American Presidents Blog

Space Shuttle Challenger

2012-01-27T12:18:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the Space Shutter Challenger diaster and this is actually I date I always remember as it is also my brother's birthday (he turned 3 in 1986, you can do the math on what he is turning tomorrow). So anyway, here is President Reagan's address on the Challanger. He was actually supposed to be giving the State of the Union, but it was postponed due to this tragedy. I like how he included the schoolchildren watching it in his speech. I didn't watch it in 1986 (at least I don't remember and honestly I would have been kindergarden so probably wasn't), but I do remember watching it on the anniversary when I was in third grade and it must have been hard on those teachers trying to explain what went wrong.
Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight; we've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle. But they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together....
And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.

I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute. We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: "Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it."

There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and an historian later said, "He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it." Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.

Termper, Temper

2012-01-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

So who had the worst temper? This article explores presidential tempers. This article explores presidential tempers and talk about how tempers have been used:
There are two kinds of temper that seem to have been nearly indispensable in the Presidency. One is contrived indignation. Nothing is more valuable in politics than the ability to summon up histrionic anger on a moment’s notice. A recent example is Bill Clinton’s conveniently blowing up at Jesse Jackson near an open microphone during the 1992 campaign. The all-time Academy Award-winning performance, though, was put on in 1980 by—unsurprisingly—Ronald Reagan, when he waylaid George Bush in a New Hampshire primary debate by declaring, “I paid for this microphone!” No matter that his campaign had set up the whole incident or that his lines were taken almost verbatim from a speech by Spencer Tracy in the 1948 film State of the Union; it was an extremely effective piece of political theater.

The other most effective presidential temper seems to be the ability to channel all of the office’s inherent frustrations and aggravations into a focused, useful, limited hatred toward various persons. Just how limited of course depends on the President. For Andrew Jackson, it extended (in part) to the Bank of the United States (“The bank, Mr. Van Buren, is trying to kill me, but I will kill it!”), to Henry Clay (“the basest, meanest scoundrel that ever disgraced the image of his God”), to John C. Calhoun (“I will hang him higher than Haman!”), and to the British Empire (see “New Orleans, Battle of”).

State of the Union con't

2012-01-25T12:29:00.000-08:00

One more State of the Union...so here's James K. Polk's from 1846. I found this part, on the Treasury worth posting:
The annual report of the Secretary of the Treasury will exhibit a detailed statement of the condition of the finances. The imports for the fiscal year ending on the 30th of June last were of the value of $121,691,797, of which the amount exported was $11,346,623, leaving the amount retained in the country for domestic consumption $110,345,174. The value of the exports for the same period was $113,488,516, of which $102,141,893 consisted of domestic productions and $11,346,623 of foreign articles.

The receipts into the Treasury for the same year were $29,499,247.06, of which there was derived from customs $26,712,667.87, from the sales of public lands $2,694,452.48, and from incidental and miscellaneous sources $92,126.71. The expenditures for the same period were $28,031,114.20, and the balance in the Treasury on the 1st day of July last was $9,126,439. 08.

The amount of the public debt, including Treasury notes, on the 1st of the present month was $24,256,494.60, of which the sum of $17,788,799.62 was outstanding on the 4th of March, 1845, leaving the amount incurred since that time $6,467,694.98.

State of the Union

2012-01-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

The State of the Union is tonight and you can view an enhanced version here. I was listening to the radio and it was talking about shows being preempted due to this....my kids will have no idea what preemptions are! We DVR everything and we have satellite. I grew up with about 6 channels, no DVR, no cable/satellite.....they have it so soft!

Anyway, I decided to pick a random State of the Union to feature here, so here's part of Harding's 1921 State of the Union:
Every contemplation, it little matters in which direction one turns, magnifies the difficulty of tariff legislation, but the necessity of the revision is magnified with it. Doubtless we are justified in seeking .1 More flexible policy than we have provided heretofore. I hope a way will be found to make for flexibility and elasticity, so that rates may be adjusted to meet unusual and changing conditions which can not be accurately anticipated. There are problems incident to unfair practices, and to exchanges which madness in money have made almost unsolvable. I know of no manner in which to effect this flexibility other than the extension of the powers of the Tariff Commission so that it can adapt itself to it scientific and wholly just administration of the law. I am not unmindful of the constitutional difficulties. These can be met by giving authority to the Chief Executive, who could proclaim-additional duties to meet conditions which the Congress may designate.

At this point I must disavow any desire to enlarge the Executive's powers or add to the responsibilities of the office. They are already too large. If there were any other plan I would prefer it.

The grant of authority to proclaim would necessarily bring the Tariff Commission into new and enlarged activities, because no Executive could discharge. such a duty except upon the information acquired and recommendations made by this commission. But the plan is feasible, and the proper functioning of the board would give its it better administration of a defined policy than ever can be made possible by tariff duties prescribed without flexibility.

