Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 May 1889 — ABOUT PRESIDENTS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ABOUT PRESIDENTS.

INTERESTING HISTORICAL TRUTHS ■ SELDOM THOUGHT OF. The Ghost Which Has Followed Famous Secretaries of State—Ministers Abroad and Their Chances of Sitting in the Presidential Chair.

THE table below gives at a glance the political history of the Presidents. JesRferson, Madison, MonKroe, J. Q. Adams. Van r Buren, and Buchanan served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State, and Grant as Secretary of

War. The letter “o” signifies that the President whose name ie opposite filled the specified offices before he was called to guide the ship of state:

3 a g a 1 i i§ 2 • £- 9 S- •» ■„ ® ►d 1 o i en ; •IP®Si3 3 V-t ® • • • t* ® o 1! 31® a : • : g ■ *l' “ - i a • : • .'■©•!• • l j 111 l u: ; Washington... 1732iC0m o o j Adams 1735] o o .. .. o ,o Jefferson 1743' o o o .. ..o Madison 1751 o o Monroe 1758 Capt. o o o o o J. Q. Adams.. 1767 o o ..o o Jackson 1767 Mj. G .. o o o ..1.. Judge. Van Buren.... 1782 o ..oo ..o Harrison 1773 Mj. Go o o o o .. Tr. Sea Tyler 1790 o o o o ..o Polk 1795 o o o Taylor 1784 Gen Fillmore 1800 ...... o o o Com Pierce 1804 Bg. Go o .. o .. .. D. AttyBuchanan.... 1791 o o ..oo Lincoln 1809 Capt. o o PostM. Johnson 1808 o o o o ..o Ald’n Grant......... 1822 Com Hayes 1822 Bg. G .. o o CtySol Garfield 1831jMj. Go o .. o Arthur 1830 Gen o Col. Pt. •Cleveland.... 1837| o |Mayor Harrison 1833;Bg, G o .. . .[Ct. Rep ♦Cleveland was Sheriff and Assistant District Attorney. History does not bear out the general belief that a seat in the Cabinet or a position at a • foreign court ends a man’s Presidential ambition, for Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Quincy - Adams, Van Buren and Buchanan each served as Secretary of State. All of them except Madison and Van Buren represented the nation abroad as Ministers. General Grant was Secretary of War. Seven Vice Presidents reached, the higher office. They were John Adams, Jefferson, and Van Buren who were elected toIt; and Tyler, Fillmore, Johnson and Arthur, who succeeded the four Presidents who died in office, viz.: Gen. Harrison, Gen. Taylor, Lincoln, and General Garfield. Only three Presidents occupied office after vacating the Presidential chair—Quincy Adams, who afterward-spent seventeen years in Congress ; Monroe, who became a Justice of the Peace; and Johnson, who was elected United - Stateß Senator in 1875.

The Speakership of Congress has not proven conducive to the Presidency. Only one man ■who presided over the House has reached the Chief Magistracy, and that was James K. Polk. Two of America’s most brilliant sons—Hqpry Clay and James G. Blaine—are cases in point. Both were sent to the Legislature young, and they became the Speakers of their respective Houses. They were elevated to Congress, and each became Speaker of the House. Both • served in the Senate and in the Cabinet as Secretary of State. They were also unsuccessful candidates for President. Each was defeated by a comparatively unknown man—Clay by Polk and Blaine by Cleveland. Virginia has furnished no less than seven Presidents—Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, “Old Tippecanoe” Harrison, Zacharv Taylor, aud John Tyler. Harrison was a resident of Ohio and Taylor of Louisiana when elected. The two Adamses. John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams, were both natives of Massachusetts. Franklin Pierce was born in New Hampshire and Gen. Arthur was a native of Vermont. Thus New England has had four representatives in the White House. Five of the men elevated to the office were either natives or residents of Ohio, and soldiers —viz: “Old Tippecanoe” Harrison, Gens. Grant, Hayes, and Garfield, and Gen. Benjamin Harrison. All but Gen. W. H. Harrison (a Virginian by birth) were born in Ohio. Grant became a resident of Illinois and Benjamin Harrison is an adopted son of Indiana. Hayes had a singular experience in his political career. He was elected Governor of Ohio three times, defeating each time a Democrat of national reputation—Allen G. Thurman, George H. Pendleton, and “Old Bill” Allen. The first two named were unsuccessful candidates for Vice President. It was Thurman who admitted Hayes to the bar.

