Thomas Jefferson

by Anonymous1 [Top]

Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated as President on March 4, 1801; it was an unusual election that had brought him into office. When the votes came in from the peoples' votes, Jefferson had 73 votes but so did his opponent Burr. Congress had to decide who the President would be. On February 11, 1801, the House of Representatives met in the capitol building to pick a President. In the first ballot, Jefferson did not get the necessary 9 votes to win. He received 8 to Burr's 6. Six days and 35 ballots later, there was still a deadlock. Finally, on February 17, several Federalists for Burr decided to cast blank ballots. On the 36th ballot, Jefferson won, 10 to 4.

Jefferson was a controversial figure in his time. Some accused him of being an atheist; Jefferson had created his own version of the Bible, ending with the death of Jesus Christ. Some people were sure that when Jefferson became President, he would make them burn their Bibles. He was also accused of having an affair with Sally Hemmings, a slave owned by Jefferson, and a half-sister of his wife. Recent genetic experiments strongly suggest that these accusations actually were true.

Jefferson did not think of his presidency as his major accomplishment. Instead, he considered drafting the Declaration of Independence to be his greatest achievement. In June of 1776, the Continental Congress appointed Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and two other Congressmen to write the declaration. Jefferson and Adams were appointed to write the first draft. Adams left the job to Jefferson. When Jefferson submitted it to Congress, they hacked a way at it. This upset Jefferson. Even after Congress was done with its revisions, however, most of the original draft remained.

James Madison

by Anonymous2 [Top]

James Madison was not a great President, but he was one of America's most accomplished statesmen. He played a major role in the writing of the Constitution, gaining the nickname "Father of the Constitution." Madison greatly disclaimed this name, stating that it wasn't the "offspring of a single brain. It ought to be regarded as the work of many heads and hands."

His work on the Constituion may have been impressive, but his presidency was anything but. It was marked by a series of disasters: war, defeats of American forces, and invasions. He did do his best through it all; he visited the offices of the Departments of War and Navy, a thing never known before. Thanks to several victories late in his term - especially by Andrew Jackson - Madison was able to leave while America was in an atmosphere of goodwill and friendship.

Although he enjoyed his time as President, Madison knew that the job wasn't for him, even at the beginning. Madison told a friend at the inaugural ball of 1809, "I would much rather be in bed."

Abraham Lincoln

by Jessica S. Gunzburger [Top]

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president, was said to have been the first humorist to occupy the White House. He always had a story or a witty comeback for everything someone said.

Unlike some presidents, Lincoln never did any big, really bad thing. His greatest problem was his wife. She was said to be a little crazy, and at one time the Senate thought that she was a Confederate spy also. The Senate was holding a secret meeting to discuss the rumors when Lincoln came in. He said, "I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, appear of my own volition before this committee to say that I, of my own knowledge, know it is untrue that any member of my family holds treasonable communication with the enemy." After saying this, he silently exited. The committee dropped all thought of the rumors. This is a prime example of how much respect Lincoln had.

There are numerous stories and jokes that Lincoln said that have been documented, and for this article, I have chosen a few of my favorites to summarize and share with you.

Whiskers

In mid-October of 1860, a little girl from Westfield named Grace Bedell wrote to Lincoln saying that he should grow a beard. Her logic was that women liked whiskers, and if he grew whiskers then all the women would get their husbands to vote for him, and he would the presidency. Lincoln answered he letter, and did, indeed, grow whiskers.

A Military Blunder

Lincoln served as a captain in the Black Hawk Indian War of 1832. One day, he was marching with a little over twenty men across a field, and they came upon a fence. Years later, Lincoln recounted, "I could not for the life of me remember the proper word of command for getting my company endwise. Finally, as we came near I shouted: 'This company is dismissed for two minutes, when it will fall in again on the other side of the gate!'"

Hold His Hat

When Lincoln came forward in 1860 to be sworn in as president, he had a hat and a cane. He put the cane under the table, but didn't know what to with his hat. Suddenly, Senator Stephen A. Douglas (who died three months later), the Democratic ticket for president, stepped forward and took his hat. Later he was quoted as saying, "If I can't be president, I can at least hold his hat."

