Presidential Trivia
Most occupants of
the White House
followed Harry
Truman's advice:
"If you want a
friend in Washington,
you had better
get a dog!" |
|
- GEORGE WASHINGTON (1)
- loaned Capt. John Posey $3,750. Posey defaulted and Washington took over his land, a ferry, and fishing business. From 1769 to 1790 he ran a ferry between Virginia & Marshall Hall Maryland. His boats sold fish along the Atlantic Seaboard. He was a surveyor.
- JOHN ADAMS (2)
- was interviewed on July 4, 1826. He crawled out of bed and said, "Liberty for ever!"
That afternoon he said, "Jefferson still lives!" Jefferson had died at 9:50am and both of the signers of the Declaration of Independence died 50 years to the day of signing.
- THOMAS JEFFERSON (3)
- won his office on the 36th ballot of the House of Rep. He had the idea of training officers at West Point. As President he preferred to shake hands instead of bows.
- JAMES MADISON (4)
- his wife's name was Dorothea, nickname Dolly. When the British burned D.C. he was at Bladensburg, commanding 'Barney's Battery' and facing enemy fire. The first color of the White House was gray, but the use of calcimine to hide the burned spots turned it white.
- JAMES MONROE (5)
- the first Senator to be President and inaugurated outdoors. In Leutz's painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware, he is seen holding the flag. He wasn't in the boat.
- JOHN Q. ADAMS (6)
- had a European education (U. of Leyden in Holland) and traveled widely. He was a Phi Beta Kappa. He wore long trousers. He served 17 years in the House after his term.
- ANDREW JACKSON (7)
- had a vulgar parrot that had to be removed at his funeral for squawking obscenities at the assembled. He may have been in 100 fights or duels. Harvard made him an LLD.
- MARTIN VAN BUREN (8)
- in 14 weeks was Senator (NY), Secty. of State, President and Gov. of NY. His four sons (20-30 years old) moved into the White House. He was born an American citizen.
- WILLIAM H. HARRISON (9)
- gave an inauguration speech of 8,578 words in 1 hour and 45 minutes, he caught a cold and died after 31 days. Old Whiskers was his dog and Sukey his milk cow.
- JOHN TYLER (10)
- had 2 wives and 15 children. 132 years expired from his first child's birth to his last child's death. He was a delegate to the first CSA Congress. A pet canary sang songs.
- JAMES K. POLK (11)
- achieved Jefferson's dream of uniting the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts. Tuesday became election day because bad roads required two days to reach the polls. The first day of each month was when merchants balanced their books so Monday was out as well as Sunday.
- ZACHARY TAYLOR (12)
- didn't cast a vote until he was 62 years old. Jefferson Davis had eloped with his daughter and he became his son-in-law. Davis had served under Taylor in Mexican War.
- MILLARD FILLMORE (13)
- had a wife who was an invalid and demanded indoor plumbing in 1851 at the White House. He refused an honorary degree from Oxford U. He switched parties and was defeated
- FRANKLIN PIERCE (14)
- was a "dark horse candidate. In 1852 he didn't get a vote at the Democratic Convention until the 35th ballot. He elected to use the word 'affirm' instead of "I do solemnly swear" when taking his oath of office. He didn't read his inaugural speech but gave an oration.
- JAMES BUCHANAN (15)
- went in and out of office as a bachelor. The Pony Express linked the two coasts and the Civil War inevitable. His Vice Pres.- Breckenridge was an officer in the CSA.
- ABRAHAM LINCOLN (16)
- had a U.S. patent on raising a boat over shoals. He operated a ferry and built flatboats. His oldest son, Robert, attended three Presidential assassinations- Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. His wife Mary, had a brother-in-law that was a Surgeon in the C.S.A.
- ANDREW JOHNSON (17)
- never went to school. His wife taught him to read and write. He set up his own tailoring shop and his hobby was quilting. She only made two appearances at State affairs.
- U. S. GRANT (18)
- his real name was Hiram Ulysses Grant. He was reinstated as a General in the Army after he fell on hard times. He wrote his best seller, Grant's Memoirs while dying of cancer. He was a life member of the Sons of Revolutionary Sires (California).
- RUTHERFORD B. HAYES (19)
- wasn't elected until March 7, 1877 by a special 15 man commission. The final vote was on party lines of 8 to 7. He was a Brig. Gen. in Civil War resigning in 1865.
- JAMES A. GARFIELD (20)
- taught Latin, Greek, mathmatics, history, philosophy, rhetoric, and English literature in college. He spoke German when campaigning in German communities. He was also elected to the U.S. Senate and was elected President. He resigned his Senate seat instead.
- CHESTER A. ARTHUR (21)
- dedicated the Washington Memorial on 21 Feb. 1885. He was a Brig. Gen. and Quartermaster Gen. for N.Y. in Civil War. In a prank he lost the school's bell in a river. He was the third President to serve in one year (1881) after Hayes and Garfield came Arthur.
- GROVER CLEVELAND (22)
- was also the 24th President, as Benjamin Harrison won in 1888 but lost to Cleveland in 1892. He was the only President to marry in the White House. His real name was Stephen Grover Cleveland. He approved a law that gave all graduates at West Point a commission as Second Lieutenants. SECOND TERM- He sent troops into Chicago to quell a strike. He also repealed the Silver Purchase Act that caused a depression in western states. There were eight men in Congress with the name of George Washington (Smith) etc. He was operated on for cancer.
