Presidents Who Served Shortest Terms

1.  William Henry Harrison, the 9th President -  March 1841 to April 1841 (Served 32 days)

William Henry Harrison
the 9th President, 1841-1841

The Whig Party's campaign slogan for their two candidates had a catchy singsong cadence - "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!"  The Tyler half was future Vice President John Tyler and the Tippecanoe half referred to William Henry Harrison's nickname, "Old Tippecanoe," earned after his 1811 military victory in Indiana at the Tippecanoe River.  

The election was won with 234 of the 294 electoral votes.  

President William Henry Harrison gave a two-hour Inaugural Address. He was exposed to freezing cold weather, wearing no jacket, hat or gloves.  He died 32 days later of pneumonia on April 4, 1841, just 32 days after taking office.  

That same day, Vice President John Tyler was sworn in as the 9th President of the United States.

Update: In 2014, a group of epidemiologists took another look at this case and said that the President's symptoms pointed to Typhoid which was likely contracted by tainted drinking water caused by a lack of a sewage system in Washington D.C.

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2.  Zachary Taylor, the 12th President - March 4, 1849 to July 9, 1850 (Served 1 year, 127 days)

Zachary Taylor, the 12th President
March 1849  to July 9, 1850

Zachary Taylor began his Presidency on March 4, 1849 with Millard Fillmore as his Vice President.  One year later, he was attending 4th of July holiday celebrations in Washington DC. It was a very hot summer day and no matter how many glasses of ice water he drank, he could not cool down his body temperature. 

Later when he returned to his quarters at the White House, for some reason, he began to eat large quantities of cherries and other fruits and washed it down with iced milk. No one knew why he chose that remedy, perhaps it was an old family remedy or maybe someone in his presence suggested it.

For five days, he suffered stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting. His doctors diagnosed him with cholera, a bacterial infection of the small intestine.  

President Zachary Taylor died on July 9, 1850.  Millard Fillmore was sworn in as President and served the rest of Taylor's term from July 9, 1850 to March 4, 1853.  Fillmore did not have a Vice President during his term as President (see #3 below). 

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3. Millard Fillmore, the 13th President - July 9, 1850 to March 4, 1853 (Served 2 years, 238 days)

Millard Fillmore, the 13th President,
July 9, 1850 to March 4, 1853

Millard Fillmore, as Vice President, stepped into the Presidency after the death of President Zachary Taylor. As a member of the Whig Party, his term was frought with political tension between the slave-owning states and the free states.  In 1850, he signed The Fugitive Slave Act into law which mandated fines and imprisonment for anyone who helped runaway slaves.  

In 1852, President Fillmore campaigned for the nomination of his Whig party, but lost out to their favorite, General Winfield Scott. It is rare in today's process that a sitting President would not get the nomination, but that was not the case in the 1850s.  General Winfield Scott won the Whig Party's nomination but he lost the national election.

Millard Fillmore was the last Whig Party President.  Democrat Franklin Pierce won the 1852 election and became the 14th President on March 4, 1853.  

"Trivia Alert" - President Franklin Pierce's Vice President was William King. He died of tuberculosis on April 18, 1853, about six weeks after taking office. The position remained vacant for the rest of Pierce's term.   

*****

4.  James A. Garfield, the 20th President - March 4, 1881 to September 19, 1881  (Served 199 days)

James A. Garfield, 20th President
March 4, 1881 to September 19, 1881

Before it was mandatory for the Secret Service to travel with the President and their families, President Garfield and his two sons were sightseeing in Washington DC on July 2, 1881 before the President had to give a scheduled speech at his alma mater, Williams College.

President Garfield was not aware that he had a stalker who was on a mission to kill him.  Charles Guiteau, following the commands of the voices in his head, heard God tell him to kill President Garfield. He later said he had planned this assassination for weeks. He bought a special gun, an ivory-handled pistol, because he thought it would look nice in a museum when it was all over.  

On July 2, 1881, Guiteau trailed the President as per the schedule that was published in the newspaper, laying in wait to choose the right time.   Guiteau paced the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Depot waiting for Garfield to show up and when he spotted him, he got in real close behind President Garfield and shot him twice.  The second shot missed his spinal cord and lodged in his pancreas.  

Garfield lingered for eleven weeks, contracted a lethal infection and was hemorrhaging internally. He kept getting worse, no doubt from all the tests and procedures his doctors kept performing to find the second bullet so they could remove it. They even summoned Alexander Graham Bell to use his new device, a metal detector, but he also couldn't find it either. 

President James A. Garfield died on September 19, 1881 after 199 days in office.  

Update:  His assassin, Charles Guiteau, was charged with murder on October 14, 1881. He played up his mental issues by publicly reciting his letters, singing his poems, going off on rants and diatribes, and frequently waving, engaging, and smiling at spectators and reporters. 

All of it was to build on his insanity plea because he was told they wouldn't execute someone with mental problems. But the defense didn't work.  He was found guilty on January 25, 1882 and he was hanged on June 30, 1882. An autopsy showed he was likely schizophrenic and also suggested that syphillis was the cause of his mental instability. Parts of his brain are on display at the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia.

*****

5.   Warren G. Harding, the 29th President - March 4, 1921 to August 2, 1923 (Served 2 years, 151 days)

Warren G. Harding, 29th President
March 4, 1921 to August 2, 1923

President Harding had suffered from poor health for years. Besides an ongoing complaint of exhaustion, he also had an enlarged heart.  In August 1923, he had been campaigning for re-election on a cross-country tour that included the Alaska Territory, a first for a US President.  He contracted food poisoning and stopped in San Francisco. He took the Presidential Suite at the San Francisco Palace Hotel and resolved to spend a few days to get medical attention and rest up before continuing to travel.