One of Lincoln's Favorite Stories

This is one of Lincoln's favorite stories: two Quaker ladies discussed Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, President of Confederacy. "I think Jefferson will succeed," said the first Quaker. "Why does thee think so?" asked the second. "Because Jefferson is a praying man," replied the first. "And so is Abraham a praying man," said the second. "Yes," said the first, "but the Lord will think Abraham is joking."

Andrew Johnson: President from 1865-69

by Katie Wheeler [Top]
posted 2/18/1999

Andrew Johnson was Abraham Lincoln's vice president. Lincoln was a Republican, while Johnson was a Democrat. When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Johnson became President. Johnson's claim to fame (or infamy) is being the first President to be impeached.

Johnson was impeached for breaking the Tenure of Office Act. He dismissed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without Senate approval. Johnson was found innocent by only one vote.

Johnson had no schooling but became an apprenticed tailor at the age of ten. When he was fourteen, Johnson and his brother were sold as servants to a tailor. The tailor gave them room and board and taught them more about tailoring. However, two years later they ran away. The tailor put up a ten dollar reward, but they were never caught.

President Johnson was a very good speaker and enjoyed the circus, minstrel shows, vegetable gardening, and playing checkers. With his wife, Eliza McCardle, Johnson had three sons and two daughters.

James A. Garfield

by Anonymous3 [Top]

A lot of people don't know about Garfield today. In June 1880, neither did the Republican party as it held its presidential convention. The party was split 50-50. Garfield challenged a solution from the Conkling faction (people wanting President Grant for a third term). This made Garfield known, and on the 36th ballot he won.

Now, even elections back then were mudslinging contests. Garfield was accused of taking bribes, and many scandals chased him. He did many good things, however. When Lincoln was shot, Garfield stopped a mob from rioting. During a campaign, his opponent droned on for two hours; Garfield then spoke for only half an hour. Garfield attended Charles Dickens conferences. Whenever he saw someone, he greeted them with a "Bow! Wow! Wow!" because of a dog who barked at the right time.

In 1881, Garfield was assassinated by a man he was going to interview for the Paris consulship.

Grover Cleveland: 1885-89, 1893-97

by Anonymous 4 [Top]

The short and chubby Grover Cleveland was the Democratic nominee for President. Samuel Tilden said, "[Cleveland] is a man that would rather do something badly for himself than have somebody do it for him well."

Cleveland had a reputation of being "ugly-honest" because he fought against corruption in the government while serving as the mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York. Joseph Pulitzer's New York World listed four reasons to vote for Cleveland: "1. He is an honest man. 2. He is an honest man. 3. He is an honest man. 4. He is an honest man."

Even though Cleveland had the reputation for being honest there was still an attack on his character and questions raised about his personal life.

The election of 1884 is often considered one of the dirtiest in American political history. The Republicans were "pulling out all stops" to exploit a sex scandal that exploded soon after Cleveland's nomination. Ten days after Grover Cleveland won the Democratic party's nomination for the presidency, Maria Crofts Halpin made newspaper headlines when she declared that Grover was the father of her illegitimate ten-year-old son, Oscar Folsom Cleveland. The chief source of this sensational journalism was Rev. George H. Ball, pastor of the Hudson Street Baptist Church and a loyal Republican. Since Cleveland was running against Blaine as a spotless reformer, this juicy bit of salacious gossip emboldened the Repulicans. Reverend Ball characterized Grover's bachelor quarters as "a harem" and said he sought out victims "in the city and surrounding villages."

Cleveland never admited that the child was his; however, he did send checks to Miss Halpin to support the child.

