The President’s Lady – Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson
Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson never got to be First Lady. She died in the period between her husband’s election as President and his inauguration....
Is There a President in the House? – Part 1
Most of our Presidents gained early political experience while serving in Congress. Of our 42 Presidents (remember, Cleveland served twice), all but 18 served...
Presidential Feuds, Part 2
Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S. Grant engaged in a personal and political feud almost unparalleled in both the briefness of its duration and the...
Almost President – Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Part 3
After Hubert Humphrey’s disastrous start in the Senate, he found himself isolated and ostracized by the senior senators. In typical Humphrey fashion, he began...
Presidential Children – The Tafts of Ohio
Most presidential children have worked hard to avoid the glare of public life once their parents left the White House. There have been exceptions,...
Ticket Balancing
With the announcement of the Republican and Democratic Vice Presidential nominees, much attention has been given to the practice of ticket balancing. George Bush...
For the Record – Presidents in Uniform – Part 3
Andrew Johnson’s military career was, like the rest of his career, political. He had attracted national attention as the only southern member of Congress...
Presidential Children – Teddy’s “White House Gang”
During the term of Teddy Roosevelt, watching the Roosevelt family became a national pastime. Each day, news of the First Family was eagerly consumed...
Presidential Feuds, Part 4
The last great presidential feud was strictly personal. Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower just plain didn’t like each other. This was not a long...
U.S. Grant – Lessons Learned
Ulysses S. Grant is remembered as a great general in the Civil War, and later a less-than-great President. But the stories of his childhood...