill later that day but I'm sure it was assumed it was a touch of food poisoning, certainly common in the unsanitized 1850s.

But the President's condition worsened within two days, and it was obvious that something serious was going on. A doctor was called in and he was diagnosed with having something called cholera morbus. This didn't mean he necessarily had cholera, just a serious gastrointestinal condition. Taylor took ice chips for as long as he could, but the body would eventually reject it.

Zachary Taylor died on July 9 leaving a very incomplete Presidency.

Odd notes: Taylor could read but barely write

Doctors thought Taylor was killed by cherries and milk

https://facts.net/zachary-taylor-facts/

Final Summary: Taylor's short reign was certainly incomplete, and he didn't really have a lot of vision. He obviously was troubled by the slavery issue and maybe even felt guilty of having slaves of his own. I also wonder if maybe the Civil War could have started a decade earlier and maybe it would have been Taylor who could have gotten the accolades Lincoln would receive in historical retrospect.

But he clearly had compassion for people not as fortunate as himself. He may very well have been a friend to the Native Americans. And he did score at least one diplomatic victory with the Ashburton- Bulwer treaty.

But, alas, a contaminated bowl of cherries and milk pretty much screwed it all up for him- and maybe the country.

For, compared to his Vice- President and successor, Taylor looked like Teddy Roosevelt.

Overall rating: C

https://millercenter.org/president/taylor

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[Rubber Soul]

13. MILLARD FILLMORE (I know nothing)





Born: January 7, 1800, Cayuga County, New York
Died: March 8, 1874, Buffalo, New York

Term: July 9, 1850- March 4, 1853
Political Party: Whig

Vice President: none

First Lady: Abagail Powers Fillmore

Before the Presidency: Millard Fillmore grew up in poverty in upstate New York. His family owned a farm, but it wasn't very successful, and the family often went hungry. Millard had little formal schooling but was known to have quite a bit of curiosity.

As a young man, Fillmore worked in the cloth trade. It was hard, grueling work, and Fillmore wanted a way out. As Fillmore was an apprentice, this amounted to what was slavery and Fillmore had to buy his way out of the apprenticeship.

While an apprentice, Fillmore taught himself how to read. He then learned his studies with the help of his future wife, Abagail Powers. Meanwhile, Fillmore's father was impressed enough that he arranged for his son to work for a local judge. There he could continue his law studies.

Fillmore moved with his family to a town near Buffalo, where he taught school, and was admitted to the bar in 1823. With his now fiancée, then wife,  young Fillmore prospered, and seemed quite happy with his lot in life.

Fillmore's entry into politics was under strange circumstances to say the least. Many of the politicians of the day were Freemasons, a rather controversial fraternity that exists to this day. In some ways it could be compared to Scientology as they were something of a secretive organization. One disaffected Mason, William Morgan, mysteriously disappeared and it was big news around Buffalo at the time.

So, Fillmore found himself as a member of the Anti-Masonic party. Soon, he was drafted to run for the New York State legislature, and he would be elected in 1829. Fillmore proved to be an able politician, pushing through legislation to end the practice of putting debtors in jail. As someone raised in poverty, debtors' prisons was something that our Millard was not comfortable with.

Fillmore's compassion for the less fortunate proved popular with constituents and he found himself elected to the House of Representatives in 1832.

By 1834, the Anti- Masonic party was fading, and they merged with the anti-Jacksonian Whigs. It wasn't necessarily an easy transition for Fillmore as he found himself at odds with New York Whig party boss Thurlow Weed. Weed was decidedly anti-slavery. So was Fillmore, but Fillmore preferred the route of compromise.

In the meantime, Fillmore's star rose in the House as he would become chairman of the powerful Ways and Means committee which controlled the tax and financial issues of the day. Fillmore left the House in 1843 in hopes of landing a Vice-Presidential candidacy. Boss Weed ordered him to run for Governor of New York instead, which he did, and lost. Fillmore was bitter as he not only blamed Weed, but the abolitionists as well as the Catholics. The ugly side of Millard Fillmore was beginning to come through.

Afterwards, he broke with Weed, Fillmore was able to win election as New York State Comptroller in 1847. Because he won in a landslide, the National Whig party was looking at Fillmore as a viable Presidential candidate.


Summary of offices held:

1829-1833: Member, New York State Assembly

1837-1843: US House of Representatives

1841-1843: Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee

1848-1849: New York State Comptroller

1849-1850: Vice President of the United States





What was going on: Missouri Compromise repeal, slavery issue, immigration

Scandals within the administration: none that we know of

Why he was a good President: The one smart thing Fillmore did was tagging the legendary Daniel Webster as his Secretary of State. Through him, he was able to open trade with Japan (though technically started in the Pierce Administration, it was through the work of the Fillmore Administration).

Why he was a bad President: Just about everything else, but especially his clumsiness with the slavery issue. Like Taylor, he should have simply chucked it and dealt with the Civil War, if it was inevitable anyway.

What could have saved his Presidency: Perhaps had he rejected Stephen Douglass' ridiculous compromises and simply stopped slavery in the bud, even if it meant war. Also maybe had the trade talks with Japan been a little more publicized at the time.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: It already was the moment he signed the Fugitive Slave Act, then tried to enforce it.

How he became Vice President: In 1848, Fillmore supported Clay's candidacy for the Presidency but Clay wasn't trusted by the pro-slavery Whigs, so this was not to be his year.

Instead, the Whigs actively pursued the two Mexican war heroes, Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. Meanwhile enter Boss Thurlow Weed. While Scott was obviously much more refined than Rough and Ready Taylor, Weed threw his weight behind Taylor and Taylor won nomination on the fourth ballot.

Even though Taylor was the nominee, it didn't necessarily go well with the anti-slavery North so it was decided to find a Vice Presidential candidate that could balance the ticket.

And that was how Millard Fillmore was chosen. After all, he was from the North, and though he, like Taylor, believed in compromise, there was no doubt in their minds he was in the anti-slavery camp. So, Fillmore was on the ticket.

It was a bitter campaign as both the Whigs and the Democrats desperately tried to avoid the slavery issue. The election really could have gone either way and, but for Martin Van Buren's Free Soil party (He ran out of distaste for Democratic candidate Lewis Cass). Van Buren's third candidacy is credited (blamed?) for getting Zachary Taylor into the White House.

As far as the Vice Presidency goes, Fillmore was pretty typical. Like most VP's he had little to do with the Taylor administration. In fact, President Taylor didn't really like the more gentlemanly man. And he, along with Boss Weed and William Seward, all but kept him shut out of the White House. Probably a fatal mistake as he was at least well respected by the Senate he presided over.

The big issue in 1850 was Henry Clay's latest compromise to slavery. Known as the 1850 compromise, it was the subject of heated and bitter debate. President Taylor all but opposed it. The Vice President supported the compromise, but he was in a position where he really couldn't do anything about it.

Then President Taylor died.

First term: As it was, there would be no pledge to continue the policies of the late President, which would become a common practice from Garfield on. Indeed, the first thing now President Fillmore did was clean out Taylor's cabinet and backing the Compromise of 1850, which would be quickly passed. He signed the Fugitive Slave Act which criminalized the assistance of runaway slaves. He signed it mainly to appease the South but in so doing he angered the North. The Fugitive Slave Act would also inspire Harriet Beecher Stowe to write Uncle Tom's Cabin which also inflamed the tensions between North and South.

So, nobody was really happy with the various compromises, and in particular, the North with the Fugitive Slave Act, a law that Fillmore clumsily tried to enforce, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

He fared a little better on the foreign front as Japan opened its doors to trade on Fillmore's watch through the efforts of Secretary Daniel Webster and Commodore Matthew Perry. He also kept Hawaii protected from would be French and British colonists which might have seen silly at the time, but maybe if he didn't, Hawaii might have been a French territory or, with a little luck, an independent nation of its own. In any event, it seemed to work out.

But the subject of slavery would all but ruin any chances for the Fillmore administration. He already had alienated the North and he likely wasn't all that popular in the South either.

But, if you think he was bad then, just wait until the next Presidency.

Post Presidency: Fillmore decided not to even try to run in 1852. He very quickly had two tragedies befall him during 1853. His beloved wife died of pneumonia, having gotten sick at the Pierce inauguration, then he lost his daughter to cholera. Fillmore needed something to preoccupy him.

So, he reentered the world of politics. The Whigs, mainly because of Fillmore, had quickly began to disintegrate and some of the Whigs joined up with a new party, known as the Know-Nothings. This was not the most tolerant of parties. People who were once vehemently opposed to slavery were now even more opposed to immigrants and Catholics. Fillmore joined this party despite not sharing those intolerant views. It didn't matter; he was propped up as their candidate in 1856 as did the surviving Whigs. He proved to be a strong third party candidate and he likely prevented John Fremont, now of the new Republican Party, to win election, thus condemning the nation to four years of James Buchanan.

After the 1856 election, he retired and remarried. He managed to rehabilitate his image somewhat during the Civil War. He was a staunch Unionist, organizing enlistments and fund raising drives. He died in 1874 as one of the most respected people in Buffalo.

Odd notes: Fillmore married his teacher

Fillmore refused an honorary degree from Oxford

https://constitutioncenter.org/media/files/pres_funfacts.pdf


Final Summary: Fillmore's biggest fault was that he seemed desperate to please everybody and ended up pleasing no-one. He had his own strong views, but he wouldn't emphasize them. Perhaps he was too fearful of any consequences, often a fatal flaw in our Presidents. I mean there is a reason that Presidents like Lincoln, the two Roosevelts, Kennedy, even Reagan, have been considered great or near great Presidents by historians. They never cowered down from their own convictions. Unfortunately, Fillmore did, and it cost his standing in history dearly. At least I was able to learn (and be relieved) that while the Know Nothings may have been a bunch of hatemongers overall, Fillmore himself wasn't.

In any event, as in the immortal words of William Dozier of Batman TV fame: The worst was yet to come.

Overall rating: D+

https://millercenter.org/president/fillmore

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[Rubber Soul]

14. FRANKLIN PIERCE (Hey, good lookin)




Born: November 23, 1804, Hillsboro, New Hampshire
Died: October 8, 1869, Concord, New Hampshire

Term: March 4, 1853- March 4, 1857
Political Party: Democrat

Vice President: Rufus King

First Lady: Jane Appleton Pierce

Before the Presidency: Franklin Pierce was the son of a Revolutionary War hero, or at least where his home base of Hillsboro, New Hampshire was concerned. This gave young Franklin some advantages. He enjoyed a formal education and was even befriended by famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne. He was something of a social animal in college and was last in his class for a time. Finally, he graduated from Bowdoin College in 1824.

He became quite adept at public speaking and quickly found a home in the world of politics. He was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1829. Pierce, along with his father, were admirers of Andrew Jackson and supported him throughout his Presidency. He went to the US House of Representatives and strictly voted along with the Democrats. It was while in the House that Pierce, unhappy with the general atmosphere in Washington, began to have a drinking problem, something that would plague him the rest of his life.

He married the daughter of the President of his Alma Mater. It was a family of Whigs, and, by all accounts, it was something of an unhappy marriage.

Pierce entered the Senate in 1837 and, as in the House, served with an undistinguished record, again simply voting with the Democratic line. The one thing he was passionate about was his opposition to the abolitionist movement. It was an odd position for someone in the North, even a Democrat. It didn't help that he was friendlier with the Southern Democrats, including the fiery Jefferson Davis, who became his closest political ally. In the end, though, Pierce resigned from the Senate and returned to New Hampshire.