There is a manifest difference of opinion about the merits of American valuation. Many nations have adopted delivery valuation as the basis for collecting duties; that is, they take the cost of the imports delivered at the port of entry as the basis for levying duty. It is no radical departure, in view of varying conditions and the disordered state of money values, to provide for American valuation, but there can not be ignored the danger of such a valuation, brought to the level of our own production costs, making our tariffs prohibitive. It might do so in many instances where imports ought to be encouraged. I believe Congress ought well consider the desirability of the only promising alternative, namely, a provision authorizing proclaimed American valuation, under prescribed conditions, on any given list of articles imported.

In this proposed flexibility, authorizing increases to meet conditions so likely to change, there should also be provision for decreases. A rate may be just to-day, and entirely out of proportion six months from to-day. If our tariffs are to be made equitable, and not necessarily burden our imports and hinder our trade abroad, frequent adjustment will be necessary for years to come. Knowing the impossibility of modification by act of Congress for any one or a score of lines without involving a long array of schedules, I think we shall go a long ways toward stabilization, if there is recognition of the Tariff Commission's fitness to recommend urgent changes by proclamation.

I am sure about public opinion favoring the early determination of our tariff policy. There have been reassuring signs of a business revival from the deep slump which all the world has been experiencing. Our unemployment, which gave its deep concern only a few weeks ago, has grown encouragingly less, and new assurances and renewed confidence will attend the congressional declaration that American industry will be held secure.

Much has been said about the protective policy for ourselves making it impossible for our debtors to discharge their obligations to us. This is a contention not now pressing for decision. If we must choose between a people in idleness pressing for the payment of indebtedness, or a people resuming the normal ways of employment and carrying the credit, let us choose the latter. Sometimes we appraise largest the human ill most vivid in our minds. We have been giving, and are giving now, of our influence and appeals to minimize the likelihood of war and throw off the crushing burdens of armament. It is all very earnest, with a national soul impelling. But a people unemployed, and gaunt with hunger, face a situation quite as disheartening as war, and our greater obligation to-day is to do the Government's part toward resuming productivity and promoting fortunate and remunerative employment.

Something more than tariff protection is required by American agriculture. To the farmer has come the earlier and the heavier burdens of readjustment. There is actual depression in our agricultural industry, while agricultural prosperity is absolutely essential to the general prosperity of the country.

Congress has sought very earnestly to provide relief. It has promptly given such temporary relief as has been possible, but the call is insistent for the permanent solution. It is inevitable that large crops lower the prices and short crops advance them. No legislation can cure that fundamental law. But there must be some economic solution for the excessive variation in returns for agricultural production.

It is rather shocking to be told, and to have the statement strongly supported, that 9,000,000 bales of cotton, raised on American plantations in a given year, will actually be worth more to the producers than 13,000,000 bales would have been. Equally shocking is the statement that 700,000,000 bushels of wheat, raised by American farmers, would bring them more money than a billion bushels. Yet these are not exaggerated statements. In a world where there are tens of millions who need food and clothing which they can not get, such a condition is sure to indict the social system which makes it possible.

In the main the remedy lies in distribution and marketing. Every proper encouragement should be given to the cooperative marketing programs. These have proven very helpful to the cooperating communities in Europe. In Russia the cooperative community has become the recognized bulwark of law and order, and saved individualism from engulfment in social paralysis. Ultimately they will be accredited with the salvation of the Russian State. There is the appeal for this experiment. Why not try it? No one challenges the right of the farmer to a larger share of the consumer's pay for his product, no one disputes that we can not live without the farmer. Ile is justified in rebelling against the transportation cost. (liven a fair return for his labor, he will have less occasion to appeal for financial aid; and given assurance that his labors shall not be in vain, we reassure all the people of a production sufficient to meet our National requirement and guard against disaster.

The base of the pyramid of civilization which rests upon the soil is shrinking through the drift of population from farm to city. For a generation we have been expressing more or less concern about this tendency. Economists have warned and statesmen have deplored. We thought for at time that modern conveniences and the more intimate contact would halt the movement, but it has gone steadily on. Perhaps only grim necessity will correct it, but we ought to find a less drastic remedy.

The existing scheme of adjusting freight rates hits been favoring the basing points, until industries are attracted to some centers and repelled from others. A great volume of uneconomic and wasteful transportation has attended, and the cost increased accordingly. The grain-milling and meat-packing industries afford ample illustration, and the attending concentration is readily apparent. The menaces in concentration are not limited to the retardingly influences on agriculture. Manifestly the. conditions and terms of railway transportation ought not be permitted to increase this undesirable tendency. We have a just pride in our great cities, but we shall find a greater pride in the Nation, which has it larger distribution of its population into the country, where comparatively self-sufficient smaller communities may blend agricultural and manufacturing interests in harmonious helpfulness and enhanced good fortune. Such a movement contemplates no destruction of things wrought, of investments made, or wealth involved. It only looks to a general policy of transportation of distributed industry, and of highway construction, to encourage the spread of our population and restore the proper balance between city and country. The problem may well have your earnest attention.

It has been perhaps the proudest claim of our American civilization that in dealing with human relationships it has constantly moved toward such justice in distributing the product of human energy that it has improved continuously the economic status of the mass of people. Ours has been a highly productive social organization. On the way up from the elemental stages of society we have eliminated slavery and serfdom and are now far on the way to the elimination of poverty.