William Howard Taft

by Lindsay Peterson [Top]

William Howard Taft was not a politician but a lawyer by trade. He was highly pressured to run for the presidency in 1908 and 1912 by his wife Helen, his brother, and Theodore Roosevelt. Taft was big (about 350 pounds), good natured, and conservative in temperament. He wasn't eager to run in the election of 1908, but tried to convince himself that it was what he really wanted anyway. Taft's carelessness about names almost immediately got into trouble after his election as President over William Jennings Bryan. Taft often couldn't remember the names of newsreporters. During his four years as President, he established the parcel-post and postal-savings services, created the Department of Labor, extended the civil service, and continued Roosevelt's campaign to conserve America's natural resources.

Taft was the biggest man to ever occupy the White House and adopted the nickname "Big Bill." Because of his weight, Taft also tired easily and frequently fell asleep during conferences and cabinet meetings.

Taft was badly defeated by Woodrow Wilson in the election of 1912. It wasn't that the voters disliked Taft; they just found his conservatism dated in an era of reform.

Taft became Chief Justice in 1921. The happiest years of his life were those spent on the Supreme Court from 1921 to 1930. Taft always said, "Presidents come and go, but the court goes on forever."

Herbert Hoover

by Nathan Jobe [Top]

Herbert Hoover was born in 1874 and died in 1964. He grew up as a farmer in Iowa with a Quaker background. Herber Hoover was a wealthy mining engineer who helped out greatly during World War I. He became president in March of 1929 at the age of fifty-three. He had a reputation for intelligence, energy, efficiency, and humanitarian concern. He was greatly talked about by Franklin D. Roosevelt and was pushed to become president by peers.

Herbert Hoover was in the time of the Great Depression. He was criticized some about the way he handled this time. He tried to be a good president, and he tried to give support to his people. But to his dismay, the people did not brighten up their spirits, and he was astonished. He asked around for advice but none came to him.

In 1932, he was defeated by Franklin Roosevelt for the presidency. Hoover settled down in California with his wife. He tried to settle down, but he couldn't so he got involved with the Australian University. There he promoted debating teams and such.

John Kennedy: born in 1917, dead in 1963

by Anonymous 5 [Top]

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the youngest President ever to take office. In November of 1960 he became the first President born in the 20th century. He was considered to be like Abraham Lincoln. He like Lincoln was bored by self-righteousness, fake humility, and garrulousness.

JFK was an officer of the navy in World War II. He shined in dark moment; a boat he aboard was hit and sinking. He managed to survive, and not much later, he saved a man's life by carrying him to safety. JFK was a great man who's life was unfortunately cut short. He was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in November 1963 in Dallas, Texas.

Richard M. Nixon

by Paul Chang [Top]

The 36th President of the United States had a very unique life style as a President. One of the things he had in his home, the White House, during his presidency was a picture of President Wilson who he admired most as a President. Not only that, Nixon brought an old used deks of Wilson's into the Oval Office. Nixon was a man who wanted to leave a mark on the White House ao he was angered many times when people cleaned things like his heel marks from his desk. But like all the well planned ways, he had his troubles. First was his vice president's fall from office due to accepting bribes and other crimes. Nixon himself also fell from grace doe to the Watergate scandal when trustees broke into Democratic headquarters at the Watergate hotel, planning to bug the place. He left a mark, a bad one, on history and the White House. Nixon was forced to resign.

Gerald Ford: The Boy Scout in the White House

by Christine Wilson Top

Gerald Ford was the 37th President of the United States of America. To many people, his name brings to mind the vision of a lumbering, klutzy buffoon of a man, worthy of a parody performed by Chevy Chase, but Ford was more than that. One might say that he was the miracle-worker in charge of the restoration of the desecrated presidency after the Watergate scandal. He was a man so likeable that even his critics praised his friendly disposition.

President Nixon appointed Ford as Vice President after Spiro Agnew stepped down. When Nixon followed Agnew, Ford became the President. Few took him seriously, some implying that he was a child who was "going to play [P]resident." His first act was to pardon Nixon for "any and all crimes." This didn't make a good first impression.