Back in New Hampshire, Pierce stopped drinking and joined the temperance movement. He was able to outlaw liquor in Concord, where he was now living. Pierce became popular as a trial lawyer, even gaining something of a celebrity status. He became a popular figure in New Hampshire and was active in james Polk's campaign in 1844. Polk was grateful enough to offer Pierce several patronage positions but he refused them all.

Still politically savvy, Pierce entered the Mexican American War as a Private, enlisting men in the New England Volunteers. He then asked President Polk for a commission, which he received, becoming a Brigadier General and was active in the battle of Vera Cruz. He was also in the drive to Mexico City, but the inexperienced Pierce broke his leg after being thrown from his horse. It led to the unflattering nickname of Fainting Frank. It seemed that the politically minded Pierce was not very popular with his troops.

Still, Pierce had a new notch on his political record and became head of the New Hampshire Democrats upon his return.

1852 would prove to be a monumental year for Pierce and the Democrats were looking for someone who could not only appeal to the proslavery South, but also be able to garner some votes in the North.

And being good looking couldn't be a bad thing either.


Summary of offices held:

1829-1833: New Hampshire House of Representatives (Speaker 1831-1833)

1833-1837: US House of Representatives

1837-1841: US Senate

1847-1848: Brigadier General, US Army, Mexican-American War


What was going on: The Kansas- Nebraska act, slavery, Bleeding Kansas

Scandals within the administration: none that we know of

Why he was a good President: I'm not even going to try and come up with something here. Okay, I got one, he didn't start a war with Mexico, or Spain for that matter.

Why he was a bad President: Gee, where do I start? Yes, he approved the Gadsden Purchase, but supporting slavery, especially when you were from the North, wasn't a cool move. And he sure wasn't exactly active in trying to quell the violence in Kansas either

What could have saved his Presidency: I don't know, maybe done a 180 and taken an anti-slavery stance could have helped in history? It would not have saved his Presidency though.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Do I really have to go there? I guess he had to be James Buchanan, yikes!

Election of 1852: With the Whigs in disarray, you would have thought the Democrats would have an easy path to the Presidency, but there were so many factions within the party and a majority could not get behind the leading candidates that included Lewis Cass, James Buchanan, and Stephen Douglas. There was no way a Southerner was going to attract any Northern votes and a Northern Democrat was not going to appeal to the proslavery South.

They went through 34 ballots as no one could garner a two thirds majority as were the party rules at the time. There was a feeling they needed another dark horse as James Polk had been for them eight years earlier. After all, Polk had been a fairly successful President so why not roll the dice again.

The Democrats needed someone pleasant enough to be attractive to all the factions. There was also the thought that a proslavery Northerner could very well be that man.

So, Franklin Pierce's name was put in on the 35th ballot and Virginia jumped on it, giving him all of its delegates. It took a while, but finally, on the 48th ballot, Pierce found himself the Democratic nominee and he was paired with Alabama Senator Rufus King.

The Whigs, meanwhile, had one last gasp, and went to well with another war hero, this time the victim was Winfield Scott, who had commanded Pierce during the Mexican war.

As it was, the Whigs would be disappointed with Scott, who proved to be his own man. Scott, to the dismay of the Whigs, voiced his support for the Compromise, very unpopular in the South. Pierce, on the other hand, said nothing, on anything really. In fact, he didn't even campaign.

It was just as well as the campaign got personal. The Fainting Frank accusations came up as well as well as tales of his drunkenness. Scott was accused of having the audacity of refusing to duel Andrew Jackson (those were weird days indeed) and accusations of becoming a military dictator.

It didn't matter. Scott's anti-slavery stance all but repelled the South and Pierce would win in a landslide.

First term: Pierce's Presidency got off to a bad start even before he took office. The Pierce's were involved in a train wreck and their only son was killed. His wife blamed Pierce as she saw it as an omen for his running to begin with and became a recluse. Pierce himself entered the White House full of grief and never really recovered.

In his inauguration, President Pierce called for more expansion, something that angered the Northerners who feared it would expand slavery. He named Jefferson Davis as his Secretary of State, and through Minister to Mexico James Gadsden, they purchased what is now Southern Arizona for $15 million, thus completing what we know now as the Continental United States. This should have been Pierce's big accomplishment, especially since he didn't have to wage a war for it.

But the slavery issue had both sides boiling and ratification was in doubt. Nevertheless, it went through.

The stickier issue would be the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854. Introduced by Stephen Douglas, it would repeal the Missouri Compromise and give each territory its own discretion on whether to allow slavery or not. By this time, there was great violence between the pro and anti-slavery forces and Kansas had an unwanted nickname as the territory was known as Bleeding Kansas. Pierce signed the bill, but it would have devastating consequences and it brought the nation closer to Civil War. The act all but split the Democrats , Pierce being the lone Northerner to support slavery.

The slavery issue also reared its ugly head when President Pierce wanted to annex Cuba, but their minister to Spain, Pierre Soule, all but sabotaged those plans when he suggested a US invasion by way of the Ostend Manifesto, one of the signers who happened to be James Buchanan. The State Department reacted by firing Soule.

Meanwhile, the Kansas- Nebraska act continued to stir the pot in Kansas, which now had two Governments, one supporting slavery and one that didn't. The violence continued in Kansas as well as in Nebraska. And, the lowest point in Pierce's administration had to have taken place in Congress when things got physical. In May 1856, things got so heated that Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina beat Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with his cane.

And, with radical abolitionist John Brown all but at war in Bleeding Kansas (he figures to be very notorious in the Buchanan era), it was all but time for Franklin Pierce to go.

Election of 1856: Pierce had hoped to go for re-election but by now, the Democrats had more than enough of him and refused to nominate him.

Post Presidency: Pierce retired to New Hampshire after his term. As it were, he would end up supporting the Union during the Civil War. That didn't make him a Lincoln supporter however as Pierce remained a loyal Democrat and blamed Lincoln for the war.

After Lincoln's assassination, a mob assembled at Pierce's house and he had to use his orator skills to disperse the crowd.

But ultimately, Pierce was a broken man. He returned to drinking and was all but forgotten in the annals of Presidential history.

Odd notes: Pierce, still distraught over the death of his son, didn't swear an oath at his inauguration


https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/652126/franklin-pierce-president-facts

He was lifelong friends with writer Nathaniel Hawthorne

https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-franklin-pierce/38331574#




Final Summary: I think it's safe to say that Pierce was in way over his head. Yes, he was handsome, and he could charm the fleas off a lion.

But like with just about everything he did, he didn't know what the hell he was doing. Pierce was a man of all glitz and glamour but absolutely no substance. If he wasn't such a tragic figure, he would have fit in quite well as the bumbling President in a political sitcom.

So, amazingly enough, he goes down as being even worse than Millard Fillmore.

And it even gets worse from here.

Overall rating: D

https://millercenter.org/president/pierce

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[Rubber Soul]

15. JAMES BUCHANAN (I feel pretty, so pretty, and gay)





Born: April 23, 1791, Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Died: June 1, 1868, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Term: March 4, 1857- March 4, 1861
Political Party: Democrat

Vice President: John Breckinridge

First Lady: Harriet Lane (niece)

Before the Presidency: James Buchanan grew up in rural Pennsylvania. Th son of a merchant, he was pushed by his mother who was an advocate of education. As such, he entered Dickinson College where he was something of a troublemaker, nearly being expelled on two occasions. Nevertheless, he graduated with honors in 1813 and went on to study law. He also served in the War of 1812 but saw no action.

At the age of 23, Buchanan's political career began in earnest with an election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the Federalist Party.

Meanwhile, he fell in love with a local socialite. It wasn't meant to be, however, as her family did not like Buchanan who they saw as a money grabber. After accusations of having an affair with another woman, his engagement was broken off and his fiancée died a few days later. As a result, Buchanan swore he would remain a bachelor and, in fact, would be the only bachelor President in American History.

Back to politics, Buchanan ran for a US House seat and won in 1820. He would serve in the House for ten years where he excelled on Constitutional matters, serving on the House Judiciary Committee. It was during this period when he switched to the Democrat Party. The Federalists were all but dead and Buchanan came to be an admirer of Andrew Jackson. Buchanan subsequently became the head of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania. It wasn't all roses, however. Jackson thought that Buchanan was part of the corrupt bargain that cost him the 1824 election. Despite this, Buchanan continued to support Jackson and worked for his election in 1828. In the end, he was awarded with an Ambassadorship to Russia in 1832.

As Minister to Russia, Buchanan proved to be a much capable diplomat as he was able to negotiate a trade treaty that seemed impossible before Buchanan's arrival.

On his return to the US, Buchanan was elected to the Senate. By now the slavery issue was on the front burner. As a northerner, he basically opposed slavery, but he seemed to oppose the abolitionists more as he saw them as a bigger threat to the Union than slavery itself. He thought that the Constitution gave Southerners the right to own slaves and felt it was America's duty to protect slavery in the South.

In time, Buchanan was one of the most powerful Senators in Congress and he began to have Presidential aspirations by the 1840s. He made a bid for the Democratic nomination in 1844 but the party instead went with Polk. Polk subsequently named Buchanan as his Secretary of State. He opposed Polk's stand on the Oregon territory, nevertheless he prepared the brief backing Polk's claim and engineered a compromise that was palatable to both sides. Buchanan also waffled a bit on the Mexican-American war, but in the end, he would support the inevitable land grab. The Mexican-American War also created two national heroes and that pretty much nixed a Presidential bid for Buchanan in 1848.

After the 1848 election, Buchanan returned to Pennsylvania in hopes of gaining the 1852 nomination. This time, he would be a frontrunner along with Stephen Douglas. It was a bitter battle, and no one could decide on either candidate. Ultimately, the nomination went to Franklin Pierce.

It wasn't all bad however as Pierce wanted Buchanan in his administration somehow and he ended up as the Minister to England. It proved to be a lucky break for Buchanan as he was able to distance himself from what would prove to be a disastrous Pierce administration as well as the conflict that rose from the Kansas- Nebraska Act.

He did err on one score however when he signed on to the Ostend Manifesto which called for an invasion of Cuba so the US could use slaves. This, of course, angered the North. It, however, endeared him to the South and the die was cast for the 1856 nomination.

Summary of offices held:

1814-1819; Pennsylvania House of Representatives

1821-1831: US House of Representatives

1829-1831: House Chairman of the Judiciary Committee

1832-1833: US Minister to Russia

1834-1845: US Senator

1845-1849: Secretary of State

1853-1856: US Minister to the United Kingdom


What was going on: Slavery revolts, Panic of 1857, Dred Scott case, Bleeding Kansas

Scandals within the administration: none that we know of

Why he was a good President: I'm sorry but he just wasn't. I guess the best thing I can say is that he at least tried to be.

Why he was a bad President: He meddled in affairs siding with slavery. He influenced the Supreme Court to go against Dred Scott. He also meddled in the affairs of the Kansas Constitution ignoring that the vast majority opposed slavery. And, of course, he made the cardinal mistake of trying to please everybody and ended up pleasing no one, in fact angering most of them. Then, to add on, he all but ignored an ongoing recession and some hostilities along the Mexican border, well, I think you get the picture


What could have saved his Presidency: A stronger hand on the slavery issue. Maybe if he was less busy with trying to be a pleaser and been more Presidential. Perhaps he could have been more aggressive in trying to stop secession, even if it meant using force. Maybe if he had fortified Fort Sumter like Lincoln would do, perhaps the South Carolina militia would have had second thoughts. When Lincoln did just that, it was tragically too late.