Through the eradication of illiteracy and the diffussion of education mankind has reached a stage where we may fairly say that in the United States equality of opportunity has been attained, though all are not prepared to embrace it. There is, indeed, a too great divergence between the economic conditions of the most and the least favored classes in the community. But even that divergence has now come to the point where we bracket the very poor and the very rich together as the least fortunate classes. Our efforts may well be directed to improving the status of both.

While this set of problems is commonly comprehended under the general phrase "Capital and labor," it is really vastly broader. It is a question of social and economic organization. Labor has become a large contributor, through its savings, to the stock of capital; while the people who own the largest individual aggregates of capital are themselves often hard and earnest laborers. Very often it is extremely difficult to draw the line of demarcation between the two groups; to determine whether a particular individual is entitled to be set down as laborer or as capitalist. In a very large proportion of cases lie is both, and when lie is both lie is the most useful citizen.

Want a different State of the Union? You can find them all here.

Lincoln's Patent

2012-01-20T10:56:00.000-08:00

Did you know Lincoln held a patent? Lincoln held a patent for, "A Device for Buoying Vessels Over Shoals."
The invention consisted of a set of bellows attached to the hull of a ship just below the water line. After reaching a shallow place, the bellows were filled with air that buoyed the vessel higher, making it float higher. The invention was never marketed, it was discovered that the extra weight the device added increased the probability of running onto sandbars, defeating the purpose of the invention.

Abraham Lincoln whittled the model for his patent application with his own hands out of wood. It is on display at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History.

Tyler, Too by Seager

2012-01-19T16:58:00.000-08:00

I read the American Presidents series biography of John Tyler and they quoted this book a lot, so I decided to check it out as it purported to be a biography of both John and Julia Tyler. This is a much more personal (versus political) biography, so I found it very interesting and fun. If you have a Nook (which I do), you can actually get it free. My caveat here is that this copy is obviously OCRed and so there a lot of "typos" that are actually scanner/OCR mistakes. But it is readable and I like free. In addition, the page numbers are off so you can't use the endnotes from another look (like that first biography) to find sources easily. But if you just want to read it, it is worth the price. I did enjoy the fact that this was much more personal and it really gave a nice glimpse into Tyler's family and personal lifestyle. This hit much more on his debt problems, his children and his marriages.

I actually also checked the book from the library and that does match page numbers and all, so if you were doing a research project that would probably be better.

In either case, this is a solid, in depth, look into Tyler's life that focuses more on his personality and lifestyle rather than political details. Politics is obviously covered, just not as in depth as other biographies.

Lincoln Check

2012-01-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

Huntington Bank in Ohio recently rediscovered a check Lincoln wrote the day before he was shot:One check on display was written by Abraham Lincoln on April 13, 1865 -- the day before he was shot and two days before he died.

The check, for $800, was written to "self" and drawn on the First National Bank of Washington, D.C. According to Eiler, the check was reportedly used to get cash to pay debts ran up by his wife, who was known to be a big spender. An $800 tab would be the equivalent of $11,260 today.

They also found many other historic checks! This included one from Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.

History Comics

2012-01-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

I found this comic series on historical topics, thanks to an article in Smithsonian. I figured I'd better share this one on the Kennedys!

Nixon and Ted Kennedy?

2012-01-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

Have you been over to listen to the Nixon Tapes yet? This piece is Nixon talking about financing a write in campaign for Ted Kennedy in New Hampshire:
President Nixon: Is there—Should something be done to finance one of the Democratic candidates [unclear] not sure this would work [unclear] [Ed] Muskie on the ticket.

Colson: Oh, I don't think [unclear].

President Nixon: [Unclear.]

Colson: No, I think, oddly enough, that there'll be some scattered write-ins. There'll be some Kennedy write-ins.

President Nixon: Why not-why not at least . . .

Colson: Finance a little Kennedy write-in?

President Nixon: Yeah. Put this down. I would say a postcard mailing to all Democrats in New Hampshire: "Write in for Ted Kennedy, the man you could elect." [tape whip] [Unclear] hit-get every Democrat in the state with it. Now, that doesn't cost too much.

Colson: No.

President Nixon: See? Just an open postcard.

Colson: We're probably talking just a few thousand dollars.

President Nixon: Hmm?

Colson: You’re just talking a few thousand.

Jefferson's Bible

2012-01-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

You've probably heard about Jefferson being labeled a deist, but this article shows how he created his own set of the Gospels:
In fact, Jefferson was devoted to the teachings of Jesus Christ. But he didn’t always agree with how they were interpreted by biblical sources, including the writers of the four Gospels, whom he considered to be untrustworthy correspondents. So Jefferson created his own gospel by taking a sharp instrument, perhaps a penknife, to existing copies of the New Testament and pasting up his own account of Christ’s philosophy, distinguishing it from what he called “the corruption of schismatizing followers.”