On  August 2, 1923, he died quietly by slumping over in his bed. Doctors believe he had a massive heart attack.  His death shocked the country, and within an hour, his Vice President Calvin Coolidge was sworn into office.  

From August 2, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge did not have a Vice President.  When he ran in the 1924 elections, Charles G. Dawes became his running mate and they won four more years in office.

*****

6. John F. Kennedy, the 36th President - January 20, 1961 to November 22, 1963 (Served 2 years, 306 days)

John F. Kennedy, the 35th President
January 20, 1961 to November 22, 1963

President Kennedy was on a nationwide tour to make known his positions on education and world peace so he could pave the way for his re-election campaign in 1964.

For this trip, he wanted to ride in an open-air convertible which was a nightmare assignment for the Secret Service. As the motorcade rode through the streets of Dallas, Texas, a sniper perched in a nearby building patiently waited until he had a straight shot at the President in his scope. He shot the President and several other dignitaries in the motorcade. Kennedy died a short time later at Parkland Hospital. Police were quick to arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald for murder.  

When Oswald was being transported to the county jail, Jack Ruby, a local restaurant owner with ties to the underworld, shot and killed Oswald. 

Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was quickly sworn in as the 36th President. He finished Kennedy's term and ran in 1964 elections and won, with Hubert Humphrey serving as his Vice President. 

*****

7.  Gerald Ford, the 38th President - August 9, 1974 to January 20, 1977 (Served 2 years, 164 days)

Gerald Ford, the 38th President,
August 9, 1974 to January 20, 1977

Richard M. Nixon's Presidency was like none other before him, or since.  His Vice President, Spiro Agnew, was charged with extortion, bribery and income tax violations which caused Agnew to resign on October 10, 1973.  Agnew was ultimately disbarred, fined $10,000 and sentenced to three years probation.  

At the same time, President Nixon was embroiled in the Watergate scandal and facing impeachment. From the summer of 1973 onward, it was only a matter of time before all was made public.  If Nixon was impeached or otherwise left the job, because there was no Vice President in place, Congress faced a dilemma to fill the Presidency, one that could have set precedents far into the future. 

In October 1973, Nixon was required by the 25th Amendment to nominate a replacement Vice President who then had to be approved by Congress.

The 25th Amendment addresses the line of succession, exactly who is in charge if something happens to the President (illness, injury, or temporarily incapacitated). This Amendment clears up what happens when the President or Vice President voluntarily leaves office or becomes disabled. 

However, it also allows Congress to remove a President who is incapacitated by a serious injury or illness including mental illness.  (File this under "Good to Know").

 

By November 1973, Congressman Gerald Ford was nominated by President Richard M. Nixon. Gerald Ford had been carefully chosen, he was well-liked and popular, and very few had any worry about his approval by Congress.

On December 6, 1973, Gerald Ford was sworn in as Vice President. Things changed often over the next eight months until finally Nixon made a decision.

On August 9, 1974, President Richard M. Nixon resigned from the Presidency amid the Watergate scandal.  Gerald Ford, as his Vice President, automatically became the President.   Because Ford didn't have a Vice President, he invoked the 25th Amendment again and nominated Nelson Rockefeller.  He was approved and sworn in on December 19, 1974.

President Gerald Ford served until January 20, 1977.  He ran in the 1976 election but lost to Jimmy Carter.

Sources: 

whitehouse.gov 

history.com

vault.fbi.gov

Youngest and Oldest Presidents

It is interesting to see the ages of Presidents at the time they took office, how long they served, and how long they lived after leaving office. 

As of today, December 19, 2022, there are five living Presidents:  Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.

The longest Presidency was Franklin D. Roosevelt at 4,422 days from March 4, 1933 until he died on April 12, 1945 at the age of 63 years 72 days old. He holds the record of winning four Presidential elections, serving three full terms.

The shortest Presidency was William Henry Harrison at 31 days from March 4, 1841 until he died on April 4, 1841 at the age of 68 years 54 days old.

Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest person to become President at the age of 42 years 322 days old, after the assassination of President William McKinley on September 14, 1901. McKinley was 58 years 228 days old at the time of his death. Theodore Roosevelt served for 9 years 308 days until March 4, 1909.  He died on January 6, 1919.

The youngest candidate chosen by votes in an election was John F. Kennedy who was 43 years 236 days old at his inauguration. He had the shortest lifespan of any President.  He was 46 years 177 days old when he was killed on November 22, 1963.

The oldest President at the end of his term was Ronald Reagan. Born on February 6, 1911, he was 69 years 349 days old at the beginning of his term and 77 years 349 days old at the end of his term on January 20, 1989.

Joseph Biden was 78 years 61 days old when he was sworn in as President on January 20, 2021. At the end of his first four years in 2024, he will be the oldest President at age 80.

James Polk died three months after leaving office at age 53 years 122 days on March 4, 1849. He was the youngest to die of natural causes. He was 53 years 225 days old when the

Jimmy Carter is the longest retired and longest living President in American history.  He was 52 years 111 days old when he was sworn in on January 20, 1977 and at the end of his term, he was 77 years 349 days old on January 20, 1981. Born on October 1, 1924, as of December 19, 2022, Jimmy Carter is 98 years old.

The youngest living President is Barack Obama. Born on August 4, 1961, he was 47 years and 198 days old when he was sworn into office on January 20, 2009. He was 55 years 169 days old when his term was over on January 20, 2017.

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Presidential Facts - James Monroe

 

James Monroe
5th President of the United States

 

James Monroe

Born:  April 28, 1758 in Loudon County, Virginia

Served as 5th US President from March 4, 1817 to March 5, 1821

Died: July 4, 1831 in New York City, at age 83.