And, of course, he could have just said slavery is wrong, suck on it.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Read why he was a bad President.

Election of 1856:  The consequences of the Kansas- Nebraska act all but poisoned the well for the Democrats and especially for President Pierce who somehow thought he'd be entitled to a re-nomination. Of course, others had something to say about that including one Stephen Douglas, possibly the favorite but still very unpopular in the North (can't imagine why).

But Buchanan, able to stay away from the rancor that surrounded the slavery issue, came in as the true favorite. Like Pierce before him, he seemed reasonably unoffensive, he was a Northerner.

And he was a doughboy, which was slang for a Northerner who supported slavery. So, what could possibly go wrong?

The Whigs, meanwhile, we're on their death throes and they divided into two new parties, Millard Fillmore's Know Nothings, and a new Republican party who would nominate a relatively unknown Senator from California named John Fremont.

Buchanan became the nominee for the Democrats after making a deal with the Douglas forces promising he would be the man in 1860 (and, true to their word, he was)

And so, it was. You had Fremont, the Republican, now a party of former Whigs and disaffected Northern Democrats, The Know Nothings, known for their anti-Catholic and immigrant leanings (It's safe to guess who got the bigot vote).

And, then there was the Democrat Buchanan. And it could get nasty at time. While Buchanan and Fremont more or less sat on the sidelines, the mudslinging from both of their supporters was pretty much par for the course. Fremont was called a "Black Republican" as well as having to take flak for allegedly being born out of wedlock. Perhaps his biggest sin, however, were courtesy of the Know Nothings, who labeled Fremont as a (gasp) Catholic. That hurt Fremont's chances more than anything else. Ever wonder why the United States can be such an ugly country?

Buchanan wasn't immune from personal attacks either. He was a confirmed bachelor, so it was to no surprise that they went after that. There were even rumors that he was a bit of a dandy (read: gay). More on that later. He also made an amazingly stupid gaffe when he said that a ten cents a day wage for manual laborers was fair. As a result, he now had to carry on with the moniker, Ten Cent Jimmy.

In the end, Buchanan would win with just 45% of the popular vote in a three way race. Even in the electoral college he won just four of the fourteen Northern States as he clearly dominated the South.

And it was obvious that in a nation all but torn apart by slavery, Buchanan would come in with no mandate.

First term: President Buchanan got off to a roaring start to say the least as the Supreme Court would rule on the infamous Dred Scott case just two days into his Presidency. Dred Scott was a slave who lived in a free state. He was returned to Missouri by his owner and Scott, along with his wife, filed suit for their freedom on the basis that they had lived in a free state. In the end, a pro-slavery court led by Roger Taney (another Marylander I'm embarrassed by- they named a town after him too), not only declared slaves non-citizens, it enabled slavery in any territory, and it called the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, on what logic they used to do that, I have no idea.

Kansas remained in the news, meanwhile, as it voted to be a free state. Needless to say, the pro slavery forces in the state couldn't accept that (sound familiar?) and engineered a referendum that proclaimed Kansas as a slave state. Buchanan supported the ploy but Stephen Douglas, incredibly enough, saw the fraud that was involved and joined with the Northern Democrats and Republicans to refuse Kansas' admittance as a slave state.

The slavery issue, and now the threat of Southern succession, hit a high point in 1859. This was the year of John Brown's famous raid at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). President Buchanan sent Colonel Robert E. Lee to quell the violence that the Brown raid, which didn't go as planned, had generated. In the end, sixteen people were dead, and Brown was captured and sent to Virginia to face treason charges.

In the North, Brown was hailed as a hero while in the South, it was seen as an evil intent by Northerners to abolish slavery and, thus, their way of life.

By 1860, talk of secession became more than just a casual thought, it was becoming real. Buchanan, of course, opposed secession and did what he could to persuade cooler heads to prevail but, as we pretty much know, that didn't happen.

Instead, Buchanan would go into history as arguably the worst President in history.


Post Presidency: Buchanan, who never wanted a second term and didn't even try for one, retired to Pennsylvania. He was more or less blamed for the Civil War, a war that would greatly affect his state. Despite his pro slavery stance, he remained loyal to the Union cause but he was still seen as an appeaser (probably true) and a lover of slavery. He wrote a book in 1866 to try to explain his side of things, then was never really heard of again. He died in his Pennsylvania home in 1868.

Odd notes: Buchanan was rumored to have a relationship with politician Rufus King, but it was never made public

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/69500/6-presidential-facts-about-james-buchanan

Buchanan was the first President to wear blue jeans in the Oval Office

https://funfactsaboutjamesbuchanan.webs.com/


Final Summary: So, I guess the real question here is, is James Buchanan the worst President of all time? Well, historians seem to think so for the most part (Andrew Johnson and Harding though certainly give him a run for his money). I, like I suspect some of you here, would disagree simply because of recent events if you know what I mean. I mean, come on, the historians don't rate Trump last? What, are they afraid the MAGA army is going to descend upon them?

Speaking of the MAGA crowd, I suspect they would have loved Buchanan. Though he wasn't as racist on the surface as maybe Jackson and that other Andrew, who we'll cover later, he certainly was incredibly insensitive. And he ignored the issues that had little to do with slavery like, for example, the economy, stupid?

Yes, I do think he wanted to be a good President, but let's face it, he had no idea what the hell he was doing. Even as he was smart enough to see the writing on the wall on the subject of secession, he didn't do an awful lot to prevent the inevitable except trying to please the South. Maybe if he had promised to allow public beatings in the town square that would have worked.

No, I don't think very highly of Southern plantation owners.

Overall rating: D-

https://millercenter.org/president/buchanan

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[Rubber Soul]

16. ABRAHAM LINCOLN (My Mama Told Me I Was Great)




Born: February 12, 1809, Hodgenville, Kentucky
Died: April 15, 1865, Washington, DC (assassinated)

Term: March 4, 1861- April 15, 1865
Political Party: Republican

Vice President(s):  Hannibal Hamlin, Andrew Johnson

First Lady: Mary Todd Lincoln

Before the Presidency: As the stories say, Abraham Lincoln was indeed born in a log cabin and, unlike most of the previous Presidents, he really did come from humble means. His struggling family moved from Kentucky to Indiana when Lincoln was young, his beloved mother died when he was nine, but he lucked out when his father remarried a woman who took to young Abe, encouraging him on matters such as his education.

Lincoln was a self-educated man. He also learned the values of hard work while growing up on the farm. And, while, he argued constantly with his father, there was no doubt the love was there.

So, while poor, but with the love of family, young Lincoln was ready for the world at age seventeen, he worked on a ferryboat. This enabled Lincoln to build his own flatboat and transported produce to New Orleans.

Meanwhile, his family, and Abe, moved near Decatur, Illinois. Later, Abe would run his independent flatboat business, then move to New Salem, Illinois. This is where his political career would begin.

Many of the stories, perhaps even myths, originated from New Salem. Lincoln started modestly enough as a general store clerk, took on the town bully, and amazed the town with not only his ability at splitting rails, but with his intelligence and wit. People admired the young Lincoln for his reading and writing abilities not to mention his easygoing personality.

It led Lincoln to embark on a political career and he ran for the State Legislature. The Black Hawk war interceded, however, and he joined in the fight against the Indians. He was named as a temporary Captain which he later felt was a bigger honor than the Presidency itself. Still, even as he served three short stints, the last one as a Private where he attempted to spy on Chief Black Hawk himself, he ended up having seen no action, and his political career was put on hold.

So, Lincoln happily accepted his lot in life and embarked on a law career. He passed the bar in 1836 and was quite successful at arguing cases on behalf of the less fortunate. He became active in the Whig Party, serving as secretary at local meetings.

Even though Lincoln was a Whig, he attracted the attention of some National figures including Democratic President Andrew Jackson. Jackson appointed Lincoln as Postmaster of New Salem. No Democrat wanted the job and Lincoln was a noted non-partisan, so he was perfect for the job.

The non-partisan ship didn't last for long, though I'm sure he tried. In 1834, he did get elected to the Illinois State Legislature where he was one of the many who took a stand on a bill that condemned abolitionists. Lincoln was one of the legislators to oppose the bill and, for the first time, that would make him some enemies.

But it made him even more friends. He spoke against violence when a mob killed an abolitionist trying to defend his printing press.

Still, Lincoln hadn't quite evolved. Sensing the racist attitudes of his state overall, Lincoln, as a supporter of William Henry Harrison, blasted President Van Buren of having supported the vote of free blacks in his home state of New York. Though an opponent of slavery himself, Lincoln did not support citizenship for blacks in general.

Lincoln served four terms as a State Legislator and then took some time off, but in 1846, ran for the US House of Representatives and won. Abe Lincoln was going to Washington.

And his tenure in the House started with a bang. He spoke against the Mexican-American War. In the end, he only served one term, knowing that as a Whig, he had no chance at being either a Senator or Governor.

But Lincoln kept coming back like a bad penny (or was it a bad five dollar bill?). Anyway, he campaigned for Zachary Taylor in 1848. After a few more years as a lawyer, he returned to the state legislature in 1854 but lost his bid for the US Senate soon after.

With the Whig party now crumbling. Lincoln joined the fledgling Republican Party, and he instantly became a major player. He agreed with the party's stands against slavery, support of the repeal of the Kansas-Nebraska act, supported the admission of Kansas as a free state, and condemning the Ostend Manifesto.

Lincoln was nominated as a favorite son candidate for Vice- President in 1856. Of course, he didn't win, but he would stump for the Republican candidate, John Fremont.

Lincoln would also lose his bid to become Senator in 1858, but he was about to hit the national stage like never before.

For this was the year of the famous Lincoln- Douglas debate and it became something of a national sensation. Here was little giant Douglas, touting the pro-slavery line and a major player of the Compromise of 1850. Then you had the tall, lanky, but underdog Lincoln, while, not a true abolitionist, vehemently opposing slavery, going as far as to call it immoral. Lincoln also advocated for the preservation of the Union, and it was here where he gave his house divided cannot stand speech.

But it was on the slavery issue where Lincoln really shined. While other anti-slavery advocates had shown eloquence on the matter, no one had dared to call slavery out and out immoral. And while Lincoln accepted that slavery would have to exist where it was legal, he wouldn't accept any expansion of it in the Western territories. To Lincoln, and while he didn't see blacks as actual equals (very few whites, even Republicans, did), he did see slavery itself as a matter of right and wrong. In other words, even if he didn't quite agree with black voting rights and such, he did believe in their right to exist as free people.

Lincoln's moral stand against slavery was provocative to say the least, and while it may have cost him a chance at the Senate, it most likely improved his chances at the biggest prize of all.

Summary of offices held:

1832-1834: Postmaster, New Salem, Illinois

1834-1842: Illinois House of Representatives

1847-1849: US House of Representatives


What was going on: the Civil war in a nutshell,

Scandals within the administration: Cameron corruption scandal

Why he was a good President: Well, he freed the slaves, didn't he?

Why he was a bad President: In his determination to restore the Union, he pushed through a controversial conscription act and, worse, suspended the writ of habeas corpus making it easier to arrest war critics, and more than 600,000 people died on his watch.