...Jefferson produced the 84-page volume in 1820—six years before he died at age 83—bound it in red leather and titled it The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. He had pored over six copies of the New Testament, in Greek, Latin, French and King James English. “He had a classic education at [the College of] William & Mary,” Rubenstein says, “so he could compare the different translations. He cut out passages with some sort of very sharp blade and, using blank paper, glued down lines from each of the Gospels in four columns, Greek and Latin on one side of the pages, and French and English on the other.”

Much of the material Jefferson elected to not include related miraculous events, such as the feeding of the multitudes with only two fish and five loaves of barley bread; he eschewed anything that he perceived as “contrary to reason.” His idiosyncratic gospel concludes with Christ’s entombment but omits his resurrection. He kept Jesus’ own teachings, such as the Beatitude, “Blessed are the peace-makers: for they shall be called the children of God.” The Jefferson Bible, as it’s known, is “scripture by subtraction,” writes Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion at Boston University.

The first time Jefferson undertook to create his own version of Scripture had been in 1804. His intention, he wrote, was “the result of a life of enquiry and reflection, and very different from that anti-Christian system, imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions.” Correspondence indicates that he assembled 46 pages of New Testament passages in The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth. That volume has been lost. It focused on Christ’s moral teachings, organized by topic. The 1820 volume contains not only the teachings, but also events from the life of Jesus.

Iowa Caucus Results

2012-01-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

Well, off and running for another election season.....I will admit while I love presidential history (no, duh, right?), I could definitely use a shorter election season.....so here are the results for 2012 in Iowa. And now on to New Hampshire....

Iowa Caucus

2012-01-03T16:57:00.001-08:00

As I'm sure you realize, the Iowa caucus is tonight. So here's a history of the Iowa Caucus for you!
The Iowa caucuses took a step toward national prominence in 1972 when the state's Democratic Party moved its caucus date forward to January 24, which positioned the caucuses ahead of the New Hampshire primary election, the traditional first presidential nominating event. The earlier date resulted from reforms in the caucus and convention system that the Iowa Democrats adopted between 1968 and 1972 to comply with national party rule changes.

The 1972 decision by the Iowa Democratic Party to move its caucus date forward had an immediate, albeit modest impact on the presidential nominating process. Iowa’s new first-in-the-nation status gained the attention of presidential candidates and reporters. Further changes in state caucus procedures by the Democrats in 1972 and 1976 -- and by the Republicans in 1976 and 1980 -- made possible the creation of a national event by instituting a common date for the meetings and providing “results” from the process. This process centers around precinct caucuses, which select delegates to the county conventions. Before 1972, neither party's procedures were designed to determine winners and losers at the first stage of the multistage Iowa caucus and convention system. The procedural changes created a formal system to determine and report the presidential preferences of caucus participants.

George McGovern, then a South Dakota senator, successfully used the caucuses to gain attention for his campaign, and in so doing contributed to their growth as a national event. McGovern's 1972 Iowa campaign received limited national coverage, but the caucuses had an impact on the race for the Democratic nomination by alerting the nation that the presidential candidacy of Maine Sen. Edmund Muskie was vulnerable. Although modest by current standards, significant attention by the news trendsetters -- the New York Times and the Washington Post -- and the post-caucus success of the McGovern campaign assured more extensive media attention and a larger role for the Iowa caucuses in succeeding years.

In 1975, Jimmy Carter, who was virtually unknown outside the South, launched an all-out effort in Iowa. He became the Democratic front runner after a strong showing which generated considerable attention from the national media, and when "Jimmy who?" gained the party nomination and beat Gerald Ford in the first post Watergate presidential election, the Iowa caucuses became a fixture in the presidential nominating process.

...The 1972 and 1976 caucuses marked the beginning of a dramatic change in American electoral politics. As the Iowa caucuses grew in importance, other states moved their primary events forward. What had been a traditional four-month primary season -- starting in New Hampshire in March and ending in California in June -- was significantly altered. The schedule of primary events was compressed, and a new front-loaded season emphasizing the nominating processes in Iowa and New Hampshire developed.

The article goes on to ask, "Is Iowa a good place to start the presidential campaign? Is it a representative state?"
Party officials in Iowa -- and some local and national writers -- have asserted that Iowa is a good place to begin the presidential campaign because it is a two-party state whose politics are competitive, clean, and open. Moreover, Iowans are hardworking and fair and take their duties as citizens very seriously. Finally, the state is small enough that less well known and less well financed presidential hopefuls have a chance, through hard work and good organization, to establish themselves as viable candidates. This “legend of Iowa” has gained creditability in many circles even though it developed after the fact; that is, as an attempt to rationalize the role Iowa has assumed in presidential politics.

Iowa is a small, homogeneous, Midwestern farm state largely composed of small cities and rural areas. The political culture and demography of Iowa may be typical of the American heartland. But an aging population, the absence of big cities, and the small number of nonwhites make it a poor mirror of the national political culture, and its political activists are not ideologically representative of primary election participants or the national electorate. Although no state can legitimately claim to mirror the national electorate, Iowa is less representative than many. Larger states justifiably complain that Iowa influences the candidate selection process far more than it should, given its lack of demographic and political diversity.