Married: February 16, 1786 to Elizabeth Kortright (1768-1830) in New York City.  3 children:  Eliza Monroe Hay (1786-1840), James Spence Monroe (1799-1800), and Maria Hester Monroe (1802-1850)

Maria Hester Monroe was the first child of a US President to be married in the White House.  On March 8, 1820, she married her first cousin Samuel L. Gouverneur who was working as President Monroe's private secretary. There were 42 guests and the event was managed by Maria's sister Eliza who took over the First Lady duties from her mother who was ill. (see White House Weddings in our Topics)

 

The First Penitentiary

Helping to establish the first penitentiary is only one of Monroe's many accomplishments before he became President. In 1800 during his term as Governor of Virginia (1799 to 1802), there was a slave rebellion on a plantation near Richmond.  It was called "Gabriel's Rebellion" in honor of Gabriel Prosser, the slave leader of the group.  Monroe called out the state militia to suppress the uprising and arrest the slaves. According to the law, Gabriel Prosser and 27 of the slaves were hanged for treason.  The rest of the group were free Africans and spared from being put to death. They were arrested and held in local jails. 

This caused another dilemma - the jails became overcrowded.  Governor Monroe secretly worked with President Thomas Jefferson to find a solution. The result was establishing the Virginia State Penitentiary, the first penitentiary in the United States which was in service from 1800 until it was demolished in 1991.  The execution chamber was moved to Greensville Correctional Center near Jarratt Virginia. The land was sold to Afton Chemical Corporation and is used as a business park.

 

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President John F. Kennedy - Death Certificate

 

Clause 5 - Requirements To Be President of the United States

It might surprise you to know that the three basic requirements to be President of the  Uniited States have not changed since George Washington was in office.  

Seal of the President of the United States

Anyone who wants to be a candidate for President must:

• Be a natural-born citizens of the United States
• Have been a resident of the United States for 14 years
• Be at least 35 years of age.

See below for "Further Requirements"

Constitution: Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 -  "No Person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of the US Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of the President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States."

Discussion:

- The person who becomes President must be a natural born citizen. Written into law at a time when America was fresh from a war with Great Britain, there were still some stragglers living in the country whose allegiance was with their mother country. This requirement was to instill that the elected person will be loyal to only the United States. Ultimately citizenship information should be made known sooner rather than later - that is, before the person announces their candidacy.    

 - The courts have never been called on to decide the citizenship of children born outside of the United States to American citizens. For example, children of American citizens who serve in foreign embassies, on military bases, or in countries at war with the US.  Acceptable proof would  be a birth certificate because it shows date and place of birth. 

- Written into law at a time when America was fresh from winning a war with Great Britain, the authors were conscious of the fact that there were people living in the country whose allegiance was with their mother country. Barring foreigners was meant to protect the United States from them holding office.

- Where one is born carries more emphasis. We saw an example of the ways this could be abused when Donald Trump spread rumors about President Obama's place of birth. The Naturalization Act of 1790 provided that the children of United States citizens who were born overseas and at sea are natural born citizens as long as one parent was an American at the time of the child's birth. Some other examples:  Senator John McCain of Arizona was born in the Panama Canal Zone. Governor George Romney of Massachusetts was born in Mexico. Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona was born in Arizona before it became a US state.

- Religon, culture, gender, prior experience, military service, financial or educational background have no bearing on whether one can be a candidate for President or eventually hold that office. There is also no requirement to be an attorney, have legal or former military experience. But strategists say that it helps to have studied law and economics. Fact: There are over 30 Presidents with military experience, and dozens of candidates who had prior political experience, for example, as mayor, governor, congressman, senator.

- The fourteen-year residency requirement was made to allow the ample time for the public to evaluate a candidate's track record in the community, their background, their personal and political interests, and their character and merits.

- The fourteen year requirement does not mandate that the person must live in the United States for the whole fourteen years. The courts have interpreted it to mean that the person must have (own or rent) a permanent domicile (not land, but a physical home) in the United States that is their permanent residence. For example, some states have a requirement that a person must live in a state for six months to be considered a resident of that state. 

Further requirements:

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) issues forms for each person to register their candidacy within 15 days of making their announcement. The forms include monthly or quarterly financial reports, that must be completed once a candidate raises $5,000 in contributions or spends $5,000 for their campaign.  Regular reports must be filed (monthly or quarterly) as designated on the form in order to disclose receipts and expenses.

The Federal Election Commission also requires, within 15 days, that the candidate establish a principle campaign committee to accept contributions and to pay the expenses of the campaign. Additionally, the candidate can option to authorize more campaign committees to help raise and spend funds, but only the principal committee is required. 

The campaign committee must register by filing a "Statement of Organization" form which covers five pages of the information stated on this post.

If a candidate has run in a prior election, they still must file a "Statement of Candidacy" form but they keep the same FEC identification number they had last time and the "Statement of Organization" only needs to be amended to show new names for their campaign committee members. 

Registration does not qualify a candidate to have their name on the ballot. A candidate must consult the election offices in a person's home state and complete the required registration forms.

There are contribution limits and limits on who can contribute and how often which is updated annually in election years.

FEC Requirements for Candidates: 

• Apply for a Tax ID number 
• Establish a designated bank account for campaign funds
• Appointing a Treasurer
• Apply for ballot access through your state government to get your name on the ballot.
• Be aware of the election dates in every state in the country
• File monthly and quarterly financial reports of campaign contributions and expenditures.

