Tag: US presidents

First paragraph: Warren G. Harding

Warren Harding’s life began as the Civil War was ending. In the winter Warren G Hardingof 1864, George Tyron Harding, a Union soldier—a fifer who had once shaken President Lincoln’s hand at the White House—was sent home to the Harding family farm near Blooming Grove, Ohio, and his new wife, Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson, to recover from jaundice. The war was over before Tyron could return to his troops, and much to Phoebe’s relief, for she was carrying their first son, who arrived on November 2, 1865. Phoebe wanted to name him Winfield but her husband preferred a family name: Warren Gamaliel. Warren was Tyron’s grandmother’s maiden name, and Gamaliel an uncle’s name that would prove to be prophetic. In the Bible, Gamaliel was noted for counseling moderation and calmness.

Warren G. Harding (The American Presidents Series, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., general editor) by John W. Dean (New York: Times Books, 2004)

In case you missed it, I reviewed this book yesterday.

First paragraph is an occasional feature on the blog. The first paragraph of any book should ideally set the tone of the book and whet the reader’s appetite. Some first paragraphs are even works of art in and of themselves. Others are more perfunctory but get the job effectively done. The hope is that these posts will inspire you to read more.

From my library: Warren G. Harding

Warren G HardingCard catalogue data
Warren G. Harding (The American Presidents Series, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., general editor) by John W. Dean (New York: Times Books, 2004)
Categories: U.S. history, presidential biography
Format: Hardback from the library
Pages: 170 (203 with end matter)

This is the first book I read in July, and the 16th for 2016.

Bottom line
Warren G. Harding, our 29th president, has been consistently ranked near the bottom of a list of best to worst U.S. chiefs. His legacy has been plagued with false accusations and distortions. This bio seeks to right that wrong and show Harding in the light of newly discovered papers that were long believed destroyed.

About the author
Yes, this is the John Dean who served as Richard Nixon’s White House counsel and was deeply involved in the Watergate scandal cover-up.

Why I read this book
I am pursuing a long-term goal of reading a biography of each U.S. president in order. Not surprisingly, there are not a lot of choices when looking for a biography on Harding. This one, from the Schlesinger’s American Presidents series, was unexpectedly quite good.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Sources
The author uses presidential papers which had once been thought destroyed by Mrs. Harding.

Did you know? Woodrow Wilson

I recently finished reading a looooooong biography of President Woodrow Wilson as part of my insane goal of reading a bio of each U.S president. I blogged about it Monday. Along with the history itself, the leadership insights, the other-worldliness of presidential life, I also find the trivia fascinating. Here are some fun facts:

Mottoes associated with Wilson:

  • After a policy of neutrality in world affairs, he led the nation into the Great War (World War I) in order to make the world “safe for democracy.”
  • His second election offered the motto “America First.”
  • “Peace without victory.”
  • Was attributed with the slogan “the war to end all wars.” Actually came from the title of a book by H.G. Wells called The War That Will End War.

Firsts for President Wilson:

  • Established the convention of a president holding a White House press conference.
  • Utilized the President’s Room in the U.S. Capitol more than any president before him. This is an ornate corner room just off the Senate chamber. George Washington had proposed this room so the president and senators could conduct joint business together, but it didn’t come into existence until the mid-19th century. Wilson used the room a good deal at the beginning of his presidency but that tapered off as his relationship with Congress faltered.
  • Established the convention of addressing a joint session of Congress in person instead of having the annual message read. Since John Adams, no president had delivered the state of the union in person, partly to keep it from feeling like a king addressing his subjects.
  • His wife Edith became the first First Lady to “embrace the humanitarian potential of her position, the ability to draw attention to social injustices.”
  • Established a presidential tradition for historic bill signings, utilizing two or three gold pens to sign and then gifting those pens to the congressmen and senators who had most helped him get it passed.
  • Officially established Flag Day—June 14—to commemorate the day in 1777 on which Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes.
  • During the Great War, he introduced Daylight Saving Time to create an extra hour of farm work each evening and to save an hour of artificial light, thus reducing the use of electricity and coal.

Random trivia:

  • As president, he made time for recreational reading and asked the Librarian of Congress to keep him supplied with detective novels.
  • Urged citizens to pledge their allegiance to the United States of America instead of honoring the hyphen that linked every American to the country of their ancestry.
  • Theodore Roosevelt, while campaigning against Wilson, said, “Instead of speaking softly and carrying a big stick, President Wilson spoke bombastically and carried a dishrag.”
  • His incapacitating stroke while in office was one of the century’s greatest secrets. His wife Edith became the gatekeeper of information and work coming to the president during this time. Some have even referred to her as the first female president.