Representative or not, the Iowa caucuses have become an important part of the presidential nominating game. It matters little that Iowa is not a microcosm of the United States. The name of the presidential nominating game is perception, and the reality of the Iowa precinct caucuses has long been replaced by the media perception. It is not the caucus event per se but the media report of the event that shapes the presidential selection process -- just as earlier it was not so much the event itself but the report of the event that shaped the politics of Watergate and Vietnam. Iowa is first. The precinct caucuses provide early evidence -- hard news -- on the progress of the presidential race. This is the perception of Iowa’s role, and it is therefore the reality of the precinct caucuses.

New Year's Receptions

2012-01-02T11:51:00.000-08:00

Check out this slideshow of White House New Year's Receptions - way back before security!

Pet Trivia Answers

2012-01-01T17:45:00.001-08:00

Answer to #1: President Coolidge's family had a raccoon named Rebecca. In the above photo, first lady Grace Coolidge holds Rebecca at the 1927 White House Easter egg roll. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.)

Answer to #2: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's beloved dog Fala was buried beside him at his estate in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Answer to #3: The Obamas adopted Bo, a hypoallergenic dog, because of daughter Malia's allergies.

Answer to #4: A photo of Herbert Hoover and his dog King Tut was widely circulated during his presidential campaign in 1928 and was said to have helped boost his popularity. (Photo courtesy of Herbert E. French/Library of Congress.)

Answer to #5: President Truman's family received a cocker spaniel puppy, Feller, as a Christmas gift in December 1947. When word came out that the Trumans didn't plan to keep the puppy, some people wrote the White House offering to adopt him. Feller ended up going to Truman's physician Brig. Gen. Wallace Graham.

Source

Recollections of Full Years

2011-12-29T10:15:00.001-08:00

You can read Nellie Taft's autobiography online, full text, for free if you like. I'm not thrilled with the readability (and I personally actually own this book), but for reference it is great and hey, free is good!

Here is an excerpt on meeting William Howard Taft:
I didn't meet my husband until I was eighteen years old. We had been bom and brought up in the same town; our fathers were warm friends and had practised law at the same bar for more than forty years ; during that time our mothers had exchanged visits, and my sister Maria and Fanny Taft were schoolmates and close companions at Miss Nourse's, but the Taf ts lived at Mt. Auburn, a hill suburb of Cincin- nati, and after Will finished Woodward High School he went for four years to Yale, so it is not at all surprising that we did not meet.

Judge Alphonso Taft was Secretary of War, and later Attorney-General, in Grant's Cabinet while his son Will was at college, but before the latter graduated, the family had returned to Cincinnati, so he came straight home and entered at once upon a law course in the Cincinnati Law School. It was at that time, when he was still a student and working as a law reporter on the Cincinnati Commercial^ that I met him. It was at a coasting party one winter's night, I re- member very well, when I went with a party of young people, including the Charles Tafts, to coast down a fine steep hill in Mt- Aubum. Will Taft was there, and after being introduced to me he took me down the hill on his big bobsled. After that we met very frequently.

A small circle of us went in for amateur theatricals with much enthusiasm and great earnestness. We launched ourselves in our histrionic careers in "She Stoops to Conquer" which we gave at the ^ house of one of the company. Then came "A Scrap of Paper" in Mrs. Charles Taft's drawing-room, in which both Will and I took part. We had become very ambidous by this time and sent all the way to New York for a professional stage-manager to help us with the production. But it turned out a most nervous occasion. We were all overtrained, I suppose. One thing after another went wrong until at the crisis of the play, where the hero is supposed to find in the barrel of a gun the scrap of paper upon which the whole plot hinges, the ama- teur hero looked pretty foolish when he discovered there wasn't any gun. Another one of the company, in a fit of absentmindedness, no doubt due to overwrought nerves, had carried it off the stage, and just when the situation was get- ting tragic for the hero the culprit came creeping back with it and carefully put it where it belonged, for all the world as if he thought he were making himself invisible to the au- dience.

But our ardour was not dampened. I remember Mr. Taf t especially in a burlesque of "The Sleeping Beauty," which, in its legitimate form, had been produced for charity at Pike's Opera House. The Unity Club, a most respectable organization of the young men of the Unitarian Church, decided to give their version of the same story, and it was a huge success. Mr. Taf t played the title role and his brother Horace, who is six feet four in his stocking feet, shared with the Beauty the honours of the evening as a most enchanting Puck.

Pet Trivia con't

2011-12-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

Don't know yesterday's answers? Check out this site!

Pet Trivia

2011-12-27T19:02:00.001-08:00

Can you figure out this first family pet trivia?

#1 Which presidential family had a raccoon as a pet?
#2 Which White House pet was buried beside his owner?
#3 How did the Obamas end up with a Portuguese water dog?
#4 Which presidential candidate got a boost from a photo he took with his dog?
#5 Which White House pet was re-gifted?
#6: Which president "sang" with his dog in front of dignitaries?
#7: Which president was quoted as saying, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog"?