 

 

Sources:

https://fec.gov 

https://constitution.congress.gov

https://usa.gov/requirements-for-presidential-candidates

https://loc.gov

 

Presidential Facts - President Gerald Ford

President Gerald Ford
1974-1977

In 1940 while still attending Yale University, Gerald Ford, the future 38th President, was dating a model named Phyllis Brown. Together they were hired to pose for LOOK Magazine for a series of photographs titled "A New York Girl and Her Yale Boyfriend Spend a Holiday on Skis." The photographs brought them more modeling jobs and soon they were doing a lot of print work together.   

In April 1942, Gerald Ford appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan Magazine while kissing Phyllis Brown, but he received no photographic credit because the photo was a sketch. The job called for a pose, not modeling.   

Gerald Ford, Cosmopolitan Magazine
April 1942

While working on another modeling job, Ford met his future wife, Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Bloomer, who was also working as a model.  When he returned home from the Navy, he opened a law practice and began courting Betty. They were married on October 15, 1948.  Soon after, he was elected to Congress.

History of the US Flags

Since 1776, there have been 27 U. S. flags.  Each new flag represented one or more states that joined the Union.

Nine flags flew for one year or less which shows how fast the nation was growing.  There has not been a new star since 1960 when Hawaii was added and although Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the North Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands are American-owned territories; they are not yet considered "states."

13-Star Flag, 1777 to 1795

1. The 13-Star Flag - 1777 to 1795

George Washington was President when this flag flew the land.  It officially became a US Flag on June 14, 1777 which is why the date is celebrated as "Flag Day."  Each star and stripe represents a former British colony.

2. The 15-Star Flag - 1795 to 1818

This flag flew under five Presidents: Washington (1789-1797), John Adams (1797-1801), Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), James Madison (1809-1817) and James Monroe (1817-1825).  Two stars and stripes were added: one in 1791 for Vermont and in 1792 for Kentucky.  This is the flag that influenced Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" in September 1814. Although more states joined the Union up to 1818, they were not included until the next flag was proposed.

3. The 20-Star Flag -1818 to 1819

President James Monroe was President when this flag flew the land for just about one year.  Congresss deemed it to be impractical to keep adding stripes to the flag. So on April 13, 1818, Congress passed the Flag Act to make the 20-star flag the official flag.  They restored the original 13-stripe design and on July 4th, they unveiled a flag with five additional stars to represent Tennessee (1796), Ohio (1803), Louisiana (1812), Indiana (1816) and Mississippi (1817).  

4. The 21-Star Flag - 1819 to 1820

President James Monroe was still in the White House when a little over one year later, Illinois decided to join the Union in 1819 and the 21st star was added.

5. The 23-Star Flag -1820 to 1822

President James Monroe (1817-1825) was starting his second term when Alabama (a slave state) joined the Union in 1819 and Maine joined in 1820 after it separated from northern part of Massachusetts (a slave state).  The 23-Star Flag became the official US Flag on July 4, 1820.  Missouri probably would have been added to make it a 24-star flag but Missouri was not quite qualified because they did not have enough settlers. There was no telling how long it would take to build up their population enough to apply for statehood, so only Alabama and Maine were admitted to the Union.

24-Star Flag, 1822-1836

6. The 24-Star Flag - 1822 to 1836

This flag flew under three Presidents: James Monroe (1817-1825), John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) and Andrew Jackson (1829-1837). In order to qualify for statehood, Missouri needed more settlers. Over a period of two years, people emigrated from the Southern states, bringing their slaves with them. By late 1819, Missouri had enough population to qualify for statehood however Congress was concerned about the slavery issue.  If Missouri were to be admitted as a slave state, it meant there would be more slave states than free states in the Union; this would influence the voting process in Congress.  Northern legislators in Congress wanted to prohibit slavery in Missouri and make them a free state, but came up against opposition - mostly from Missourians. The dispute was settled by making Maine a free state and keeping Missouri as a slave state with a bill called The Missouri Compromise which barred slavery in all territories north of Missouri, (later became Kansas and Nebraska), and barred the importation of new slaves.   President James Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise on March 6, 1820, which stayed in place until 1854 when it was replaced by the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

7. The 25-Star Flag - 1836 to 1837

This flag flew under two Presidents: Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) and Martin Van Buren (1837-1841).  On June 15, 1836, Arkansas joined the Union as a slave state and about one month later, their star was added to the flag.  Arkansas was part of the Louisiana Purchase which made the Missouri Territory become its own territory.

8. The 26-Star Flag - 1837 to 1845

This flag flew under four Presidents:  Martin Van Buren (1837-1841), William Henry Harrison (1841), John Tyler (1841-1845) and James Polk (1845-1849).  Michigan was added as a free state in 1837 amid a border dispute with Ohio which became a state in 1803.  President Andrew Jackson solved the dispute by allowing Ohio to keep the disputed territory and he awarded Michigan some of the land from the Upper Peninsula.

9.  The 27-Star Flag - 1845 to 1846

President James Polk was in office when Florida was admitted to the Union in 1845 as a slave state.  Florida was colonized by Spain in 1565, then they lost it to the British in 1763 in the French and Indian War, and after 20 years of British rule, Florida was returned to Spain as part of the second Treaty of Paris which ended the American Revolution in 1783.  It took many years but finally in 1819 Secretary of State John Quincy Adams was able to negotiate the Florida Purchase Treaty which put Florida in US hands at no cost, except for the US taking over $5 million of claims by US citizens against Spain.  The US began occupation in 1821 with General Andrew Jackson as its Military Governor. Britain wanted to regain control of Florida and with it meant control of the Mississippi River. In 1821, the United States successfully purchased Florida from Spain. It took from 1822 until March 3, 1845 for Florida to be admitted to the Union as a slave state because Congress had to wait until a"free" territory was on the way to qualifying as a free state. In 1845, Florida's population was about 67,000 people, and about 30,000 were people held in slavery.