What could have saved his Presidency: Well, let's see, he freed the slaves, he kept the Union together at great cost to his own mental health, and he strengthened the economy, one of the perks of having a war, I guess. Gee, I don't know what could have possibly saved his Presidency. Oh, yeah, how about a better Secret Service?

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Losing the Civil War obviously. Also, if he had stuck to his original intent of simply not expanding slavery, he certainly would not have become the folk hero we know of today. Fortunately, though, this was a man of great conscience and I'm pretty sure his intent on freeing all the slaves was genuine.

Election of 1860:  After losing out to Douglas for the Senate seat, Lincoln actively campaigned for numerous Republican candidates and would find himself a major face in party politics. It would be to no one's surprise that he would be a viable candidate for President.

Not that he was the favorite for the nomination, for that belonged to one William Seward. Like Lincoln, he was an unabashed foe of slavery and, also like Lincoln, took a moral stand against the practice.

But Seward also had his baggage, mainly in the form of his friendship of Boss Thurlow Weed (remember him?). Weed, no doubt, had a lot to do with Seward's success as he was a former Governor and still a sitting Senator. Some Republicans weren't exactly very crazy about this chummy relationship. The midwestern Republicans feared the stain of political corruption, and that would indeed become an issue in the post-Civil War years. Seward's support for Irish Immigrants didn't help him with the anti-immigrant wing of his party either (though I'll peg him up a notch in my book).

Seward entered as the favorite at the Chicago convention, but he almost instantly had to contend with a stop Seward movement. Lincoln supplied the opposition and Seward led after the first ballot, but, oh, that pesky two thirds rule. Lincoln's campaign managers were told that he would "authorize no bargains nor would he be bound by one." The delegates rounded support anyway, and Lincoln would end up nominated on the third ballot, Hannibal Hamlin being picked as Lincoln's running mate.

On the Democratic side, they would ultimately decide on Stephen Douglas, he of the now famous Lincoln-Douglas debate. He had alienated Southern Democrats when he went against the Kansas slavery overthrow tactic (No wiggle room with these guys). If you think there was a divide between North and South, just look at the Democrats of 1860. With their own two thirds rule, the South had hoped to vote in a bloc and deny Douglas the nomination. But Douglas knew if he acquiesced and endorsed a federal slave code for the territories, he would lose the Northern delegates. So, the plank failed, and fifty Southern delegates walked out. The convention was postponed until June, and they would convene again in Baltimore.

In Baltimore, the convention was again divided, Douglas won on two counts, he won over which delegation from Charleston would be recognized and he again was able to defeat the radical slavery code plank. This time, he would be nominated on the second ballot over Vice President Breckenridge. Herschel Johnson would be nominated as Vice President as he supported both states' rights and unionism (he would later become a Confederate Senator, so much for being a Unionist).

The split seemed irreversible as Southern Democrats formed their own party and nominated John Breckenridge for President. The former Whigs, not to be outdone, nominated their own candidate, one John Bell of Tennessee, a former Speaker of the House.

The general campaign started out quietly enough. Three of the candidates went with tradition and let their delegates speak for them. Douglas, on the other  hand, actively campaigned, but he may have regretted it. For, the burning question for his audiences was what would happen should Lincoln get elected.

And indeed, that was the burning issue, because many of the Southern states were threatening to secede and, if Lincoln were elected, secession would be likely a foregone conclusion. But Lincoln and the Republicans stuck to their moral values, and even though no Southern State had Lincoln even on the ballot, he would take all but one of the Northern states. Douglas, though second in the popular vote, would take only one state, Missouri, John Breckenridge turning out to be Lincoln's biggest competitor.

So, Lincoln won but the die was cast, and Southern states began to secede one by one.

First term: South Carolina was the first to secede. They were quickly followed by Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama. Eventually, eleven states in all left the Union and, a month before Lincoln took office, formed the Confederate States of America. Lincoln responded by promising not to end slavery where it existed but would respond to violence with force.

But the Confederates responded with a Constitution of their own with an edit that outlawed the outlawing of slavery. Oh, these guys were good.

And, a month later, as Lincoln ordered the resupply of Fort Sumter, a post off the coast of South Carolina, the Confederate Army launched an attack, thus, starting the American Civil War.

President Lincoln was now a wartime President, and he immediately took the controls as Commander-in- Chief. His main goal was initially just to preserve the Union, but as time went on, he realized that he had to accomplish more than just that. In essence, he would have to free the slaves.

Of course, they knew this in the South, and it resulted in the bloodiest war in American history. When it was finally over in 1865, six hundred thousand soldiers on both sides would lay dead.

The final states would secede to form the Confederate states. Thanks to some political maneuvering, five border states that had been also slave states stayed in the Union and two of the states, Maryland and Delaware, would ultimately align with the more liberal North as time went on. Virginia, meanwhile, would break in two, as Unionists formed the state of West Virginia.

As the war dragged on, Lincoln would name George McClellan as Commander of the Union Army. He would be known for his indecisiveness and frustrate the President to no end. The Confederates, in the meantime, named Robert E Lee as their commander. He had sworn to side with the Confederates out of loyalty to his state of Virginia. It was certainly the Union's loss as he proved to be quite the tactical General and he successfully led the Confederate Army all the way into Pennsylvania.

The battle of Antietam proved to be the bloodiest battle of the war. McClellan was successful at preventing Lee's goal of isolating Washington, but Lincoln was angry that McClellan wouldn't pursue Lee's men in retreat. As such, Lincoln would replace McClellan with George Meade.

In the meantime, President Lincoln gave the Confederacy an ultimatum, stop the rebellion or he'd free the slaves.

And, since the rebellion didn't stop, Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation which, well, technically anyway, freed all slaves in the rebellious territories but not in the border slave states that stayed in the Union or in Union occupied Louisiana or Tennessee. Not quite the benevolent charter it is alleged to be, but certainly a first step in the eradication of the sin of slavery.

But Lincoln was still growing and, during his campaign in 1864, he would pledge to push an amendment to eradicate slavery by way of the Constitution- everywhere.

There would be one more interesting moment in Lincoln's first term. There was the bloody battle of Gettysburg. Here, Lee would be repelled for good but again, he wouldn't be pursued. Lincoln replaced Meade with General Ulysses S. Grant.

Gettysburg is especially important, not just for the bloody battle, but as the backdrop for Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address.

So, up until now, Lincoln was quite adept as his role as Commander-in- Chief, even if he was a bit impatient.

But he wasn't perfect. He signed a conscription act which caused quite a bit of rioting in the North. It was also quite controversial as it allowed someone (i.e., someone with money) to pay some poor sucker to fight in the war in his place.

There was also the controversial suspension of Habeas Corpus, which basically meant anyone could be arrested for just about anything without due process or, more to the point, rabble rousing against the war. This wasn't quite the same as John Adams' Alien and Sedition Acts, journalists were still allowed to criticize. But protests on the streets in a time of war was a big no-no.

So, with the war going on and with way too many dying, Lincoln's chances at re-election seemed dim, especially since, by the end of 1863, it seemed as if the Union was losing the war.


Election of 1864: As it turned out, Lincoln did one smart thing in 1863. He dumped George Meade and appointed Ulysses S. Grant as his field general. It would change the face of the war though it wasn't that evident as 1864 began.

And it was something of a marvel that there could be an election at all. Lincoln no doubt could have easily called it off or at least postponed it, but he believed in the continuance of the work of the nation no matter what. He let the election happen even when it seemed obvious he was going to lose.

And Lincoln wasn't guaranteed a free ride by even his Republicans. The radical wing distrusted his intents when it came to the slavery issue even as Lincoln was known to have opposed it from a moral standpoint. Still, he won nomination on the first ballot. They would switch back to Lincoln when their own attempt at a political party failed.

As for the Democrats, they declared the Civil War a failure (and, in the summer of 1864, it did appear headed for a stalemate). They called for negotiations with the Confederacy in hopes of restoring the Union (naïve little buggers, weren't they?). And they responded to Lincoln the best way they knew how, by nominating the fired General, George McClellan.

The campaign from the Democrat side criticized Lincoln not only for his censoring of the wartime press (arguable), the arrest of war critics (true), and the permission to enlist black slaves into the army (oh, for shame). Needless to say, they were in for a big surprise when they found out the North had no problem with the third accusation.

Anyway, even Lincoln didn't expect to win the election. People were of course weary of the war. But what he didn't realize was that the campaign slogan of not changing horses at midstream was actually a winner. And, indeed, the Americans knew their monster. What would happen if McClellan became President? A majority of Americans decided they didn't want to know that answer.

And General Grant proved to be a stroke of genius for President Lincoln. By the time Election Day came around, the tide had turned in favor of the Union. Grant and his Generals, notably General William Sherman, he of the famous Sherman's March to the Sea, were now doing what McClellan and Meade wouldn't do, pursue the retreating Confederates.

And, armed with a vow to end slavery forever, Lincoln won in a landslide.

Second Term: As it turned out, in the 1864 campaign, the Republicans pulled one major, devastating mistake though they couldn't have known it at the time. In an attempt to balance the ticket, and looking ahead to Southern Reconstruction, they nominated a Democrat, Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, not ever dreaming that he would become President.

In the meantime, Ulysses Grant laid one final blow to General Lee and the latter surrendered at Appomattox. The Civil War was over. Now President Lincoln could concentrate on healing the nation. As promised, the 13th amendment was introduced which abolished slavery entirely. As for reconstruction, he wanted to give newly freed blacks a chance of a life that whites took for granted while being merciful with the Southerners who likely still opposed him. We'll never really known what would have happened in a second Lincoln term, but there was absolutely no reason to believe that the future looked bleak, especially if you happened to have been a black slave in the South.

Some actor's idiot brother had something to say about that though.

[Rubber Soul]

Assassination: On April 3, 1865, President Lincoln arrived in Richmond Virginia, as the Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, fled. He arrived to a throng of newly freed blacks shouting that he was the messiah. Indeed, to this day, blacks look at Lincoln as their national hero.

Six days later, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox and the war was over. It was a time for both celebration and reflection.

And, on April 14, President Lincoln decided on a night out with his wife at Ford's Theatre in Washington. He had also invited General Grant with whom he now had a personal friendship with, but Grant's wife didn't like the high strung Mary Todd Lincoln and Grant didn't really feel like going anyway.

As it turned out, that decision might not only have saved Grant's life, it also saved what could have been an even worse period than what was about to befall the nation. For, there was a plot not only to kill the President, but also the Vice-President, the Secretary of State, and General Grant. As it was, Seward was stabbed was in bed but would survive and purchase Alaska. Johnson's would be assassin, meanwhile, chickened out.

John Wilkes Booth (another Marylander to be ashamed of, hey, at least we gave you Frank Zappa), the ringleader of this motley crew, would be charged with the assassination attempt of Grant and the assassination of the President himself. Well, as already mentioned, Grant wasn't at Ford Theatre, as Booth somehow knew that's where the President would be, but President Lincoln was.

And Booth, as an actor himself, knew what he was doing. He timed the assassination to take place after one of the funnier lines of the play. Indeed, there was laughter from the Presidential box when Booth fired his fatal shot at close range, hitting Lincoln in the head.

After a struggle with Henry Rathbone, the President's guard, Booth jumped from the balcony, breaking his leg in the process, and screamed Sic Semper Tyrannis which proved at least he knew some Latin.