First Celebrity Dog

2011-12-26T22:45:00.001-08:00

I was watching the yearly holiday tour of the White House on HGTV and they had Bo in each room this year. So here's an article on the first celebrity White House dog - the Hardings' Laddie Boy!
Though there were many presidential pets before him, Laddie Boy was the first to receive regular coverage from newspaper reporters. "While no one remembers him today, Laddie Boy's contemporary fame puts Roosevelt's Fala, LBJ's beagles and Barney Bush in the shade," says Tom Crouch, a Smithsonian Institution historian. "That dog got a huge amount of attention in the press. There have been famous dogs since, but never anything like this."

During their time in the White House, from 1921 to 1923, the Hardings included their dog in almost every aspect of their daily lives. When Harding golfed with friends, Laddie Boy tagged along. During cabinet meetings, the dog sat in (perched on his own chair). At fundraising events, the first lady frequently had Laddie Boy make appearances. The dog was such a prominent White House personality that the Washington Star and the New York Times seemed to run stories about the terrier almost daily in the months after Harding took office. In a 39-day period in the spring of 1921, these are just some of the headlines that appeared in the Times:
"Gets Airedale as Mascot"
"Laddie Boy a Newsboy"
"Trees White House Cat"
"Laddie Boy Gets Playmate"

....Harding enjoyed his pet's fame; in fact, he cultivated it by writing letters to the press pretending to be Laddie Boy. But the president drew the line at commercializing his dog. "During the Harding administration, numerous toy manufacturers sent letters to the White House asking permission to have exclusive rights to produce a stuffed toy in the likeness of Laddie Boy," says Melinda Gilpin, historic site manager of the Harding Home State Memorial in Marion. "Harding refused to endorse any such endeavor." At least one company did go ahead and manufacture a stuffed animal Laddie Boy, an example of which is on display at the Harding Home.

The White House Christmas Card: 2011

2011-12-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

It’s Christmas Eve. I think this is the latest I’ve ever waited to post about the official White House Christmas Card since Istarted posting a picture of the card in 2006.

Over the last couple of years it has been more difficult than usual to find a mention of the card, but this year I’ve actually dreaded writing about it. No, I’m not bored with the process. I still think the whole history of the official White House Christmas Cards is an interesting topic. I like to see the particular cards sent by each administration, how the artwork was chosen, who the artist might happen to be…..I love the whole idea of the card…..but the controversies over the last year are getting old.

Some folks think particular cards fall too far on the side of Christianity with Bible verses, etc. while other folks get upset because the card might lack even a hint that it’s a Christmas card.

There appears to be no happy medium.

Sigh…..

This year the card features a view of the White House Library with President Obama’s dog, Bo, sleeping by the fireplace. The inside of the card reads, “From our family to yours, may your holidays shine with the light of the season.” The presidential seal is also included inside the card.

The artwork for the card was produced by Mark Matuszak, an artist from Los Angeles, California. In an interview published by The Times, Matuszak said the White House asked him for “something home related”. He produced the artwork and then used Photoshop to insert the Obama’s dog into the scene.

I actually like this scene since this is not a White House view that has been used in the past. It also uses a piece of White House artwork which is another interest of mine. The painting by Georgia O’Keeffe from 1930 titled Mountain at Bear Lake – Taos hangs in the library over the fireplace. The lovely table featured in the scene is loaded with wrapped presents beneath a huge red poinsettia.

There are no laws or protocol governing the cards other than tradition. The First Lady’s office works on the Christmas card design, but ultimately the President and First Lady make the final choice.

This year’s card follows along with many past cards that featured interior views of the White House while other cards feature exterior views. Yet former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has found issues with the card stating it fails to accentuate “family, faith, and freedom.”

I think the naysayers would find something wrong with the card no matter what the design was. There certainly were a number of comments made regarding the choices the Bush White House chose for the card during his administration.

Think about the Christmas card aisle at your favorite store. There are boxes and boxes of the cards with each having a different design and focus. Some are very religious, some are humorous, some have pastoral scenes, and then others follow the Santa theme.

Each design is a Christmas card whether we personally like it or not, and this year’s White House Christmas card follows along with the same theme as many other White House cards have done in the past.

At some point it comes down to a matter of personal taste and what you think is appropriate.

Mrs. Obama's New Cookbook

2011-12-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Obama is releasing a new cookbook to go with her green movement.

I rather like the looks of this recipe!
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (serves 4 or more)

1 pound penne pasta

1 cup 2 percent or skim milk

1 pound shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. In the meantime, cook the cauliflower until soft and transfer to a blender to puree.

In a medium-size pan, combine the pasta and hot cauliflower puree. Add the milk and cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve immediately while hot.

Kennedy Christmas, 1962

2011-12-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

So I was looking through this book recently and I found pictures from the Kennedy Christmas in 1962. I liked these pictures because they could be any family on Christmas morning. The book itself covers White House decorating plus then some additional family pictures from the holidays.