28-Star Flag, 1846 to 1847

10. The 28-Star Flag - 1846 to 1847

President James Polk (1845-1849) was in office when Texas was admitted to the Union in 1846.   Before becoming the 28th state, Texas had broken away from Mexico in 1836 and was an independent republic for ten years before joining the Union.  As the Lone Star state, it became the biggest state in land mass.

11. The 29-Star Flag - 1847 to 1848

President James Polk saw the admission of Iowa to the Union.  Iowa was originally part of the Louisiana Purchase and was established as a US territory in 1838.  As a free state, Iowa was admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846 which maintained the balance between free and slave states.  Their star was added to the flag on July 4, 1847.

12. The 30-Star Flag - 1848 to 1851

This flag flew under three Presidents:  James Polk (1845-1849), Zachary Taylor (1849-1850) and Millard Fillmore (1850-1853). On May 29, 1848, Wisconsin qualified for statehood and the 30th star was added two months later.  The residents of Wisconsin rejected statehood four times because they thought statehood meant higher taxes.

31-Star Flag, 1851 to 1858

13.  The 31-Star Flag - 1851 to 1858

This flag flew under three Presidents:  Millard Fillmore (1850-1853), Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) and James Buchanan (1857-1861).  The influx of settlers during California's Gold Rush in 1848 helped California qualify for statehood and become the 31st star which was added on July 4, 1850.

14. The 32-Star Flag - 1858 to 1859

Minnesota was admitted to the Union as a free state on May 11, 1858 during President James Buchanan's term (1857-1861).  Their star became the 32nd star on July 4, 1858.

15.  The 33-Star Flag - 1859 to 1861

This flag flew under two Presidents: James Buchanan (1857-1861) and Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865).  Oregon had been a US territory since 1848 and on February 14, 1859, they finally qualified to join the Union as a free stat.  Their 33rd star was added to the flag on July 4, 1859.   

16. The 34-Star Flag - 1861 to 1863

President Abraham Lincoln saw Kansas join the Union as a free state on January 29, 1861. Its admission was delayed over disputes whether Kansas would be admitted as a free state or a slave state.   The 34th star was added to the flag on July 4, 1861.

17. The 35-Star Flag - 1863 to 1865

Two Presidents kept the doors open during the Civil War to admit states to the Union:  Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) and Andrew Johnson (1865-1869).  The western part of Virginia was home to many abolitionists and was pro-Union. It had split from the rest of the state which had seceded.  Admitting the western part of Virginia meant dividing the rest of Virginia as a separate state. Lincoln agreed to its admission on the grounds that West Virginia's decision to join the union was an act of secession in favor of the Constitution. West Virginia joined the Union on June 20, 1863 and their star was added on a new flag on July 4, 1863.

18. The 36-Star Flag - 1865 to 1867

President Abraham Lincoln lobbied hard for statehood for Nevada because they were a pro-Union state and he felt their statehood would drum up western support for the Civil War. New states had to write a state constitution then submit it to Congress for admission. Nevada sent its entire state constitution to Washington DC by telegram - all 175 pages.  Lincoln lived to see Nevada admitted to the Union on October 31, 1864 but he was assassinated on April 15, 1865. So it was President Andrew Johnson who saw their star added to the flag on July 4, 1865.  

19. The 37-Star Flag - 1867 to 1877

This flag flew under three Presidents:  Andrew Johnson (1867-1869), Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) and Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881).  After the Civil War, Nebraska was the first state to qualify to join the Union. Nebraska felt they would be approved quickly because the rapid growth of the railroad through the mid-west was a point in their favor. Nebraska submitted their state constitution but their approval hit a snag when their state constitution limited the voting to whites only and that the right to hold office was expressly limited to white citizens.  Congress rejected the clause but not their constitution and instead imposed that "there shall be no denial of elective franchise or any other right to any person by reason of race or color."  President Johnson vetoed the bill on the grounds that Congress had no right to amend their constitution. Congress overrode Johnson's veto but Nebraska decided to change its constitution to remove the "whites only" voting clause. Their star was added to the flag on July 4, 1867.

20. The 38-Star Flag - 1877 to 1890

This flag flew under five Presidents for 13 years:  Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881), James A. Garfield (1881), Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885), Grover Cleveland (1885-1889) and Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893).  The Colorado Territory was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.  In 1866, both Nebraska and Colorado had all their ducks in a row to qualify for statehood to join the Union. Nebraska (see above) was approved in 1867. Colorado's constitution had the same white male voting clause as Nebraska.  Congress approved to admit Colorado but amended to  protect the rights of those newly freed from slavery, but President Andrew Johnson vetoed their legislation. Congress overrode his veto by 108 to 32 votes.  After enduring constant vetoes, the House voted on February 24, 1868 to impeach President Andrew Johnson. Almost ten years later on August 1, 1876, President Ulysses Grant signed the proclamation that admitted Colorado to the Union.

43-Star Flag, 1890-1891

21. The 43-Star Flag - 1890 to 1891

Five states were admitted to the Union under President Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893):  North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington in 1889 and Idaho in 1890.  The flag had 43 stars by July 4, 1890.

22. The 44-Star Flag - 1891 to 1896

Six states were admitted to the  Union when President Benjamin Harrison was in office. Wyoming was the last one  on July 10, 1890 bringing the number of stars to 44.  Wyoming was 5,000 people short of the required 60,000 population requirement to become a state.

23. The 45-Star Flag - 1896 to 1908

This flag flew under three Presidents:  Grover Cleveland (1893-1897), William McKinley (1897-1901) and Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909).  Utah became a state on January 4, 1896.  Even though Utah was a territory the US received as part of the treaty that ended the Mexican American War in 1848, the Mormons prevented Utah from becoming a state until they renounced polygamy in the state constitution.  

