Did you know?
by chuckofish
Since doomsday is fast approaching, I thought I would review some fun facts to know and tell about past presidential elections, concentrating on those that occurred on November 3rd.
On this day in 1868 Ulysses S. Grant defeated Horatio Seymor to become the first elected president after the Civil War ended. Has anyone ever heard of Horatio Seymor? And I must say, in his inaugural portrait U.S.G. doesn’t really look as if he wants the job, but who could blame him?
The stately looking Civil War veteran, William McKinley, who served at Antietam, defeated William Jennings Bryan in 1896 on 11-3. By all accounts it was a humdinger of an election with over 90% of the electorate turning out to vote. Now we’re lucky if we get anywhere close to 50%!
In 1908 William Howard Taft defeated William Jennings Bryan on November 3rd. That was poor Bryan’s third and final attempt at the presidency. I always think of Taft as a really obese guy, but he must have been a stress eater and put on weight in office. He doesn’t look all that portly here. Even so, he’d never get elected these days — can you imagine how today’s press would react to a candidate that makes Chris Christie look svelte? Personally, I’m all for the idea of a padded president. I’m tired of the health craze.
Moving forward, we get to the election of 1964 in which Lyndon Johnson won 61% of the popular vote to defeat Barry Goldwater. I’m going to skip his picture as I’m not a huge fan. Johnson won the silver star in WWII, but under controversial circumstances that remind me of John Kerry’s “swift boat” claims. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say on Johnson’s award:
Johnson and two Army officers went to the 22nd Bomb Group base, which was assigned the high risk mission of bombing the Japanese airbase at Lae in New Guinea. Reports vary on what happened to the B-26 Marauder carrying Johnson. Lyndon Johnson said it was also attacked by Japanese fighters but survived, while others, including other members of the flight crew, claim it turned back because of generator trouble before reaching the objective and before encountering enemy aircraft and never came under fire, which is supported by official flight records. Other airplanes that continued to the target did come under fire near the target at about the same time that Johnson’s plane was recorded as having landed back at the original airbase. MacArthur awarded Johnson the Silver Star, the military’s third-highest medal.
Oh, the politics of medals…
Finally, we have Bill Clinton’s 1988 victory over George W. Bush, which also happened on November 3rd. But since you know all about that, I’ll say no more.
There were doubtless other presidential elections on November 3rd, but these are the ones that struck me as interesting or important. I’m not attributing any particular significance to November 3rd — it doesn’t seem to favor one party over the other and I’m no believer in prognostication of that type anyway. But keep your fingers crossed about this November 6th — whatever happens, I hope there is a CLEAR WINNER!
dual personalities 
Interesting facts to know and share! Speaking of stress eating, this election cycle is pushing me over the edge and I am mindlessly stuffing my face as I write this…
I know. It’s terrible! Hardly anyone came by on Halloween and we have all this leftover candy. Who can expect me to grade papers AND show restraint. It simply is not possible.
Minor correctionnnnn… Clinton defeated George Herbert Walker Bush (a real WWII hero) in 1992. I really admire “cousin” Ulysses. Doesn’t he look like he’s had the weight of the world on his shoulders for years?! He was a truly honorable man, but as we say in our household, too trusting of men. The Teapot Dome hangs of his administration, but he was not involved.
I am often reminded of how much my Mother (and, no doubt, her DualPersonality) loved Barry Goldwater. I’ve since read about that election and how it really mirrored this year’s. The Dems slandered Goldwater as wanting to start Nuclear War and it worked… It’s kinda sad. I like to remind my friends who say that this election has been incredibly dirty that in 1800, Thomas Jefferson called John Adams a “mentally unhinged hermaphrodite.” I’m thankful that neither side has gone THAT far this year… 🙂
I reminded someone who was complaining about the same thing recently that Charles Sumner was nearly beaten to death on the senate chamber in 1856. Times haven’t changed that much.
Good heavens! Over what?
The slavery issue, what else? Sumner denounced the Kansas-Nebraska Act. he attacked authors of the Act, Senators Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois and Andrew Butler of South Carolina. Representative Preston Brooks, Butler’s nephew, was infuriated. He confronted Sumner, saying, “Mr. Sumner, I have read your speech twice over carefully. It is a libel on South Carolina, and Mr. Butler, who is a relative of mine.” As Sumner began to stand up, Brooks beat Sumner severely on the head before he could reach his feet, using a thick gutta-percha cane with a gold head. Good grief.
On a Taft note, we visited the Belle Mead plantation in Nashville when I was a child. They have a very famous bathtub there. One in which Taft once got stuck. He was indeed a large man, but a good President. I wouldn’t hesitate to vote for Christie one day. HIs physical size does not diminish the content of his character. He’s a straight talker, and I like that.
Yes, indeed. I like Christie, too, and I doubt he’ll ever get to the point where he gets stuck in a bathtub! Zut alors. I didn’t know that Taft was THAT big.
Excellent post! Pretty soon I’ll have to start working on my paper about how Emerson’s philosophies play into politics today. I’m just waiting to find out who wins, this week… I just can’t wait for it to be over.