Hail to the Chiefs, Part 2
As noted last week, many of today’s teens can name only a handful of presidents. Every third-grader is familiar with Washington and Lincoln, but who are those other guys? In part 1, I covered the lesser-known presidents through the Civil War. Most of the presidents from Reconstruction until the turn of the 20th century are not exactly household words. They kept us in business, but very few ended up on currency and postage stamps. Let’s find out why.
After Abe Lincoln made his ill-fated visit to Ford’s Theater, it was up to Vice President Andrew Johnson to take the oath and reunite a war-torn nation. Unfortunately, he made every effort to dismantle what Lincoln had rebuilt. For more than a hundred years, Johnson’s main claim to fame was being the only president to be impeached.
The 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant, had one thing in common with his disgraced predecessor. They both drank way too much. Johnson was reportedly drunk when he was sworn in to replace Lincoln, and Grant was known to drink while commanding Union troops in the Civil War and throughout two terms in the White House. Still, he ratified the 15th Amendment, giving every man, regardless of race, the right to vote (sorry, ladies, your turn wouldn’t arrive for another fifty years). Grant also established the national parks we still enjoy today. Still, he hated being president and couldn’t wait to get out of the White House.
We can zip through the next few presidents because their achievements were few. Fifteen years before becoming president, Rutherford B. Hayes joined the Union forces in the Civil War and didn’t shy away from action. He was wounded five times and once was given up for dead. He was the first president to take office despite losing the popular vote. Hayes’ opponent got 250,000 more votes, but there were accusations of voter fraud (sound familiar?). The votes from several states were voided, and Hayes ended up winning the Electoral College by one vote. From then on, his opponents referred to him as “Ruther-fraud Hayes.”
In 1881, James A. Garfield became the 20th president, but not for long. Four months into his presidency, he was shot by a crazed man who was angry because Garfield had not appointed him Ambassador to France. You would think a seriously wounded president would have great medical care, but Garfield, who should have survived, was not so fortunate. He was butchered by incompetent doctors who tore open his liver and infected the wound while trying to get to the bullet. He suffered in excruciating pain for eleven weeks before his heart gave out. He had big plans but never got to see them through.
His vice president, Chester Arthur, was believed to have bought his way onto the ticket. Ironically, after becoming president, he reformed civil service laws, forbidding people from obtaining government jobs and promotions through anything but merit. One historian said Arthur was one of the few politicians “who left office more honest than when he went in.”
Ever seen a $1,000 bill? Neither have I. But when and if we do, it features the face of Grover Cleveland. He is the only president to run for and win two non-consecutive terms. He was our 22nd and 24th president. But if social media had been around in the 1880s, he would have made our current politicians seem tame. He had reportedly raped a woman a few years earlier. When the woman had his child, Cleveland seized the infant and had the woman committed to an insane asylum. Cleveland’s opponents chanted, “Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa?” When Cleveland won the election anyway, his supporters replied, “Gone to the White House, ha ha ha!”
One of Cleveland’s first actions upon taking office was getting married. He was 48, and his bride was 21. What would Fox and MSNBC say about THAT? Cleveland lost his re-election bid to Benjamin Harrison, our last bearded president. During Harrison’s one term, six states in the northwest, including Idaho, were admitted to the union. So the next time you enjoy a potato, think of Ben.
Next week, we are headed into the 20th century!
(David Carroll is a Chattanooga news anchor, and his new book “I Won’t Be Your Escape Goat” is available on his website, ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. You may contact him at 900 Whitehall Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405, or at [email protected])