24. The 46-Star Flag - 1908 to 1912

President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) saw Oklahoma admitted to the Union on November 16, 1907.  Previously the United States used Oklahoma to resettle Native Americans but in the mid-1880s, Texas ranchers moved northward in droves so the federal government opened the territory to homesteaders.  

25. The 48-Star Flag - 1912 to 1959

President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) saw the southwestern territories of New Mexico and Arizona join the Union.  The 47th state was New Mexico on January 6, 1912 followed by Arizona on February 14, 1912.  This flag flew longer than any other before it, 47 years with eight President serving:  Taft, Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921), Warren Harding (1921-1923), Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929), Herbert Hoover (1929-1933), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945), Harry Truman (1945-1953), and Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961).

26. The 49-Star Flag - 1959 to 1960

Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 and until then was the second largest state, over twice the size of Texas.  President Dwight D. Eisenhower was in office when Alaska became a state on January 3, 1959.

50-Star Flag, 1960 to present

27. The 50-Star Flag - 1960 to present

Thirteen Presidents served under this flag that welcomed Hawaii as the 50th state on August 21, 1959.  The Presidents are:  Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961), John F. Kennedy (1961-1963), Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969), Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974), Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977), Jimmy Carter (1977-1981), Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), George H. W. Bush (1989-1993), William Clinton (1993-2001), George W. Bush (2001-2009), Barack Obama (2009-2017), Donald Trump (2017-2021) and Joseph Biden (2021 to present).

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Presidential Quotes - Abraham Lincoln

 

Abraham Lincoln had already prepared a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation when Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, used his newspaper to address a letter to Lincoln to goad him to outline the policy that Lincoln was pursuing regarding the war, and to get him to recognize that slavery was the root cause of the war.

Lincoln never let on that he had the draft prepared when he responded to Greeley's goading. However, Lincoln chose not to respond in Greeley's New York Tribune newspaper.  This quote is an excerpt of Lincoln's letter which was published in the Daily National Intelligencer on August 22, 1862.

"As to the policy that "I seem to be pursuing" as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt:

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it. If I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it. If I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that. 

"I have stated my purpose according to my view of official duty. I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free."

- August 22, 1862 - Excerpt from Lincoln's reply to Horace Greeley which was published in the Daily National Intelligencer 

The White House - 1994 Breach

Frank Eugene Corder

Frank Eugene Corder, age 38, spent Sunday evening September 11, 1994 with his brother drinking alcohol and smoking crack. Later that night, he asked him to drop him off at Aldino Airport in Churchville, Maryland. Shortly after midnight on Monday September 12, 1994, he went to the return key rack and stole keys for a Cessna P150. Although he was not a licensed pilot, he had taken several lessons in the summer of 1993.  He set a course toward Washington DC. 

The Cessna was first noticed on radar by Baltimore-Washington International Airport around 1:06 am in the area of York, Pennsylvania. Then he was out of sight until 1:44 am when Washington National Airport spotted him six miles from the White House flying at 2700 feet.  

Over the next three minutes, his plane descended over 1000 feet and turned to the south, passing over the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol.  When the plane had entered the no-fly zone, air traffic controllers notified the appropriate agencies.

Passing over the Mall area, Corder aimed the plane toward the White House, started into a deep descent, and skidded across the White House South Lawn. The plane struck a magnolia tree just west of the South Portico steps, hit the southwest corner of the Executive Mansion’s first floor and crashed at 1:49 AM. Frank Eugene Corder died instantly from multiple massive blunt-force injuries.  

Corder crashed into the White House, September 1994

The Clintons were not in residence at the time because they had been living at Blair House while the White House ventilation system was undergoing renovations.

Within minutes of the crash, the DC Fire Department and paramedics were summoned, the President’s Protective Division was notified, additional Secret Service personnel arrived on scene, a perimeter was established, the Technical Security Division (TSD) and the military's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team were making sure there were no explosives on the plane.  

An investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the crash was intentional, and not failure of a controlled landing because the plane’s wing flaps were up, the throttle was “full forward” and the plane had exceeded a safe landing speed.  

Armed with that knowledge, the investigators for the Washington D.C. Medical Examiner looked for a trigger and found multiple triggers. Corder’s friends claimed he held no ill will towards President Bill Clinton and that Corder probably did it for the publicity of the stunt. 

Investigators learned that Corder had been terminated from a truck driving job that he had held for over 20 years. He had completed 90 days in a drug rehab in February 1993 and was released to his third wife, Lydia to their home at Keyser’s Motel in Aberdeen, Maryland. 

Then three weeks before his fateful plane crash, Lydia left him. Corder had told several friends that he was going to kill himself in a big way either by flying a plane into the White House or into the dome of the Capitol.  The Washington DC Medical Examiner took all of this into consideration and concluded his death was a suicide.   

Corder wanted to die "in a big way."  He got his wish. His name was added to the list of the many people to breach the White House and its grounds.

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Presidential Quotes - George W. Bush

 

"We will not waver; we will not tire; we will not falter; and we will not fail. Peace and Freedom will prevail."

- Regarding the war on Terror by George W. Bush, 43rd President, September 20, 2001

Presidential Facts - George Washington

 

Presidential Facts 
George Washington

When George Washington first ran for the Virginia House of Burgesses, he supplied 164 gallons of alcohol to only 396 voters so they would like him. Washington won the election.

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Facts About The 4th of July

Flag with 13 stars used from 1777 to 1795

The flag bore 13 stars until 1795 when two more stars and two more stripes were added for Vermont and Kentucky.  The 15 star flag was used for the next 23 years until 1818.  The 15 star flag inspired author, poet and lawyer Francis Scott Key to write the "Star Spangled Banner" on September 14, 1814.

