I Wish I Knew That: U.S. Presidents: Cool Stuff You Need to Know (11 page)

Born

October 5, 1829 Fairfield, Vermont

Political Party

Republican

Wife

Ellen (died before her husband became president)

Children

William, Chester, and Ellen

A Surprise Beginning

Chester Arthur was as shocked as anyone that President Garfield’s assassin announced “Now Arthur is president! ” after he gunned down Garfield.

Arthur never dreamed of becoming president. His biggest job before being vice president was running New York City’s custom house, and there he was fired for “encouraging” his employees to contribute money to his political party.

An Honest President

As president, Arthur surprised everyone by turning over a new leaf and working to make government honest. He turned his back on his old friends who wanted easy government jobs and instead supported laws (known as the Pendleton Act) that required people to take a test to get a federal job. Now people had to be qualified for the government jobs they wanted; they couldn’t get jobs just because they knew powerful politicians. He also helped protect people from losing their jobs because of how they voted in political elections and what party they chose to join.

New Laws and Ways of Thinking

Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prevented people from China from coming to the U.S. for 10 years and forbade Chinese people in the U.S. from becoming citizens.

PRESIDENTIAL FIRST

Chester Arthur was the first president to take the oath of office in his own home (in New York City). He was sworn into office just hours after President Garfield died. He took the oath again two days later—in a more public setting—at the U.S. Capitol.

He built up the navy and got people to start thinking about preserving the nation’s wildlife and wilderness.

FUN FACT

President Arthur decided to have the White House redecorated. He had over 20 wagonloads of furniture removed from the White House and sold at auction.

A Fashionable, Private Man

Because he was a very fashionable dresser, he was called “Elegant Arthur.” He was said to have more than 80 pairs of trousers and would change clothes several times a day depending upon what he was doing.

He fiercely protected his personal life. “I may be President of the United States,” he once said, “but my private life is nobody’s damned business.” He was not nominated for a second term.

22nd & 24th President ~ 1885–1889 & 1893–1897

STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND

Uncle Jumbo

“Honor lies in honest toil.”

Born

March 18, 1837 Caldwell, New Jersey

Political Party

Democrat

Vice Presidents

Thomas A. Hendricks Adlai E. Stevenson

First Lady

Frances “Frank”

Children

Ruth, Esther, Marion, Richard, and Francis

Pets

Canaries, mockingbirds, and a Japanese poodle

A Quick Rise to the Presidency

Five years after the Civil War, Stephen “Big Steve” Grover Cleveland, a hardworking young lawyer, was elected sheriff of Erie County, New York. The job included the role of executioner and he personally pulled the lever to hang two murderers.

At 250-plus pounds, Cleveland was a big, honest man. As sheriff, he was tireless, fair, and evenhanded, which got noticed. He was asked to run for mayor of Buffalo, won, and before he knew it, he was governor of New York. He took on corrupt, dishonest people in government and exposed them. He became president at the age of 47.

Veto After Veto

In the White House Cleveland often answered the phone himself. He was a president who stood up to Congress. He hired and fired whom he wanted and used his veto power to block Congress 584 times, more than all of the earlier presidents combined. By doing so, he paved the way for a more powerful presidency for the 20th century, something future presidents would be grateful for.

One of the most important laws he signed during his first term was the Interstate Commerce Act, which let the government regulate railroads and other kinds of transportation. His second term was marked by a depression and labor unrest.

FUN FACTS

Grover Cleveland accepted the Statue of Liberty from France in 1886 on behalf of the United States.

Grover Cleveland had a secret operation on a boat during his second term. Worried that news about his mouth cancer would alarm a nation already dealing with a depression, he had surgery without letting the public know. The operation was a complete success. The secret was finally revealed more than 20 years later.

Many Presidential Firsts

Cleveland was the only president to be elected to two terms that were not back-to-back. He was the only president to get married in the White House. His bride, Frances or “Frank,” was 28 years younger than him, famously pretty, and extremely popular. They were also the first presidential family to have a child born in the White House. The Baby Ruth candy bar was named after their daughter Ruth.

23rd President ~ 1889–1893

BENJAMIN HARRISON

The Human Iceberg

“The bud of victory is always in the truth.”

Born

August 20, 1833 North Bend, Ohio

Political Party

Republican

Vice President

Levi P. Morton

First Lady

Caroline

Children

Russell, Mary, and Elizabeth

Pets

Dogs and a goat

Famous Relatives and Traits

He was named after his great-grandfather who signed the Declaration of Independence. His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, served as president for 30 days before dying in office. Other than that, Benjamin Harrison had few qualifications to be the president of the United States.

He preferred books to people. He was so aloof and hard to talk to that people nicknamed him “the human iceberg.” One of his rivals, Theodore Roosevelt, called him “a coldblooded, narrow-minded, prejudiced, obstinate, timid, old psalm-singing Indianapolis politician.”

Some Accomplishments

Even though his bumbling with the economy probably helped bring on a depression, he did do some good things as president. He supported laws to make giant companies play fair, protected forests, reached out to the lands of the Pacific, especially Hawaii, and imagined building a canal through Central America to create a waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He also made England and Canada stop killing so many seals in the Bering Sea.

PRESIDENTIAL FIRST

Benjamin Harrison was the first—and only—president to lose an election to a former president (Grover Cleveland).

The President’s Goat

President and Mrs. Harrison let their grandchildren, who lived in the White House with them, have all the pets they wanted. They had a goat named Old Whiskers hitched up to a small cart. One day the goat ran off with the kids in the cart. The president ran down Pennsylvania Avenue chasing after them.

FUN FACT

Benjamin Harrison married his wife’s niece several years after his wife died.

Electricity and Baseball

Benjamin Harrison was the first president to have electricity in the White House. After he got a shock from the lights, no one wanted to touch the switches, so the lights would often stay on all night. He was also the first president to go to a baseball game (Reds 7, Senators 4; June 6, 1892). When Harrison finished his term, he told his family he felt like he had just been released from prison.

25th President ~ 1897–1901

WILLIAM McKINLEY

The Major

“War should never be entered upon until every agency of peace has failed.”