New York has furnished four Presidents—Van. Buren, Fillmore, Arthur, and Cleveland. The first two were natives of the State, Arthur was a Vermonter, and Cleveland a native of New Jersey. It is an odd coincidence that Fillmore and Cleveland were residents of Buffalo. Illinois never sent a native of the State to theWhite House, but two of the most illustrious Presidents—Lincoln, the emancipator, and Gen. Grant—were citizens of the State when they were raised to the Chief Magistracy. It is a singular fact that the three citizens of Tennessee who occupied the White House—Jackson, Polk, and Johnson—wete natives of North Carolina. The first two named lived in or near Nashville. As to education: Washington, Jackson, Van Buren, Taylor, Fillmore, Lincoln, Johnson, and Cleveland were not college men. Except Van. Buren and Cleveland, who were educated in small academies, the others received only the> commonest kind of an education. Johnson could neither read nor write until his wife • taught him those accomplishments. Both the Adamses, father and son, were Harvard College graduates. John Quincy Adams was a professor at Harvard. Madison graduated from Princeton College, and Jefferson, Monroe, and Tyler received their sheepskins at William and Mary College, Virginia. Old Gen. Harrison graduated from the Hamp-den-Sidney College, Polk from the North Carolina University, Pierce frofei Bowdoin College, Buchanan at Dickinson College, and Grant at West Point. Williams College was Garfield’s alma mater, Hayes was trained at Kenyon College, Arthur at Union College, and Harrison at Miami University. No less than eleven Presidents had military titles won on the battlefield. Washington and Grant were commanding Generals; Jackson, William H. Harrison, Taylor and Garfield Major Generals; Pierce, Hayes and Benjamin Harrison, Brigadier Generals. Monroe was a Major and Lincoln a Captain. Washington, Monroe and Jackson took part in the Revolution; Jackson, Harrison and Taylor in the war of 1812• Taylor, Pierce and Grant went through the Mexican war -Lincoln fought in the Black Hawk war, and Grant, Hayes, Garfield and Benjamin Harrison in the war of the rebellion. All the Presidents except Jackson, Taylor, Grant, Arthur, Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison served in thair State Legislatures. All of them except Taylor, Grant, Arthur, Cleveland and the new President were Congressmen. Jefferson, Jackson, Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Johnson, Hayes, and Cleveland were Governors of their respective States for one or more terms. Both Harrisons, the younger Adams, Monroe, Jackson, Van Buren, Tyler, Pierce, Buchanan, Johnson, aud Garfield were United States Senators. Garfield was elected, but he never served, having been elected President shortly afterward. Jackson never spoke in the Senate. Seven of them were Cabinet officials. Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams,. Van Buren, and Buchanan served as Secretary of State, and Gen. Grant a 3 Secretary of War for five months. Both the Adamses, Jefferson, Monroe, Tippecanoe -Harrison, and Buchanan were Ministers to foreign countries. Only one President was a Sheriff, that wasCleveland. Only one an Alderman, Johnson. Both Johnson and Cleveland were Mayors. Gen.. Grant was the youngest President, 47, and “Old Tippecanoe” the oldest, 68. Monroe, Grant, andArthur were residents of New York City whenthey died. Several Presidents had nicknames. Jacksonwas “Old Hickory,” W. H. Harrison “Old Tippecanoe,” Taylor “Rough and Ready,” Buchanan was called “Old Buck,” Lincoln “Old Abe "andGen. Benjamin Harrison “Little Bon.”