Our friendly Confederate sympathizer got away, only to be killed twelve days later. His other conspirators would be captured, and some would be executed.

As for Lincoln, he was taken back to the White House where he would die a day later.

Odd notes: John Wilkes Booth attended Lincoln's second inauguration

Lincoln and Mary Todd held seances at the White House

https://constitutioncenter.org/media/files/lincoln_facts.pdf

https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-abraham-lincoln/



Final Summary: To say that Abraham Lincoln paid a dear price for his convictions would be an understatement. The death toll of the Civil War would gnaw at him, and he suffered from major bouts of depression. And the freeing of the slaves most likely cost him his life.

Like George Washington, Lincoln seems to be held high on a pedestal. Like Washington, there are stories of mythical proportions surrounding the man.

But, of course, Lincoln, like anyone else, was merely a human being and as such, he was flawed. The imposition of Habeas Corpus in particular kind of bugs me. I get that you have to take certain precautions during wartime, especially one on your own land, but to lessen anyone's freedom simply for disagreeing seems to be counter to the ideals of Democracy.

On the other hand, Lincoln grew along with the Presidency. When he began, he was more than willing to sacrifice the blacks to slavery if it meant preserving the Union. But, as he saw the humanity in black people, and certainly after meeting black abolitionist Frederick Douglass (Finally, a Marylander I can be proud of), he changed his views on blacks. I don't know if he died seeing them as equals quite yet (the 1860s were pretty ugly times), but he was certainly heading to that conclusion.

And, of course, it is hard to find another President with the honesty and integrity this man had. And a majority of historians (I think) rate him as the greatest President in American History.

But do I think Abraham Lincoln is the greatest President in American History, well, not really.

But he comes pretty darn close.

Overall rating: A

https://millercenter.org/president/lincoln

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[Rubber Soul]

17. ANDREW JOHNSON (Please Impeach Me)



Born: December 29, 1808, Raleigh, North Carolina
Died: July 31, 1875, Carter's Station, Tennessee

Term: April 15, 1865- March 4, 1869
Political Party: Democrat

Vice President(s): none

First Lady: Eliza McArdle Johnson

Before the Presidency: Andrew Johnson as born in poverty in North Carolina. His father died when he was three, leaving his mother to work as a weaver/spinner to feed Andrew and his brother. She remarried, but the fortunes didn't improve. Andrew and his brother were sold as apprentices to a tailor. That didn't work out so well and the two boys ran away. After two years on the run, Andrew reunited with his mother and step-father before moving west to Greenville, Tennessee.

Now a tailor, Andrew tried to teach himself to read and write but had some difficulty until he met Eliza McArdle, who he would marry. Unlike Andrew, Eliza was well educated and had a yen for money. She taught Andrew to read and write and he was able to invest some money in real estate and farmlands.

His political career started early as he served as a local alderman as well as Mayor of Greenville by 1834. He considered himself a Jacksonian Democrat and his speeches that attracted the interests of the common man, Johnson found himself elected to the Tennessee State Legislature in 1834 and 1838. He then served in the State Senate in 1841.

Johnson served in the US House of Representatives from 1843 to 1853. He lost the seat as the result of gerrymandering, but Johnson would win the Governor's Seat where he served from 1853 to 1857.  He then served in the Senate again from 1857 to 1862. As the only Southern Senator not to abandon his seat, Johnson found himself appointed as Military Governor of Tennessee in 1862.

Johnson had Presidential admirations as he sought the 1860 Democratic nomination. At best, he was a longshot and his candidacy never really gained momentum. As a Southerner, he supported slavery, now having fourteen slaves himself. But he also opposed secession and won praise from the North when he was the only Southerner not to abandon his Senate seat when the Southern States seceded.

So, in 1864, Johnson seemed, on paper anyway, to be a viable candidate for the 1864 Democratic nomination.

But the Republicans had other ideas.


Summary of offices held:

1829-1834: Alderman, Greenville, Tennessee.

1834-1835: Mayor, Greenville, Tennessee

1835-1841: Tennessee State Legislature

1841-1843: State Senator, Tennessee

1843-1853: US House of Representatives

1853-1857: Governor of Tennessee

1857-1862: US Senator

1862-1865: Military Governor, Tennessee

1865: Vice President of the United States


What was going on: Reconstruction, purchase of Alaska,

Scandals within the administration: The Johnson impeachment

Why he was a good President: He more or less stuck to his convictions, warped as they may have been, and he weathered his impeachment with dignity. Then there was Seward's Folly.

Why he was a bad President: Are you kidding me? He clearly had no desire to help the former slaves and had no problems with the state laws meant to guarantee that blacks would remain third class citizens. And he didn't really tolerate cabinet members that didn't always agree with him.

What could have saved his Presidency: If he had simply followed Lincoln's moderate path by not allowing the Black Code laws and ensuring blacks had equal rights while being reasonably lenient to the South, he would have been fine. He didn't have to be oppressive to the whites like the radicals wanted and, of course, he wasn't, but he shouldn't have enabled them to make life a living hell pretty much for the freed blacks either.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Um, the guy was impeached. Need I say more?

How he became Vice- President:  With the Civil War being drawn out, President Lincoln was nervous about his re-election chances. While his campaign slogan was Don't change horses in midstream, that's exactly what he did when he dumped Vice President Hannibal Hamlin and went with Democrat Andrew Johnson. It was felt that, as a war Democrat from the South, Johnson could balance the ticket as was known to be tough against the planter aristocracy. Of course, we know now that this was likely Lincoln's biggest mistake.

Anyway, Johnson was the running mate and advocates played up to his strengths. Johnson proved attractive to Irish Catholics in the North (Johnson may have been a racist, more on that later, but he evidently stood up for the Catholics as Governor of Tennessee). And, though he wasn't popular with the Radical Republicans, he scored well with moderates and, with the war turning in Lincoln's favor, would be elected Vice-President in a landslide.

First term: Andrew Johnson was Vice President for just a little over a month when President Lincoln was assassinated. It's safe to say he wasn't ready to fill in the great President's shoes and it became obvious rather quickly, that the new President did not share the same vision that Lincoln had, and he certainly didn't have the same agenda the Radical Republicans did.

For the Radical Republicans were in a punitive mood. They wanted to impose martial law on the former Confederacy, something Lincoln may have not necessarily agreed with. They likely would have agreed on the laws that would help blacks adapt into white society such as the Freedmen's Bureau and ensuring certain rights such as voting and even election to office.

The new President had different ideas. He offered amnesty called for new opportunities to help poor white people. Black Code laws were being enforced in some of the Southern states meant to limit the rights of these new free people.

1865 came and went without any incident, or at least following the assassination. President Johnson, as promised, offered amnesty to most Southerners who took a loyalty oath and appointed Provisional Governors throughout the South.

But things went sour in 1866.  President Johnson vetoed an extension of the Freedmen's Bureau which was meant to neutralize the Black Code laws that were popping up in the South. Johnson condemned the radicals as traitors, and a distasteful political war had begun.

A month later, Johnson would veto the Civil Rights Bill. This would be overridden. In fact, of Johnson's 29 vetoes total, 15 of them would be overridden. Meanwhile, Congress would pass the fourteenth Amendment establishing citizenship for all born on American soil. It would be ratified two years later

Johnson would get a rude awakening come November when radical Republicans he was campaigning against won seats in Congress. This set the tide for one of the more tense years in Congress.

The Congress, and the House in particular, was set on kicking President Johnson out on his butt, so they passed a bill known as the Tenure of Office Act. This was a bill that forbade a President to fire someone in his own cabinet. And, not surprisingly, Johnson took the bait when he fired Edwin Stanton, the War Secretary.

Thus, began the first Impeachment hearings of a US President in history. Both Houses of Congress were loaded with Republicans and the majority of them wanted to see Johnson go. So, they voted to impeach Johnson in 1868.

Now in the United States, this is how impeachment works. A simple majority of the House is all that is needed to impeach. This is sort of like a grand jury that decides  on whether to charge a person with something. If impeached, the Senate holds a trial presided over by the Chief Justice. A the end of the trial, the Senate votes on whether to remove the President but, unlike the House, a two thirds majority is needed for removal.

In Johnson's case, the vote to convict fell by just one vote. John Kennedy (or maybe his ghostwriter) would single out one of the seven Republican Senators who voted against impeachment, Edmund Ross, in his book, Profiles in Courage.

So, President Johnson's job was saved until the election anyway and not much happened for the rest of his term. He would leave with no real accomplishments save for Seward's Folly, something I'm sure the Russians kicked themselves for in later years, especially during the Cold War.

Post Presidency: Johnson wouldn't stay away from Politics. The former President would run for both the Senate and the House of Representatives, failing each time until 1874 when he finally won. Johnson felt vindicated after that particular election. Once in the Senate in 1875, he would speak out against corruption in the Grant Administration mainly.

His tenure in the Senate was short lived. In July 1875, Johnson suffered a stroke and died soon after.

Odd notes: As a tailor, Johnson made his own clothes.

He allegedly once suggested that God had Lincoln killed so he could become President

https://www.ducksters.com/biography/uspresidents/andrewjohnson.php#:~:text=Fun%20Facts%20About%20Andrew%20Johnson,of%20the%20U.S.%20Constitution%20memorized.


Final Summary: Well, in some ways, Andrew Johnson was his own worst enemy. He really wasn't prepared to be President, maybe he wasn't even prepared to be Vice-President. He obviously could care less about the welfare of black people, and while he may have opposed secession, he nevertheless was maybe not as stern as he should have been with the South, particularly when it came to equal rights. Again, no one said he had to bring in the stormtroopers like a bunch of Fascists. But he could have enforced the rights of black citizens much like Dwight Eisenhower would do in the Little Rock school crisis in 1957, in other a words a show of force was all he needed to do, but he couldn't even do that.

As for the impeachment, well, yeah, that was kind of politically motivated as Clinton's would be more than a century later. Some people might argue that Trump's first impeachment could have been politically motivated too but that's for later. Mind you, I'm not saying that Johnson shouldn't have been spanked, and in a sense, he was when it was obvious he had no chance at keeping the Presidency in the upcoming election.

I'd give the guy an F, but he did do one wise thing by keeping Lincoln's Secretary of State William Seward. Yeah, I know, I was talking about Seward's Folly for a couple times during this bio.

But do you know what Seward's Folly was? Well, lets put it this way, he was being ridiculed by the Congress for purchasing a large piece of land owned by Russia that was, in the eyes of most people in 1867, fairly barren.

That barren land happened to be Alaska.

So that alone saves Johnson from being the worst President ever.

But everything else, ugh!


Overall rating: D

https://millercenter.org/president/johnson

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[Rubber Soul]

18. ULYSSES S. GRANT (I am the very model of a modern major general)




Born: April 27, 1822, Point Pleasant, Ohio
Died: July 23, 1885, Mount McGregor, New York

Term: March 4, 1869- March 4, 1877
Political Party: Republican

Vice President(s): Schuyler Colfax, Henry Wilson

First Lady: Julia Dent Grant

Before the Presidency: The dominance of Ohio politicians would begin with this man. Grant grew up the son of a tanner in Ohio. They made a decent living, but it was hard work and Grant swore he wouldn't follow in his father's footsteps. He wasn't necessarily the best student though he wasn't a ruffian by any means. He did develop a great knack for horsemanship.