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The Liberty Bell, located in Philadelphia, rings 13 times every July 4th to honor the 13 original states.

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In July 1776, there were approximately 2.5 million people living in the new nation.  In July 2021, the estimated population in 50 United States is about 332 million people.

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There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.  Benjamin Franklin was the oldest at age 70 and South Carolina Governor Edward Rutledge was the youngest at age 26.

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The Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Britain on July 2, not July 4.  It took two days for the official document to be prepared for signatures which is why the July 4th date appears at the top of the document.

However, President John Adams believed that July 2nd should have been celebrated as Independence Day instead of July 4th because the document was actually adopted by Congress on July 2, 1776.  Adams wrote in his personal papers: "July 2 will be celebrated by future generations as the great anniversary festival. The day should include pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations (fireworks) from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.

John Adams took his convictions even further. As a personal protest against the wrong date becoming famous, he refused all invitations to July 4th events.

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It took over 100 years for Congress to make the 4th of July an official holiday. IOn June 28, 1870 Congress passed House Resolution 2224 to establish the 4th of July as an unpaid federal holiday. 

However there was no proposal to create an official holiday, just one that would acknowledge the date as a legal holiday in every state in the Union.  

It wasn't until 1938 that Congress established the 4th of July as a paid federal holiday, just like Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Washington's birthday, Labor Day and Thanksgiving.

It took another law to be passed in 1959 to identify which day of the week that federal workers would get off from work. Because it was a movable date, it all depended on where July 4th landed on the calendar. 

If the 4th of July landed on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday, then federal workers were given Friday off from work. 

If the 4th of July landed on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, they were given Monday off from work.

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John Hancock was the only person who actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776.  The other 55 did not sign until later. It took six months for all to sign.  Thomas Mckean of Delaware was the last person to sign and for that reason there are a few copies in existence that do not have his name signed on them.

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 It was extraordinary that three Presidents died on Independence Day. Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died just hours apart on July 4, 1826 on the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  

President James Monroe five years later on July 4, 1831.

President Calvin Coolidge was the only President born on the 4th of July in 1872.

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Presidential Facts - Adams and Jefferson

The 4th of July is an important date in our nation's history but it is also important for two US Presidents.  

Perhaps the most extraordinary deaths were Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson who died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.  

John Adams last words were recorded as: "Thomas Jefferson survives."  He didn't know that Jefferson had died several hours before him. 

John Adams was 90 years and 247 days old when he died on July 4, 1826 which was 25 years after leaving the Presidency in 1801.

Thomas Jefferson was 82 years and 7 days old when he died on July 4, 1826 which was 15 years after leaving the Presidency in 1809.

 

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Presidential Facts - President Abraham Lincoln

President Abraham Lincoln

Before joining President Lincoln's Cabinet, William Seward had served as the 12th Governor of New York for two terms and as a U.S. Senator from New York. He was an antislavery activist who ran for President in 1860 and lost to Lincoln. 

When Lincoln was choosing his Cabinet, he appointed William Seward as his Secretary of State.  Their personalities were a good fit and they became good friends.  

What many people didn't know at the time and long afterward was that William Seward was Lincoln's speechwriter.  Lincoln's famous speech declaring Thanksgiving Day as the 4th Thursday of every November was written by Seward.

Seward also served as President Andrew Johnson's Secretary of State and he was responsible for negotiating the purchase of Alaska from the Russians in 1867 for the bargain price of $7.2 million - which came to about two cents per acre.

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President John F. Kennedy's Casket

Just when you think you knew almost everything about a historical event, along comes something that you didn't know before.

At least, we didn't. And we are old enough to remember watching TV to see the events unfold, the funeral procession and burial.

Putting aside the finger pointing and conspiracy theories that usually litter the comments of posts like this one, we want to share this tidbit about President John F. Kennedy that now 50+ years later, came as a surprise to us.


November 22, 1963, Dallas Texas

Television stations around the United States aired President John F. Kennedy's November 1963 trip to Dallas Texas. Most Americans remember the image of the President and his wife Jackie sitting in the back seat of an open roof limousine with two Secret Service agents up front in the driver and passenger seats, followed by Senator John Connally and his wife in the middle seat, waving to the crowds that lined both sides of the road.

Kennedy's motorcade in Dallas, Texas

All of a sudden, the President and the Senator slumped over in their seats. Both Senator John Connally and the President had been shot once, then two more shots rang out.

Within seconds of the third shot, the limo driver kicked into action at high speed and set his course toward Parkland Hospital, the closest hospital. Cops on motorcycles cleared the road, fell into formation and acted as escorts.

Police escort to Parkland Hospital

Secret Service Special Agent Clint Hill was walking alongside the car with the rest of the foot detail when he heard the first shot. He attempted to climb onto the back of the limo to render aid but he was fighting against the accelerated speed of the limo. The image of Jackie Kennedy reaching out to grab Clint Hill's hand is one that is indelibly imprinted on the minds of people all over the world.  Hill was worried that Jackie Kennedy would fall off the trunk, thinking she was trying to help him to come onboard. But she wasn't. She was reaching for a piece of her husband’s skull that had landed on the trunk of the limo.

Jackie Kennedy climbing over the trunk of the limo

After Clint Hill helped her back into her seat, the President fell over into her lap.  Hill saw that the President's eyes were fixed and he said later that he knew he was dead. He shielded both of them in the limo until they got to the hospital.  Jackie Kennedy said "I have his brains in my hand. Oh my God, they've shot his head off. I love you, Jack." 

When they got to the hospital, she said she didn't want anyone to see her husband's wounded head, so Hill threw his suit coat over him as he was taken into the hospital.