- BENJAMIN HARRISON (23)
- had a child by his second wife that was younger than all four of his grand children! His first wife, Caroline Scott Harrison, was the first President General of the DAR in 1891. He was a grandson of our 9th President, William Henry Harrison. Six western states were formed during his administration - North & South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Wyoming.
- WILLIAM McKINLEY (25)
- won his first term by defeating seven other nominees. He was President during the Spanish-American War. In his second run for office he campaigned by telephone. He was assassinated after serving only six months. He 'Opened the Door' to China.
- THEODORE ROOSEVELT (26)
- acquired the rights to build the Panama Canal. He won a Nobel Peace
Prize for negotiating a peace between Russia and Japan. He was the first President to go
down in a submarine. The ride lasted for 55 minutes at 40 feet under the surface. He gave
a 50 minute speech in 1912 while campaigning in Milwaukee after he was shot in the chest!
- WILLIAM H. TAFT (27)
- was our biggest President at 300+ pounds. He loved trees and ordered 80 cherry trees. The Japanese got the news and shipped him 2,000. He was the first to throw a baseball out on opening day. He is the only President to be appointed our Chief Justice.
- WOODROW WILSON (28)
- won by default as Taft and Roosevelt split the vote. As a democrat he was in favor of electing senators and not selecting them by appointment of state legislatures. It was a fairer way since small states could not pick up the expenses of senators. He sent Gen. Pershing to Mexico after Columbus, NM was raided. He was the first President to major in Government and History and was a Professor of History at Princeton Univ. He won a Nobel Peace Prize
- WARREN G. HARDING (29)
- was the first newspaper publisher to be elected President. He was also the first to ride in an automobile to his inauguration. He was also the first to broadcast a speech. It was at the dedication of the Francis Scott Key Memorial at Fort Mc Henry, Maryland.
- CALVIN COOLIDGE (30)
- is also known as "Silent Cal." His veto in 1924 of the soldier's bonus
bill was overriden by both houses of Congress. He was sworn in office by his father who was
a judge, and by a former President, Taft, at a formal ceremony. His speech was by radio and
he was born on the 4th of July. He was also a banker and a Brigadier General in the reserves.
- HERBERT HOOVER (31)
- made his fortune by rescuing defunct mining operations. Due to his rescue of Europe after WWI he was offered a Ministerial Cabinet Post in the British Government. He was given 50 honorary degrees in America and over 25 from Universities abroad. He received over 70 medals and awards plus another 100 miscellaneous honors. The depression ruined him.
- FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT (32)
- is the only President elected four times! The attack on Pearl Harbor, Guam, and the Philippines came in his administration. He was an avid reader of mystery books and even wrote one himself. On Nov. 7, 1942 he broadcasted a speech in French. He was related to 11 former Presidents by blood or marriage: Washington, both Adams, Madison, Van Buren, Wm. Harrison & Benjamin Harrison, Taylor, Grant, Theodore Roosevelt and Taft.
- HARRY S. TRUMAN (33)
- had a humble beginning. He worked in a drug store for $3.00 per week. He worked for a newspaper and a railroad. He was considered the authority on American History by other Senators. He was a Major in WWI and an artillery officer. He was the first President to address the Senate in his 80th year and after leaving office.
- DWIGHT DAVID EISHENHOWER (34)
- was born David Dwight but didn't like the name and changed it.
He was the first President to hold a pilot's license issued in 1939 and was the first to make
a hole-in-one while playing golf at Palm Springs, Calif. His 5 Star Rank was restored.
- JOHN F. KENNEDY (35)
- is noted for putting a man on the moon and the peace corps. He also won
a Pulitzer Book Prize and was a newspaper correspondent. He also held the first state dinner
at Mount Vernon, outside of the White House. He was a decorated Navy officer of WWII.
- LYNDON JOHNSON (36)
- went from a Congressional Page to the White House. He took his oath of office in an airplane from a woman judge. He was the first Congressman to enlist in Dec. 1941.
- RICHARD NIXON (37)
- became the first President to resign. He was later pardoned by Gerald Ford. His loss to Kennedy in 1960 was by 2/lOths of 1 %. He opened up trade to China.
- GERALD FORD (38)
- his real name was Leslie Lynch King, Jr. He played on two national champion football teams at Michigan and was elected its MVP. He coached at Yale and worked at Yellowstone National Park. He graduated from Yale Law School. He was drafted by Green Bay, NFL.
- JAMES EARL CARTER (39)
- is a graduate of Annapolis and was an officer on an atomic submarine. He is best known today for his "Habitat for Humanity" work. He is also a bottle collector.
- RONALD REAGAN (40)
- was a lifeguard and college football player. He was a Democrat for years and headed up the Screen Actor's Guild Union. He was a sports announcer and made 55 movies.
- GEORGE H.W. BUSH (41)
- graduated from Yale as a Phi Beta Kappa. He was offered a big league contract and was Captain of the baseball team at Yale. He flew 58 missions as a Naval Pilot.
- WILLIAM J. CLINTON (42)
- his real name was William Jefferson Blythe. He played the saxophone in a jazz combo called 'The Three Blind Mice.' He went to Georgetown, Oxford, and Yale. He was a Rhodes Scholar and Governor of Arkansas. He was impeached but not convicted.
- GEORGE W. BUSH (43)
- has just taken office. He is a graduate of Yale and Harvard Business School and a former owner of the Texas Ranger's baseball team. He is one of three Presidents who lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote. He was head cheer leader in prep school.
|