While Grant had no desire to become a tanner, his father encouraged the young Ulysses to try to improve his lot in life. There wasn't a lot of money for college, but West Point Military Academy was offering a free college education in return for military service. Grant was reluctant at first, but his father encouraged Ulysses to go for it. While, at West Point, Ulysses struggled at first, particularly with his studies, but his skill with horses was impressive and it was thought he would go into the cavalry. As it turned out, he would go into the infantry instead, having graduated in the middle of the pack.

As it was, Grant would become quite happy with a military career. He was a Lieutenant in the Mexican- American War and was twice cited for bravery. He was appointed a quartermaster and would learn a lot about logistics during that stint. He was also an admirer of General Zachary Taylor. Having said that, Grant really wasn't what you would call a warmonger. He mourned at the loss of life and hated the destruction that war created.

He went home to St. Louis to marry Julia Dent, then, as a career army man, was sent all over the country from Detroit and New York to Oregon and California. The traveling began to take a toll on the young officer, and it is rumored that he developed a drinking problem during this period. Finally, in 1854, he abruptly quit the Army.

For the next seven years, Grant lived as a private citizen, first on a farm in Missouri where he hired free blacks to tend to his piece of land. He also had a slave given to him by his father in law, but Grant freed the man, certainly proving the compassion that was in him.  Later, he moved to Illinois to work at his younger brother's shop. It was then when the Civil War broke out and the North was looking for experienced officers. Grant was back in the Army.

The Governor of Illinois appointed Grant to lead a regiment, a regiment that Grant had no problem disciplining into a solid unit. The men came to respect and even love Grant as he didn't make a fuss over minor details. This respect would give Grant more responsibilities as he was quickly promoted as high as Brigadier General.

For much of the Civil War, Grant led his troops with little or no fanfare. Meanwhile, the North, despite having the advantage of being able to make more munitions, wasn't exactly wiping the floor with the South when it came to the battlefield. The Union Generals seemed reluctant to aggressively pursue the Southern armies and it was something that frustrated President Lincoln to no end.

As for General Grant, he showed a willingness to fight the enemy early on. He knew that the Confederates feared the Union as much as the Union feared them. With that knowledge, and with the support of his troops, they captured two critical forts in Tennessee. Indeed, the Fort Donelson victory is seen as the Union's first real victory of the war.

The good fortunes, at least in the PR department, were not to last, however. Grant lost many casualties at the battle of Shiloh and the press had a field day blaming Grant even though he managed a tactical victory.

There was one person that didn't blame General Grant though, President Lincoln. Lincoln stuck by his tactical commander, and it was rewarded as Grant won the battle of Vicksburg in 1863. This was a huge pivotal victory in the Civil War and Lincoln was to say, "Grant is my man, and I am his." And within months, Grant was running the Western theatre of the war.

After more successes at Chattanooga and Knoxville, President Lincoln appointed Grant Lieutenant General and commander of all Union forces. Grant brought his most dependable generals along with him including William Sherman, Philip Sheridan, and James McPherson. Grant was transferred to Washington to oversee the war effort and, after more victories, notably the burning of Richmond and Atlanta and Sherman's march to the sea, Robert E Lee formally surrendered to Grant, now back in the military theatre himself, at Appomattox, Virginia, in April 1865.

In four short years, Grant went from an unknown leather-shop clerk, to probably the most popular person in the United States. In 1866, he was named General of all the armies and was no doubt as famous as Generals Jackson, Harrison, and Taylor before him.

Summary of offices held:

1839-1854: United States Army (Captain)

1861-1869: Union Army (Lieutenant General)

1864-1869: Commanding Genera of the US Army

1867-1868: Acting Secretary of War


What was going on: Reconstruction, the American Indian wars, Panic of 1873, Transcontinental railroad

Scandals within the administration: Credit Mobilier Scandal, Belknap bribery scandal, The Sanborn incident, the Salary Grab Act

Why he was a good President: He led the efforts at reconstruction with a steady hand. He was determined to give former slaves the same rights as any white American would take for granted, and, while not totally successful, was able to make some inroads to that goal. He was also a friend to Native Americans even though the Indian Wars more of less started on his watch.

Why he was a bad President: He could never really get out from under the various scandals. He laid too much trust in some of his aides, blind loyalty is never an admirable trait. He probably didn't do such a great job with the Panic of 1873 either.

What could have saved his Presidency: If he had known more of what was going on during the Indian Wars, especially with General George Custer and his disastrous Battle of Little Big Horn (I'm assuming Trolls will elaborate on that in his American History thread). I don't think he could have done more in the matter of reconstruction given the hostile resistance.

But of course, the real elephants in the room were the various political scandals. Maybe if he had taken the Trumanesque approach, said the buck stops here, and fired the little brats, well maybe he might have been regarded as a better than average President.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Well, the scandals pretty much made his administration a living hell, obviously, but had the Panic of 1873 been worse wouldn't have helped. Also, he could have easily done his best Sergeant Schultz impression and looked the other way at the terrorist activities against the blacks in the South. Very much to his credit, he didn't.

Election of 1868: The political aftermath of Abraham Lincoln's assassination was a bit depressing to say the least. Reconstruction was having its problems, the Radical Republicans had more or less turned the South into an occupied totalitarian state, and the Southern whites weren't doing themselves any favors with their own acts of oppression as lynchings were already becoming common. And going through an impeachment hearing didn't help matters much either.

So, it was with this backdrop that the parties convened to nominate their candidates. And the Republicans all but drafted the reluctant Grant to run on their ticket. Grant had served under Johnson in an acting capacity. Grant disagreed with Johnson's white supremacist policies and wouldn't support him in his battles with Congress. In fact, his (Grant's) views were tilting ever so slowly towards the radical Republicans' viewpoint.

So, Grant was nominated unanimously, and the Republicans ran him with true radical Schuyler Colfax.

On the Democratic side, Former VP nominee George Pendleton was the favorite and led on the first fifteen ballots, but others began to enter the fray including the unpopular President Johnson. In the end, the Democrats went with Former Governor Horatio Seymour of New York, who was even more reluctant than Grant to run.

The main issue of the general campaign was on how to handle reconstruction. Seymour, hoping to stem the tide of vicious attacks against Grant, calmly suggested that reconstruction should be left to the states. Grant didn't campaign at all, only going as far as to advocate peace, but his supporters certainly wanted the Federal Government's fingerprints all over reconstruction.

In the end, the popular vote was surprisingly close, but Grant scored an easy victory in the Electoral College.

First term:  President Grant's first year was something of a mixed bag. The Transcontinental Railroad was completed that year but this new railroad industry, led by a group on men derisively known as robber barons, inadvertently would cause the Panic of 1869. Jay Gould and James Fisk, Jr, speculated that if the Government refrained from buying gold, its value would increase and raise farm prices. Grant's own Brother-in-law was involved in the scheme. Grant would foil their plans by selling $4 million worth of gold and it would lead to a stock market crash.

The market would recover as Gould and Fisk got off scott free. Grant, meanwhile, had other fish to fry. He would veto a series of relief bills. On the other hand, he pushed through the Fifteenth Amendment which gave all citizens (well, male citizens anyway) the right to vote, regardless of race, color, creed, or whether having had been a slave. He took a hands on approach to reconstruction using the military to enforce black emancipation and, in fact, to also give them some political power. He also hoped to improve the prospects of Republicanism in the South from a political standpoint. He signed a series of enforcement acts, one of which was the Ku Klux Klan act. By now, a white supremacist terrorist group known as the Ku Klux Klan, was terrorizing and intimidating black citizens in order to prevent them to vote. This didn't go well with President Grant, obviously, and he would send troops to South Carolina in 1871 to enforce the act.

There were also some victories on the diplomatic front as well. The US signed a friendship treaty with Great Britain. As a result, the once former foes would enjoy a close diplomatic friendship to this day.

Other issues were also cropping up as there would be an investigation into corruption in New York City centered around one Boss William Tweed and his Tammany Hall. The Great Chicago fire (unrelated to the Grant Administration of course) also happened during this term.

Election of 1872: President Grant was hugely popular going into 1872. There were fractures within the Republican party over reconstruction as a group known as the Liberal Republicans, who were anything but liberal, opposed Grant's policies on civil rights for blacks as well as Federal Intervention in the South. Though they wouldn't say it outright, they were advocating a return to white rule in the South. In the end, though, it didn't matter; Grant was re-nominated unanimously yet again. They did switch Vice Presidents though when they decided to go with Senator Henry Wilson from Massachusetts.

The Liberal Republicans, also upset at the alleged corruption within the Grant Administration, formed their own party and nominated eccentric journalist Horace Greely. The Democrats, meanwhile, couldn't decide on a candidate so they decided to back the Liberal Party candidate, thus, Greely went from a third party gadfly to a major candidate.

The general election was a foregone conclusion. Greeley didn't even bother to campaign and Grant remained hugely popular. In the end, Grant won in a landslide

Second Term: Speaking of corruption and just two months after the election, the Credit Mobilier scandal exploded. It involved the Union Pacific Railroad. In this, railroad directors used a dummy corporation known as the Credit Mobilier Corporation to pay themselves. This fraud would involve bribes that would tarnish various congressmen as well as thirteen Senators. This also trickled into the Grant Administration and involved not only the present Vice President, Schuyler Colfax, but also the incoming Henry Wilson.

It wouldn't get better for President Grant. While more scandals were threatening Congress, the Panic of 1873 happened. This would be worse than the panic four years earlier and was the worst financial crisis since 1837. Grant's response was to veto the Greenbacks bill and switch the US back to a gold standard. As such, the US went with a hard currency course for the rest of the century and established the Republican Party as the party of fiscal conservatism.

The worst moment of Grant's administration occurred in 1875 when the Whiskey Ring scandal broke. Grant's Treasury Secretary wanted to investigate distillers accused of defrauding federal agents. Grant encouraged Secretary Bristow and would find himself in the hot seat when it was discovered that the scandal, known as the Whiskey Ring, led right to his own administration, starting with his personal secretary, Oliver Babcock. Grant himself was not implicated and Babcock would be found innocent, though he would lose his job.

And something good came out of it. President Grant made Civil Service reform a priority as he formed the Civil Service Commission as a way to thwart the decades old spoils system. Unfortunately, he didn't get much from Congress on that platform, however.

It seemed as if the various scandals that plagued the Grant Administration would all but destroy his Presidency and, indeed, it was the reason he had been ranked as one of the nation's worst Presidents.

But he also wanted to assimilate the Native Americans into the American way of life, hoping to give them US citizenship, encouraging them to become farmers, and giving them their own lands on reservations. Unfortunately, the bigoted white settlers (and the cavalries, anyone hear of General Custer?) had something to say about that and the infamous Indian wars would explode during this second term.



Post Presidency: In 1876 there was an attempt by Congress to limit the President to two terms out of fear that Grant may try for a third run.

But Grant said early on that he didn't plan to run (maybe he should have in retrospect, no fault of Hayes or Tilden). Instead, he helped to monitor the disputed election wanting to make sure the dispute was handled fairly with no favor to either party.

So, Grant left the office with the country in stable condition at least and he embarked on a two year trip around the world with his wife, Julia. He was greeted warmly by most of the world as he was seen as a hero who restored American Democracy. He would return to the United States with a renewed popularity as well and considered a run for the Presidency in 1880 as President Hayes refused to run for a second term. It wasn't to be, however as there was too much of a stop Grant movement within the party.