Orchids and Art

2011-12-20T18:10:00.001-08:00

I actually saw a copy of this article while I was at the National First Ladies Library and thought I'd share as I found the information on Caroline Harrison's painting and orchids to be fun. I actually talk about some of this in my tours! We have a copy of the painting this talks about: While managing the domestic affairs of the four generation home, Carrie continued to pursue one of her favorite hobbies, needlework. She donated most of her handiwork to church bazaars and charities. Carrie was well thought of for working for local charities, such as the Aid Society of Garfield Hospital which she headed and the Washington City Orphan Asylum. She even agreed to help raise funds for the Johns Hopkins University medical school on the condition that it admit women.

While managing the domestic affairs of the White House, Carrie’s brush painted hundreds of porcelain dishes for Washington ladies desiring souvenirs. Vases, platters, and an assortment of other pieces were sent to her with requests. Reporter Frank G. Carpenter wrote that, "Many a baby whose parents have named him for the President has received a milk set painted by Mrs. Harrison." She even decorated White House candlesticks, cheese covers, crackerboxes, flowerpot saucers, milk pitchers, chocolate jugs, tiles, and the grandbabies’ bathtub with her paintings. Carrie brought in an expert china painting teacher from Richmond, Indiana, German-born Paul Putzki, and organized classes. A professor of French was then hired. Both taught the wives and daughters of government officials, along with other society people. There were almost twenty-five students in all, most attending both classes. The chine was baked in Carrie’s own kiln. Her favorite flower, the orchid, was the subject of many of Carrie’s paintings, in watercolors, as well as on porcelain. In 1890, she painted a white "White House Orchid" with her water colors and dedicated it to "mothers, wives, and daughters of America." This painting was lithographed and distributed.

Mrs. Harrison also tried to get the White House enlarged, which didn't happen, but she did get greenhouses added:

While managing the domestic affairs of the White House, Carrie requested that the orchid be grown in the greenhouses of the executive mansion for the first time, and she is said to have been the first First Lady to use orchids for floral decorations at official receptions. Carrie filled the White House with an assortment of live flowers and plants. She broke with tradition by holding bouquets in receiving lines to save her hands from vigorous handshaking.

Because of her excellent domestic management, Carrie was reportedly "the best housekeeper that the Pennsylvania Avenue mansion has yet known." When the Harrison moved in, Carrie was very displeased with her new home, however. "We are here for four years," she told a reporter, "...I am very anxious to see the family of the President provided for properly, and while I am here I hope to be able to get the present building into good condition. Very few people understand to what straits the President’s family has been put to at times for lack of accommodations. Really there are only five sleeping apartments and there is no feeling of privacy."

Architect Fred Owen drew up three new plans for the house under Carrie’s supervision. The last plan included a long row of greenhouses. Congress did not approve any of the plans to have the overcrowded mansion enlarged, but did okay an extensive renovation with up-to-date improvements. Overseeing each project carefully and budgeting well, Carrie achieved remarkable results with the allotted $35,000.

Carrie saw to it that layers of moldy flooring, old paint, and basement dirt were removed. A new method of pest control was used and old floors were replaced with new ones. The faulty plumbing was repaired. The kitchen was modernized. A new heating system was installed. Painting and wallpapering the bedrooms, cleaning the chandeliers, and purchasing new curtains, upholstery, and furniture were all undertaken. Private bathrooms were put into each of the bedrooms. In May of 1891, the first electric lights and doorbells were installed by the Edison Company and a new central switchboard was put in, allowing for multiple telephones instead of only one for the entire mansion. Carrie managed to modernize without destroying the look of the aging White House.

Mrs. Harrison also worked to collect and display White House china:

While carpenters, plumbers, bricklayers, and electricians were busily working about the place, Carrie carefully went through closets and cabinets, sorting out broken dishes and worn-out items. From the broken and incomplete sets, she assembled and identified the first collection of White House China, locating dishes used by all the former presidential families, except the Jacksons.

With some of the appropriation for furnishings, Carrie arranged for the purchase of the state china of the Benjamin Harrison administration, which she had designed herself. She had tried to make the design symbolic and meaningful to Americans in her own dignified style. Margaret Brown Klapthor, an expert on White House china, states that Carrie "contributed to the White House what many think is the most handsome of all the formal dinner services designed specifically for the house."

Additional pieces of the Harrison China were ordered during the William McKinley administration. Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt apparently admired the Harrison china, as she placed a rather large order for more of the plates in 1908. Never having ordered any china for the White House herself, Jacqueline Kennedy used the china of the Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Harrison administrations to represent the traditions of the past. According to Mrs. Klapthor, Mrs. Kennedy’s "preference for the Harrison china was shown in her selection of pieces from that service to decorate the breakfront which she had placed in the family dining room" during the time her family occupied the mansion.

More About Washington's Library Books

2011-12-14T14:40:00.000-08:00

Back in April, 2010 Michael picked up on a story making the rounds in several news outlets regarding the fact George Washington had two books that were over 220 years late he had borrowed from the New York Society Library.

Michael’s post stated, “The library says they aren’t interested in pursuing the fine (that would be pretty hard!), but would like to find the original books.”

So, were the original books found tucked away on some book shelf at Mount Vernon?

Did The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association have to cough up the hefty fine of $300,000 which had been accruing since November, 1789 for the wayward books?