Hill set up a direct phone line from the hospital to Washington and the first call was from Attorney General Robert Kennedy who asked: "How bad is it?"  Clint Hill didn't want to tell him that his brother was dead, so he said, "It's as bad as it gets."

About 30 minutes later, all attempts to save him were exhausted. A priest had been called to administer last rites and President Kennedy was pronounced dead.

Reporters and representatives from hundreds of news wire organizations were camped outside the hospital waiting for word so they could hurry to write copy to push out special editions while other reporters waited to go live when their stations interrupted regular programming. Thus began three days of sitting vigil not just in the United States, but all over the world.

Reporters outside Parkland Hospital

Newspapers rushed to put out special editions of the news

At Parkland Hospital, Kenny O'Donnell, Presidential aide and personal friend to President Kennedy and his wife, assigned Special Agent Clint Hill he task of finding an undertaker so they could buy a casket for the President.  Clint contacted Mr. Vernon O'Neal, a highly respected undertaker in Dallas, who showed him a very expensive silk-lined bronze coffin. Hill contracted for the purchase and said that it was needed forthwith.  The undertaker said he would personally deliver it to the hospital.

Kennedy's casket, purchased in Dallas

O'Donnell alerted Air Force One that President Kennedy's body would be en route to the airport shortly and that Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson would be sworn in on the plane as the new President of the United States before they landed in Washington.

Lyndon B Johnson taking the Oath of Office

The President's body was prepared for travel, and although blood ceased to pump through his veins, extra precaution was taken when they transferred him to the bronze casket to wrap his head in clean bandages and wrap his body in plastic sheeting so the fine silk interior would not get soiled.

The President's Secret Service detail found that leaving Dallas wasn't going to be that easy. On their way out of the hospital with the casket, they were stopped by Dr. Earl Rose, the Dallas Medical Examiner who barred them from taking the body back to Washington.  He said since the President died in Dallas, an autopsy had to be performed in Dallas, not Washington, D.C.


Kenny O'Donnell and several members of the Secret Service detail took the Medical Examiner aside to remind him that "this is the President of the United States we are talking about!"  O'Donnell said the autopsy would be done when they got back to Washington, D. C.

However, the Medical Examiner was not giving in. He maintained that this occurred in his jurisdiction.

The Secret Service detail was not giving in. This was their President.

The Medical Examiner suggested to let the Justice of the Peace render his opinion. The Secret Service agents fully expected him to side with them and overrule the Medical Examiner.  But the Justice of the Peace said the assassination of a President of the United States was to be treated as "just another homicide."

Kenny O'Donnell got pissed off.  The Secret Service detail and the Presidential aides boldly walked around to bypass the Medical Examiner, the Justice of the Peace, and various policemen who were guarding the location, then they hurriedly put the President's casket in the ambulance, and headed to the airport, followed by the media.

Arriving at the airport

Carrying the casket up the ramp of Air Force One

At the airport

Given the condition of the President's body due to massive head wounds, the casket didn't arrive back in Washington D. C. in the best condition.  In fact, the white silk interior was so damaged from blood stains that oozed out of the plastic sheeting that Jackie Kennedy opted to not use that casket for the funeral and burial.

She said she wanted to focus her attention on making her husband's funeral emulate other Presidential funerals, namely that of President Abraham Lincoln.  She picked out a mahogany casket for the President's burial.

A second casket

After the President's body was transferred to the new casket, the next dilemma was what to do with the first coffin. The undertaker, ever mindful of the lookey-lous and of the resale hounds who stole artifacts to make a fast buck, decided to put the solid bronze casket in storage. 


The President's flag-covered mahogany casket lay in the Rotunda of the U. S. Capitol through the night of November 24, 1963.

Kennedy's body lay in state at the US Capitol

Caroline kneeling at her father's casket

No one can ever forget John Kennedy Jr.
saluting his father's casket

On November 25, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Funeral Procession

The Eternal Flame at Arlington

In 1965, the original bronze casket was moved to a secret warehouse in Washington with a guard stationed on the post.


There were reports that government officials were getting offers to buy the casket - one offer was for over $100,000 - with intentions to put it on display with other Kennedy memorabilia.  However, the temptation to steal it or buy it disappeared when the Kennedy family requested that the casket be disposed of ... quietly.

Their quiet "disposal method" boggles the mind and begs the question: What was wrong with incineration?  This is what they did.


On February 18, 1966, the Secret Service filled the blood-stained bronze casket with hundreds of sandbags, put the casket inside another casket made of solid pine, drilled 40 holes in it for drainage, bound it with metal banding tape, and fitted it with parachutes.

Yes, parachutes!

The prepared casket was loaded onto a C-130 transport plane and flown out 100 miles over the Atlantic Ocean, where the water was about 9,000 feet deep and far from shipping lanes.

Air Force planes 

They pushed the casket out of the plane and waited for the parachutes to open, which were meant to give the casket a smooth landing on the water.  They watched the casket sink down 9,000 feet, then the transport plane hovered for another 20 to 30 minutes to make sure the casket didn't rise back to the surface.

The official report given to the Kennedy family read, in part:  "The casket was disposed of at sea in a quiet, sure and dignified manner."

This isn't about a body being buried at sea.

We are talking about a staged burial at sea for a casket that in 100 years may be located by explorers, just like the Titanic.  It would have been cheaper to burn it in an incinerator with or without a ceremony, and save the expense of a C-130 transport plane (pilot, fuel, employees), and skip the holes, second pine casket, sandbags, metal bands, and parachutes.


This is a classic example of American tax dollars at work.  Government spending hasn't changed much since 1966.



To readers who were born before 1953, do you remember where you were when you heard that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated?  Tell us in the comments.

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