The last years of Grant's life were rather sad as he was hit with financial ruin. He had to rely on the kindness of friends to keep him afloat.

But he was far from a pathetic figure. He discovered he enjoyed writing and he wrote for Century Magazine about his Civil War experiences. This gave him some income. He also was befriended by a famous author that went by the name of Mark Twain.

And that would prove to be a boon for Grant's family, for Grant was tragically diagnosed with throat cancer. He spent his last months working on his autobiography, which Twain would publish. He had hopes that this book would help to provide for his family when he was gone. He finished the book just days before his death and the book indeed would provide for his family and for the rest of their lives. He hit a home run right at the end.

Grant's funeral was a spectacular one as the well loved hero would have one and a half million spectators to view the procession.

And, yes, Ulysses S. Grant is buried in Grant's Tomb.

Odd notes: Grant was given a slave. He freed the slave a year later.


https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-ulysses-s-grant/

Grant was invited to attend Ford's Theatre the night Lincoln was shot but he politely declined the offer (Julia Grant couldn't stand Mary Todd Lincoln- not  a lot of people could)

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/547771/ulysses-s-grant-facts




Final Summary: Let's face it. Like most of the Generals before him, Grant was way over his head when he entered the Presidency and, as noted before, he never could really get out from under the various scandals that plagued his administration.

But Grant himself was an honest man and he did grow with the Presidency (Taylor really didn't and Harrison never really had a chance). And there was no doubt this was a great man of decency. He did what he could to help blacks in the South. And people forget that it was he who forged the great friendship with England that we enjoy today.

And even if he wasn't a great President so to speak, he tried to be a good one, much like many not so successful Presidents past and future. And he was no doubt one of the best loved Americans in history.

I also can't forget he was the one who got the ball rolling with Civil Service reform. Hayes would also push for it and Garfield was ready to bring it home (And, after Garfield's assassination, Arthur, in fact, did)

But, oh those scandals.

Overall rating: C+

https://millercenter.org/president/grant

[Rubber Soul]

19.RUTHERFORD B. HAYES (Goodbye to Wendell Gee)




Born: October 4, 1822, Delaware, Ohio
Died: January 17, 1893, Fremont, Ohio

Term: March 4, 1877- March 4, 1881
Political Party: Republican

Vice President: William Wheeler

First Lady: Lemonade Lucy Webb Hayes

Before the Presidency: Rutherford Hayes, or Rud for short, didn't have the greatest start in life. His father died ten weeks before he was even born. Sickly as an infant, he would also lose his older brother in a drowning accident.

Still, despite the obvious hardships of being raised by a single mother, Rud was raised in a loving environment. He had an Uncle that served as a surrogate father figure. His independent widowed mother as well as his sister were huge influences in his education. His mother taught Rud how to read and write and his sister introduced him to the classics, such as Shakespeare. After a stint in public schools, his uncle funded Rud's and his sister's private education. Rud, like his sister, was quite bright, and he graduated as Valedictorian at Kenton College in 1842.

Hayes decided on a law career and started studying at a law office in Columbus before getting a law degree at Harvard in 1845. He passed the Ohio bar and opened a law office in Lower Sandusky, near his Uncle.

After a bout with tuberculosis, Hayes made a name for himself in criminal law in Cincinnati. He had compassion for the downtrodden and was known for saving his clients from the gallows or from jail altogether. He was socially popular and especially had an interest in literary gatherings. But, in the end, he would marry a girl from his hometown of Delaware, Lucy Webb.

Lucy would be quite the strong willed woman with opinions of her own. She was strongly anti-slavery and just as strongly supported temperance, the latter becoming a major factor when Hayes became President.

Though he saw abolitionists as way too radical, Hayes, nonetheless was moderately anti-slavery. Still, he was heavily influenced by Lucy, whose views were probably a little more radical for the time and started to defend runaway slaves who came to Ohio from Kentucky. A celebrated case was of a slave who had been brought to Ohio en route to Virginia with her owner. She was detained by anti-slavery activists and the owner asked what she wanted to do. When the slave chose freedom, he had her arrested as a runaway slave. Hayes, along with Senator Salmon Chase and Judge Timothy Walker, took on the case. As with these cases though, it was a little drawn out, but in the end, Hayes' argument that the slave was not a runaway since her owner brought her to Ohio won out. The Commissioner hearing the case agreed and the slave was no longer a slave.

And as such, Hayes' political career had begun in earnest. The Whigs by now had folded and Hayes helped form the Ohio Republican Party. He was a little disappointed that some of the old Whig values had been abandoned but nonetheless, enthusiastically supported John Fremont's Presidential campaign in 1856.

In 1858, he was chosen to fill in for Cincinnati's City Attorney, a post he kept until 1861.

He may have held that post a while longer except 1861 was the year the Civil War broke out. Hayes entered a local volunteer company at the age of 39 and might have stayed there, but once he realized the war could be a long drawn out affair, he declared his willingness to fight for the Union and was appointed as a Major in the 23rd Ohio Volunteers. He was well liked and respected by enlisted men and his superiors alike. He served in the regiment with another future President, William McKinley, and they would become close friends.

Hayes would be injured in the Battle of South Mountain at Antietam and Lucy would nurse him, and other injured soldiers as they convalesced at Middletown, Maryland. Hayes efforts at Antietam were considered quite brave and he would be promoted to Colonel. He would distinguish himself under General Phillip Sheridan as the Union Army drove into the Shenandoah region. In 1864, Hayes would suffer a head wound but, luckily for him, the bullet had passed through another soldier, and he ended up surviving in one piece.

Hayes mustered out of the Army as a Brigadier General after the war having distinguished himself in battle. He didn't have the fame of a Ulysses Grant or William Sherman, but he certainly had a lot to be proud of by standing for his convictions.

He was a hero in Cincinnati though, and he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1864 despite his protests (he was still fighting a war). Still, he accepted election and took his seat after the war. He was a Radical Republican and supported their positions but wasn't one to make a lot of speeches. He resigned in 1867 to run for Governor of Ohio.

It wasn't an easy race. Though Hayes appealed to the anti- Catholic sentiments in the state, he also was pushing for voting rights for blacks and barely won the election. The Democrats won the State Legislature, and his hopes of black suffrage would be dashed. He did get the 14th and 15th Amendments ratified in Ohio however and he would be re-elected, serving as Governor until 1872. The political career seemed to end that year after Hayes lost a bid back to Congress while supporting President Grant's re-election. He retired from politics and moved to what was now Fremont to help his ailing Uncle Sardis.





Summary of offices held:

1858-1861: City's Attorney, Cincinnati, Ohio

1861-1865: US Union Army, Brigadier General

1865-1867: US House of Representatives

1868-1872: Governor of Ohio

1876-1877: Governor of Ohio


What was going on: End of reconstruction, The Railroad barons, The American Indian wars

Scandals within the administration: Ayers corruption scandal

Why he was a good President: He was a staunch advocate of Civil Service reform and while he couldn't go all the way with it, he certainly had it going in the right direction. And indeed, even if some of his decisions were controversial from a historic standpoint, no one ever doubted his great integrity.

Why he was a bad President: Well, some of decisions were controversial. I won't beat him up on ending Reconstruction because he was between a rock and a hard place there, but he could have been more empathetic to the Native American cause, at least politically (personally, I think he felt great guilt). And he definitely fouled up when he restricted Chinese Immigration.

What could have saved his Presidency: If he had been the one to pass the Civil Reform Act and not Chester Arthur, that certainly could have helped his legacy as a reformer. A stronger enforcement of black voting rights would have also secured his place in history.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: A few things really. Going back to the gold standard could have been a disaster (luckily for him, it wasn't). If things had gone awry with the 1877 railroad strike (which he handled quite well), and if he had caved in to the South with their anti-voting legislation. Yes, that resistance would be short lived post Hayes, but at least he didn't succumb to the pressure.

Election of 1876: Hayes thought he was retired but economic hard times and an unpopular Democratic Governor led to a draft Hayes movement in Ohio. He won a close election and started a third term as Governor.

And it turned Hayes into a major Presidential Candidate. The Republicans we're in a disarray after the Grant scandals. Hayes was attractive as a favorite son candidate, and he was popular with both the regular and reform wings of his party. He supported Radical Republican legislation, and he was an advocate for African-American suffrage. His integrity was beyond reproach and, on top of that, he was from a swing state. He wasn't the favorite; James Blaine of Maine was.

But Blaine was tarnished by corruption while the other favorites, Oliver Morton, the Radical's choice, was ill, Benjamin Bristow, the reformer, was nixed by Grant, and Roscoe Conkling, well, he was Boss Roscoe Conkling, wasn't he?

So that left Hayes and he clinched the nomination on the seventh ballot.

The Democrats, meanwhile, though they had a real shot at gaining the Presidency this year. Their platform was dominated by political reforms in the wake of the Grant Administration scandals and Governor Samuel Tilden of New York won by a landslide on the second ballot.

Like Hayes, Tilden was a reformer, credited with helping to bust the Boss Tweed ring. And it was, at least until election day, a reasonably civil campaign.  Both candidates pushed for civil service reform, Hayes going even farther to pledge he'd only serve for one term. Tilden, meanwhile, was counting on the Southern vote, knowing full well that Republican voting blacks would be discouraged from the polls.

In the end, Samuel Tilden won the popular vote, nearly 51% in fact. But several states, particularly in the South, were ripe with voter fraud and the election was declared with no officially elected President.

So, the election would be decided by the House. Not surprisingly, there was a lot of accusations coming from both parties and they would decide on a bipartisan Elections Committee. Hayes initially opposed that as he felt it would give up on electoral certainty, but he came to realize it would enhance the legitimacy of the declared winner, whoever he may be.

But, while Tilden may have been honest, his nephew wasn't as he thought he could buy the one independent's vote for Tilden. Sensing a conflict, Judge Davis resigned as the only independent on the Committee. He was replaced by a Republican Senator and Hayes was declared the winner.

But wait, there's more. Tilden had technically won Louisiana, but 15,000 votes were thrown out as fraudulent, Hayes was awarded the state. This led the Democrats to pull a full court press and stall the certification all the way to inauguration day.

The Democrats knew that Hayes would ultimately be chosen in the end, but they were able to negotiate the removal of Federal troops from the remaining occupied states thus, ending Reconstruction. They also wanted subsidies for the Texas and Pacific railroad as well as guarantees of pre-war Whig appointments to the cabinet.

Whether Hayes was involved in the deal is questionable. The end of Reconstruction was happening anyway, and Hayes was a reformer, so he wasn't about to pay off some railroad baron. Nevertheless, The Democratic Speaker of the House called off the filibusters that were holding up the certification, and Hayes was inaugurated.


First term: This was going to be a rough term even if Tilden had won. As for Hayes, he not only had to deal with resistance from the Democrats, but he also had problems within his own party as Boss Conklin christened him with the moniker, His Fraudulency. He did in fact remove the Federal troops from the South and Reconstruction was over.

With Reconstruction now on the backburner, President Hayes worked on civil reform as he issued an executive order barring Federal employees from engaging in political activities. It also said that no one in office could be dismissed for political reasons. He also had to deal with a major railroad strike and sent Federal troops to quell the unrest and to protect the mail.

The war against the Patronage gods continued meanwhile as he took on Boss Conkling. President Hayes fired the Collector of the Port of New York, Chester A. Arthur. This infuriated Conkling who then blocked Arthur's would be replacement, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. (Yeah, Teddy's father).