Well, here’s the rest of the story.

In 1789, the government of the United States was located in New York City at Federal Hall on Wall Street. The building which was demolished in 1812 housed Congress as well as the offices of the President in 1789.

The building was also home to The New York Society Library, the oldest library in the city.Their webpage advises it served as the first Library of Congress since it was used by members of Congress and the Cabinet including men such as Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay.

Records have been found that indicate President George Washington borrowed two books from the library on October 5, 1789 – five months after being sworn in as President of the United States.

One volume was titled Law of Nations by Emerich de Vattel described as a dissertation on international relations. Published in 1758, the book was very popular with many of the Founding Fathers including Benjamin Franklin. Upon receiving three original copies of the book Franklin wrote in a thank you note, “It came to us in good season, when the circumstances of a rising State make it necessary to frequently consult the Law of Nations.”

The other book was Volume 12 from the British House of Commons Debates also known as The Debates or as Hansards. This was a set of 14 volumes regarding what was said in Parliament – equivalent to our Congressional Record.

At any rate the books weren’t exactly light reading, but it is understandable the President would want to consult those books since historical sources indicate Washington was getting ready to tackle some diplomacy issues with Great Britain that Fall and his diary indicates a meeting with Chief Justice John Jay and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton on October 7, 1789.

The library’s ledger does not contain the President’s signature and does not indicate if he checked the books out himself or if an assistant did it for him. Someone did write the word “President” next to the title entries.

The books were due one month later, but they probably weren't on the President’s mind. He had left New York on October 15, 1789 for a tour of New England.

This article from The Week advises in April, 1792 the librarians retired the leather-bound ledger because it was filled and started a new one. At some point the records showing which books had been checked out during the late 1770s and early 1780s went missing.

Hey, if we can lose a library book they can misplace a ledger, right?

So, the library isn’t keeping track of their wayward books and President Washington has things on his mind as well such as the Whiskey Rebellion, planning a new national capital along the Potomac River, and then there was the matter of returning to Mount Vernon and getting settled back into private life. I hardly think he had time to worry about two books.

In 1934, one hundred and forty two years after the library misplaced the ledger it was found in a pile of trash at the library. Apparently it had survived four moves since 1792, and finally made itself known at 109 University Place in Manhattan.

This Reuters article advises the library conducted an inventory of books mentioned in the ledger and confirmed the books President Washington borrowed were still missing from the library’s inventory.

The situation was kept secret for years until 2010 when The New York Daily News reported it. In today’s instant news world I can’t even imagine a secret being held for that long.

Once the staff at Mount Vernon heard the news they instantly began to search for the books, but were unable to locate either book.

Considering how President Washington’s books had been scattered over the years I’m not surprised.

At the time of his death Washington’s personal library contained over 900 volumes. His nephew, Judge Bushrod Washington inherited the President’s papers, his home and of course, his books.

In 1847 many of the books that remained were sold to a bookseller by the name of Henry Stevens. His goal was to send the books to the British Museum.

British Museum?

Outrageous! Right?

A group quickly raised $4,250 and saved the books. They were purchased for the Boston Athenaeum – one of the oldest independent libraries operating in the United States. Even today members pay an annual subscription fee to use the library’s resources.

The collection is all we have of the original 900 volume library since other books owned by the President were sold at auction in 1876 and again in the 1890s.

Getting back to Washington’s late library books……

The folks at Mount Vernon finally searched the Internet and found a copy of The Law of Nations and purchased it for $12,000.

The book was finally returned to the library on May 20, 2010 during a ceremony where James Rees, executive director of Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate, told library staff, “We express gratitude for your patience….and for your generosity in erasing the considerable funds that were probably owed by George Washington. He did not do his public duty.”

Rees statement seems a little harsh in comparison to all of the things President Washington accomplished.

What do you think?

First Ladies Campaigning

2011-12-13T19:32:00.001-08:00

We are used to seeing First Ladies (or prospective ones) out on the trial with their husbands, but this wasn't always the case. This exhibit at the Smithsonian highlights some First Ladies and their campaign contributions.

Florence Harding was very active:
Florence Harding acted as one of Warren Harding’s campaign managers. She lobbied delegates and talked to the press at the 1920 Republican convention, arranged photo opportunities during the campaign, played a part in determining strategy, and actively courted the votes of newly enfranchised women.

Hard "Cyder"

2011-12-06T20:49:00.001-08:00

So I started Ken Burns' new documentary "Prohibition." I hope to actually get it watched over the holidays....but that's another story. What I did notice is that John Adams' drank hard cider in the morning to promote health. So I looked it up (wouldn't you?).

You can find in his diaries in 1796 references to drinking "a Jill of Cyder" in the mornings to help with health:

JULY 26. 1796. TUESDAY.

In conformity to the fashion I drank this Morning and Yesterday Morning, about a Jill of Cyder. It seems to do me good, by diluting and dissolving the Phlegm or the Bile in the Stomach.

July 28. 1796. Thursday

I continue my practice of drinking a Jill of Cyder in the Morning and find no ill but some good Effect.