As time went on, Ford received a reputation as a "Mr. Nice Guy." He was thought of as friendly, good-natured, and anything but overbearing. There is an account that once while Ford was eating dinner, his dog had an accident. A White House steward started to clean up the mess, but Ford got up and insisted on doing it himself. He said, "No man should have to clean up after another man's dog." Gerald Ford was also the most athletic President since Theodore Roosevelt. Ford played tennis and golf and skiied.

Ford was also known as klutz. As he descended a staircase from Air Force One in Salzburg, Austria, he slipped and fell all the way to the ground. Later in the day, at the Residenz Palace, he slipped on another set of stairs. A media frenzy ensued. After that, any stubbed toe or fall became a media fiasco. Ford had a good sense of humor about it, though, and even played along in a skit on Saturday Night Live with Chevy Chase.

President Ford also had trouble with words. He was described as having such a lack of eloquence that it would make Abraham Lincoln roll in his grave.

In 1976, Gerald Ford lost the election to Jimmy Carter-just bearly. Like most of Ford's adversaries and critics, Carter couldn't resist complimenting Ford. Carter said, "For myself and for my nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land."

Ford was certainly deserving of his nickname, "The Boy Scout in the White House."

Jimmy Carter

by Maria Lux [Top]

Jimmy Carter was an unlikely candidate for president. He was a very religious Southern Baptist, a peanut farmer, and a Naval Academy graduate. But Jimmy Carter triumphed and the born—again Christian became the 39th president of the United States.

James Earl Carter was born in 1924 in the tiny farming town of Plains, Georgia. His father was a peanut farmer and a storekeeper; his mother a nurse. As a child, Carter dreamed of going to the Naval Academy in Maryland because of postcards his uncle (who was in the Navy) sent him. His dream came true. After a year at Georgia Southwestern College, and one at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Carter finally attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He graduated 60th in a class of 820 in 1946. He married his high school sweetheart, Rosalyn Smith, and together they had four children. (John William, James Earl III, Donnell Jeffrey, and Amy Lynn.)

In his early Career, Carter was assigned to the Seawolf, a nuclear submarine. Later, he worked for Admiral Hyman Rickover in a nuclear engineering project. In 1953, Carter’s father was diagnosed with cancer so Carter resigned from the navy to take care of the family peanut farm. Despite a drought in 1954, Carter built the farm into a large business by storing and shelling peanuts for other local farmers.

In 1960, Carter won a seat on the local school board. By 1962, he had moved up to the State Senate and would serve 2 terms there. In 1966 he ran for the Democratic nomination for governor but was defeated. Not long after, Carter had a religious awakening. He proceeded to do missionary work in the North, to speak about Christianity in the South, and to teach Sunday school back in Plains. Although his father was in support of segregation, Carter was one of only two men to vote to allow blacks in his Baptist Church.

In 1970, Carter ran for governor again. Despite being against segregation, he used race as means to gain votes. He accused his opponent, Carl Sanders, of being someone who supported civil rights for blacks, and his campaign workers spread pictures of Sanders with a black athiete. When Carter won, however, he said, “The time for racial discrimination is over.” In fact, he appointed both blacks and women in state positions and had a portrait of Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. on display in the capital.

As governor, Carter worked for consumer protection laws, banking regulations, and reformed prisons. He created new health care and education programs and consolidated 300 state agencies into 22 super-agencies.

Partway through his term as governor, Carter decided he wanted to run for president. In 1975, he formally announced his candidacy. During his campaign, he promised to restore morality and honesty to government, and to reduce the defense budget and arms sales over seas. He promised to reform the tax system, reduce government agencies, and cut government employees.

The people were divided. The Democrats were suspicious of him. Critics of the Vietnam war were critical of his support for that war and feared he would spend too much money on the military because of his Naval background. At first, the labor leaders didn’t support him because he was a businessman from an antiunion state, but by naming Sen. Walter Mondale as his vice presidential candidate, he won their support. He also gained support by endorsing a national health insurance plan and a bill to guarantee a job for each American that wanted one. Oddly enough, the blacks gave Carter 90% of their votes. Still, his support diminished once President Gerald Ford was nominated as the Republican candidate. The Republicans tried to show the two sides of Carter, the politician and the born-again Christian whose preachy nature was overbearing to some. However, Carter won a close victory, 40.8 million popular votes to Ford’s 39.1.