On the economic front, Hayes put America back on the Gold Standard. There was also the situation with the continued displacement of Native Americans. President Hayes allowed that to continue thinking it was the best for all parties involved. Obviously, it wasn't. He also signed a bill restricting Chinese immigration to the United States.

But when it came to black suffrage, he was able to make a stand when Democrats tried to push through a law allowing troops to oversee voting booths (the intention was to discourage black suffrage in the South). Hayes vetoed the bill three times before settling on a bill he could live with. This ensured that blacks could at least go to the voting booth without intimidation in 1880 anyway.

And he left office with a pretty good reputation as a reformer. So, yeah, a mixed bag.

But at least he wasn't James Buchanan.

Post Presidency: As pledged, Hayes did not run for re-election. Instead, he and Lemonade Lucy called it a day. Not that he rested on his laurels. He still advocated for social causes, especially in regard to public education. He fought for the poor, black and white. He opposed the death penalty and believed in prison reform.

And, near the end of his life, he favored the regulation of industry seeing the gap between rich and poor (something that probably would get him thrown out of the Republican Party today). Indeed, Hayes would be something of an activist and enjoyed a very productive Post-Presidency that is comparable to the likes of Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter. Failed Presidents, yes.

But much better people.

Odd notes: Hayes banned booze at the White House
 
                    The Hayes' were given the first Siamese Cat in America

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/69848/7-presidential-facts-about-rutherford-b-hayes[/URL]


Final Summary: So, yes, as President, Rutherford Hayes is something of a mixed bag. Though no one ever doubted his integrity, he did seem to cave in on issues such as Chinese immigration, and even African-American suffrage to a point. He probably wasn't what you would call an economic expert either, though he certainly did the best he could there.

On the other hand, he didn't do anything to hurt black voting rights and prevented what would have been a worst situation when 1880 rolled around. More importantly, he championed the march towards civil service reform and never wavered in his attempts to eliminate patronage from government. It was why he pledged for only one term to begin with.

Now, a lot of historians think that Samuel Tilden would have made a better President. Maybe he would have. But how would he have handled the railroad strike? Yes, he likely would have been for Civil Service reform, but could he have stood up to the likes of Roscoe Conkling, as Hayes did? Don't forget, if anything, the Democrats were even more corrupt.

So, even though Hayes got in by rather controversial means, I can't say he would have been any better or worse than Tilden. One thing is for certain though, Rud Hayes was a very good man who had strong convictions.

I just wish (outside of civil service reform) he could have asserted his convictions a bit more as President.

Overall rating: C

https://millercenter.org/president/hayes"]https://millercenter.org/president/hayes[/URL]

[Rubber Soul]

20. JAMES GARFIELD (Life is very short...)




Born: November 19, 1831, Orange, Ohio
Died: September 19, 1881, Elberon, New Jersey (assassinated- shot in Washington DC July 2, 1881)

Term: March 4, 1881- September 19, 1881
Political Party: Republican

Vice President: Chester Arthur

First Lady: Lucretia Rudolph Garfield

Before the Presidency: James Garfield never knew his father as he died when he was an infant. The youngest of three children, he spent most of his childhood helping out his widowed mother work her farm outside of Cleveland. He didn't like farming, however, and dreamed of a life at sea.

So, Garfield tried his hand working on canal boats between Cleveland to Pittsburgh but that didn't work out very well.

So, Garfield went into teaching while attending school. He later paid his way through college by working as a janitor, finally entering Williams College in Massachusetts at the age of twenty-three. While at college, he was excited at the prospect of hearing Ralph Waldo Emerson. He also developed his anti-slavery views during this period.

After collage, he returned to teaching at the Eclectic Institute, becoming its President in 1857. Also studying law, he passed the Ohio bar in 1861.

In 1856, the Radical Republican campaigned for John Fremont and, three years later, he was in the Ohio legislature. He was a true abolitionist, opposing the spread of slavery anywhere. He didn't agree with the John Brown raid but had hopes for a better day as a result. He campaigned for Lincoln in 1860 even though he didn't like him very much (Lincoln's views were seen as too moderate for him).

When the South seceded, he strongly favored military intervention. As such, he organized the 42nd Ohio Infantry. He rose to the rank of Colonel and distinguished himself in at least two battles. He defeated the Confederates at Middle Creek in early 1862 and took control of Eastern Kentucky. The next year, and now a Major General, he made a daring ride under enemy fire at the battle of Chickamauga. Later, he was appointed Chief of Staff to Major General Rosecrans although it's likely the two didn't get along.

It didn't matter for Garfield was, unbeknownst to him, elected to the US House of Representatives as a war hero and he resigned his commission to take his seat in December 1863.

In the House, he distinguished himself as one of the most radical of Republicans. He supported the seizure of rebel assets in the North and advocated the execution and exile of Confederate leaders. He grew in his office though and would become quite the seasoned politician. He moderated during reconstruction taking a less severe approach than his radical counterparts. He did support the impeachment of President Johnson, however.

Garfield supported the nominations of Grant in 1868 and 1872 though he did have questions about his judgment. He backed Hayes in 1876 even before the nomination as he was a favorite son (both hailed from Ohio). Meanwhile, he became an expert on banking matters as chair of the Banking and Currency committee. In that capacity, he was an advocate of the gold standard. He also opposed the Granger laws which advocated collective farming (He called it Communism in disguise, interesting comment as this was four decades before the Russian Revolution though after Marx' manifesto). He also opposed labor unions and the eight hour work day.

Garfield was also caught up in the Credit Mobilier scandal. Garfield admitted taking $329 from the company. He also voted for a retroactive salary increase and it nearly cost him re-election.

Hayes was elected in 1876 as the Republicans lost the House. Garfield was named as House Minority Leader. As such he worked behind the scenes in the Compromise of 1877 which more or less ended Reconstruction in the South. Indeed, as Minority Leader, Garfield was known as a master of compromise within the factions of his party. The major factions were known as the Stalwarts, led by Roscoe Conkling, who really wanted to still punish the South and wanted Grant back in the White House. The Half-Breeds, led by James Blaine, were known for supporting higher tariffs. Both factions were notoriously corrupt.

Such was the state of the Republican Party circa 1880.

Summary of offices held:

1857-1861: President, Eclectic Institute

1860-1861: Ohio State Senate

1861-1863: US Union Army, Major General, served in Civil War.

1863-1880: US House of Representatives

1871-1875: Chairman House Appropriations Committee

1877-1880: House Minority Leader


What was going on: Civil service reform, Post-reconstruction

Scandals within the administration: The Star Route scandal

Why he was a good President: At the onset, he seemed to be going after the patronage system like Hayes before him. And he stood up to Conkling.

Why he was a bad President: He didn't get to do anything else. Plus were his intentions really what they seemed?

What could have saved his Presidency: Better doctors for one.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: If he had turned out as corrupt as Conkling and his cronies.

Election of 1880: As the Republicans convened in Chicago, it was expected to be a battle between Former President Grant and the Stalwarts and James Blaine and his Half Breeds. Garfield ostensibly was a Half Breed being more on the economic side of things. But Garfield, as head of the Ohio delegation, backed Treasury Secretary John Sherman as a compromise candidate.

For thirty-four ballots, no one could come up with a nominee. Surprisingly, Garfield might get a vote or two, but no one really took his candidacy seriously nor did Garfield himself.

But on the thirty-fifth ballot, the Wisconsin delegation voted all in for Garfield and in the end, Garfield was nominated with 399 votes to Grant's 305. Garfield found himself as the reluctant Republican nominee. Conkling's protégé, and with Garfield's blessing, was chosen for the Vice- Presidency. He was the once fired Chester A. Arthur.

Meanwhile, on the Democratic Side, Tilden withdrew his candidacy, and the Dems went with their own Civil War hero in the form of Winfield S. Hancock.

As for the general election, the states were about as split as they are today. The Democrats had a lock on the South while the Republicans had most of the North with the Western states more or less up for grabs. The Democrats painted Garfield as corrupt from the Credit Mobilier scandal while Republicans stayed away from character issues, instead painting Hancock as uninformed.

It's possible that the Dems were guilty of incredible stupidity in the end though when a letter that Garfield allegedly wrote to businessmen pledging to continue Chinese immigration so wages could stay low was published in a Democratic newspaper (both Republicans and Democrats opposed Chinese immigration). Garfield vehemently denied writing it and it would be exposed to be a forgery.

And perhaps that was enough to tilt a very close election to Garfield for he only won by 2000 popular votes, the closest in US history. He fared a little better in the Electoral College though and, since there was no major fraud to report this time, no one had to go through the circus of 1876.

First term: James Garfield would go down as the great what-if of American History for reasons we'll see very soon. As it was though, he started out the gate going after the Stalwarts. He named Half Breed Blaine as Secretary of State and appointed others that especially angered Stalwart Conkling. The biggest issue concerned the appointment of the Collector of the New York Customhouse. Garfield blocked Conkling's man for W.H. Robertson. Conkling was infuriated and tried to hold up all the appointments. President Garfield got the last laugh, however, when after an agreement to end a filibuster, he withdrew all of his appointments- except for Robertson. Needless to say, Conkling was pissed and, along with fellow New York Senator, Tom Platt, resigned from the Senate.

There wasn't much time for anything else even as the Star Route Scandal was exposed. This scandal involving the Post Office would later implicate members of Garfield's cabinet.

Assassination: July 2,1881 was, more or less, an ordinary day. It was a bit past nine in the morning and President Garfield was about to board a train to Massachusetts to introduce his sons to his alma mater.

The President was approached by a reported office seeker. He was armed with a .44 caliber British Bulldog. He shot Garfield in the abdomen and announced that he was a Stalwart and Arthur was now President. He waited to be arrested and the deranged man obviously thought he was some sort of American hero of sorts. As for Garfield himself, he assured bystanders that he wasn't shot that badly and he would be fine.

Indeed, his wounds were not really that much worse than Reagan's when he was shot a century later. But this was 1881, not 1981, and the medical procedures and technology were a lot different, even primitive by 1981 standards.

And the doctors weren't doing Garfield any favors either. They spent two months looking for the bullet that lodged in the President's pancreas, often with their unsanitized hands.

So, imagine their surprise where, after two and a half agonizing months, President James A. Garfield succumbed to blood poisoning.

Odd notes: Alexander Graham Bell tried to save Garfield's life (needless to say, he failed)

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/556479/president-james-garfield-facts

Garfield's favorite food was squirrel soup (yuck!)

https://facts.net/james-garfield-facts/

Final Summary: As mentioned, Garfield goes down as the great what-if in American Presidential history. Most historians like to give him the benefit of the doubt given his history of support for African American suffrage and what appeared to be his advocation of Civil Service reform.

I have no doubt he would have been a friend to the blacks but what about civil service reform? Was he really going to push for reform or was he just trying to stick it to the Stalwarts? After all, he admittedly took a bribe in the Credit Mobilier affair and he was aligned with the Half Breeds, who were just as corrupt as the Stalwarts, even going so far as having the head half Breed, James Blaine, as his Secretary of State.

He also supported the gold standard which, by the Great Depression, was proven not to work very well when people had a run on banks among other things.

So, as he only really accomplished one thing and skeptical of his motives in the four months before he was shot, I'm tempted to be kind and give him an incomplete. But after reading about his political history, I'll simply call him average and hope I might be wrong.

Overall rating: C

https://millercenter.org/president/garfield