During Carter's presidency, (1977 to 1981) there were many issues facing the nation. The Vietnam war had just ended and the nation was trying to gain faith in the government following the Watergate scandal. Polls showed the public liked Carter as a person, but they had little trust in his leadership. He was different than any of the past Democrats as he didn’t propose any solutions to social problems. However, he kept the U.S. out of foreign wars, and Carter added to the number of minorities and women in high-ranking government jobs.

Many of the reforms Carter promised were never carried out. His proposed tax reform was barely touched on. Although he promised to reduce government agencies, he added to them. Despite his promise to cut the defense budget and overseas arms sales, both increased. Still, Carter's presidency was hardly a failure.

In 1977, the U.S. and Panama agreed on two new treaties to control the Panama canal. In 1978, Carter met with Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David, Maryland. They worked out the Camp David Accords, a frame work for peace between the two counties, which led to a peace treaty in 1979. That same year, Carter cut diplomatic ties with the Chinese Nationalist regime over Taiwan, and signed the second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty with USSR, setting limits on the number and type of strategic arms each country could possess.

Carter's first major foreign policy problem was the Islamic revolution. The followers of a Muslim clergyman forced the ruler of Iran to leave the country. These followers, who also opposed Western influences, stormed the American embassy, taking 66 Americans hostage. Thirteen were released, but in exchange for the release of the other 53, Iran demanded a U.S. apology for supporting their old leader, his return for trial, and the return of billions of dollars he was rumored to have stashed away. There were negotiations and a U.S. commando raid, but they were not successful.

In 1979, the USSR invaded Afghanistan. In response, Carter asked the Senate not to ratify the Second Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty and stopped U.S. participation in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Still, the USSR did not remove its troops.

Carter's proposal for a consumer protection agency and a bill to make labor union organizing easier were defeated as a result of his inexperience in dealing with Congress. However, he eventually won congressional approval of a program to encourage alternative energy sources and lower prices for oil and natural gas produced in the U.S. As a result, inflation grew to highest point since the end of WWII.

There were other problems as well. Carter's budget director was forced to resign because of charges of banking irregularities; a medical-policy adviser left because of a small drug scandal, and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nation resigned. Carter’s brother received money from Libya for unknown reasons, and the Attorney General was accused of covering up his relationship with that country.

The good news: In 1980, a federal grand jury decided charges of cocaine used by White House Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan were not supported. Also, the Justice department decided not to investigate the Treasury Secretary's denial that a company he was a chairman for had spent millions on illegal payoffs.

Meanwhile, the 1980 elections rolled around, and Carter had done little campaigning. The public was wary of Reagan's anti-Soviet foreign policy, but they were disappointed in Carter’s record of failure. Carter lost the election.

Carter's last major official action was to secure the release of the 53 hostages in Iran. They were finally freed on the same day as Reagan's inauguration. After his precedency, Carter became one of the most active former presidents in history.

In 1982, he formed the Carter Center of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, a forum for discussion about democracy and human rights. He is perhaps best known for his work with Habitat for Humanity, an organization which builds low-income housing for the poor. Carter also traveled to other countries, monitoring elections, relief efforts, and peace negotiations. In 1994, Carter went to North Korea to help negotiate a problem with the nuclear reactors there. There were indications that plutonium from North Korean nuclear power plants was being used to make bombs. Following Carter's visit, North Korea decided to halt its nuclear programs in exchange for Western aid to build non-breeder nuclear reactors. He also helped negotiate the return of Haiti’s president Jean-Bertrand Aristide to Haiti.

Although some people might see his presidency as a flop, Jimmy Carter had to work hard to get there in the first place. His life was full of important accomplishments most people won't ever attempt. Jimmy Carter was a success in more ways than one, and that’s what counts.