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I 
 
OUR 
 
 PRESIDENTS 
 
 By 
 
 EDWARD DONOVAN, A. B. 
 
 Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 Copyrighted, 1910, by E. Donovan 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 
To 
 
 My Little Sons 
 
 JAMES and EDWARD DONOVAN, JR. 
 
 This Booklet is Lovingly Inscribed 
 
 THE AUTHOR 
 3-U 
 
 E/ 7 £ 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THOUGH our country is now enjoying the second century of its 
 national existence, there are now living thousands of people who 
 know but little of the lives and efforts of the great men who figured 
 in its construction. 
 
 By the great interest that attaches to our presidents, not only as 
 men, but as the chosen heads of the greatest nation in the world, it is 
 hoped to merit the attention of the lovers of liberty, young and old, 
 and to impress upon their minds the fact that no country in the world 
 offers to the student greater opportunities for delightful historical 
 research. 
 
 The difficulties encountered in reducing the mass of historical and 
 biographical matter pertaining to our presidents to the narrow limits 
 of a few hundred words, cannot be realized except by one who has 
 undertaken a similar task. 
 
 It is the hope of the writer, in placing these sketches before his 
 
 readers, that they may feel it their duty to acquaint themselves more 
 
 fullv with the great principles and works involved in our national 
 
 history. 
 
 E. D. 
 
 Pittsburgh, Pa., February, igio. 
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON 
 
 The First President 
 JOHN ADAMS, Vice-President 
 
 Born February 22, 1732, at Bridges Creek, Va. The line of his ancestry extends 
 through several centuries of English history, many of the family having been distin- 
 guished on the fields of war and in positions of public trust. George was the eldest of 
 six children born to Augustine Washington and Mary Ball, who were married in 1730. 
 George had two half brothers, sons of his father by a former marriage. Lawrence, the 
 elder of these sons, was educated in England, and on his return took a deep interest in 
 George, whose father had died in 1743, leaving large estates to his children. The estate 
 on the Potomac was left to Lawrence, who named it "Mount Vernon,'' in honor of 
 Admiral Vernon, under whom' he served in the West Indies during the trouble between 
 England and Spain. 
 
 George's education was obtained at the home of his half brother, Augustine, where 
 he became proficient in mathematics and surveying. He became an intimate friend of 
 Lord Fairfax, who, in 1747, engaged him to make a survey of the Fairfax land grants. 
 In 1752, by the death of Lawrence Washington, the beautiful estate passed, in course of 
 time, to George, who thus at an early age became one of the largest land owners of his time. 
 
 Early in 1752 the French were pressing their claims to the whole Mississippi valley 
 and the head-waters of the Ohio. The English from Pennsylvania and Virginia were 
 pressing their claims against the French. It was necessary to reconnoitre the country 
 and to ascertain, if possible, the plans and purposes of the French and Indians. This 
 important duty was, by Governor Dinwiddie, assigned to young Washington, who, with a 
 Mr. Gist, undertook the perilous journey of six hundred miles through a wilderness 
 inhabited only by savages. On December 11, 1753, he reached the end of his journey, a 
 fort on French creek, near Lake Erie. The next day he started on his return trip in the 
 dead of winter, and, after untold hardships, reached the Allegheny river, which he crossed 
 near Pittsburgh, arriving in Williamsburg January 16. 
 
 In 1775 England sent over an army of regulars under General Braddock, who planned 
 the capture of Fort Duquesne. Washington was invited to become a member of his 
 staff, and was with him throughout the campaign, which was disastrous, Braddock's army 
 being nearly annihilated. General Braddock died from his wounds, and his burial service 
 was read by Washington. On July 9, Washington was made commander-in-chief of the 
 Virginia forces and prepared for another expedition against the fort, which, however, 
 owing to English victories in the North, was deserted by the French before the Colonial 
 Army arrived. 
 
 It was during the last campaign that Washington met Mrs. Martha Custis, whom 
 he married January 6, 1759. For several months they lived at her home, the "White 
 House," near Williamsburg, and later removed to Mount Vernon, where he remained 
 until called to command the Continental Army at Cambridge, Mass., July 3, 1775, which 
 command he resigned December 23, 1783. The history of the Revolution, from the time 
 Washington assumed command until he delivered his touching farewell to his soldiers 
 reads like fiction. 
 
 He was president of the convention which met in Independence Hall, in 1787, and 
 assisted in the framing of the greatest legislative measure ever enacted, the Constitution, 
 which became effective March 4, 1789. Elections were held, and Washington was elected 
 President. He was inaugurated April 30, 1789, in Federal Hall, New York. The first 
 session of Congress was occupied in setting the machinery of a new government in 
 motion ; and no man ever assumed a more difficult task than that assigned to Washington. 
 A currency must be provided; war debts must be paid; foreign credit must be secured, 
 and all matters pertaining to the judicial, military and naval branches attended to. With 
 the assistance of an able cabinet these undertakings assumed shape. During Washing- 
 ton's administration three new states were added to the union, viz., Vermont, Kentucky 
 and Tennessee. It was decided to remove the seat of government to Philadelphia until 
 1800, when it was to be permanently located on the Potomac. 
 
 Washington, the "Father of his Country," leaves to posterity a name unequalled in 
 the history of the world. He died December 14, 1799, at Mount Vernon, and his grave, 
 near the mansion in which he lived and died, has become a shrine visited by people from 
 all parts of the world. 
 
JOHN ADAMS 
 
 The Second President 
 THOMAS JEFFERSON. Vice-President 
 
 Born at Braintree, Mass., October 30, 1735. Henry Adams, his ancestor, emigrated 
 to this country in 1632 with six sons, one of whom, the father of John, became a farmer, 
 whose desire it was to prepare his son for the ministry. Adams' early life was uneventful 
 until, after serious thought, he concluded to follow his father's advice. At the age of 
 sixteen he entered Harvard, from which he graduated four years later. He soon secured 
 a position as teacher in a school in Worcester. 
 
 In a letter to a friend, before he had reached his twentieth year, young Adams vir- 
 tually prophesied the future of America for more than a hundred years. Serious thought 
 impelled him to study law, and for two more years he followed his work as teacher 
 that he might sustain himself while preparing for practice. He was admitted to the bar 
 in 1758. His early struggles in his professional career developed his powers as a student, 
 his limited practice affording him ample time for research in the field of constitutional 
 and international law. 
 
 In 1764 he married Miss Abigail Smith, a woman of rare attainments and influence, 
 who did much to secure him the clientage of influential men. By the time he was 
 thirty years of age, his powers as an advocate of American rights and principles were 
 unquestioned. 
 
 The Stamp act was passed by the British Parliament in 1765, and Adams was one 
 of the foremost delegates sent by Massachusetts to the First Continental Congress, 
 which met in Pbiladelphia, September 1, 1774, to oppose it. This Congress was in 
 session two months, and was, in reality, the initiatory movement toward a union of the 
 colonies, the greatest benefits resulting from the intimate acquaintance of leading men 
 whose opinions, though differing, were expressed in the most friendly manner. 
 
 In the Second Continental Congress, he, with Jefferson, Franklin, Sherman and 
 Livingston, was appointed to draw up the Declaration of Independence, which was 
 adopted July 4, 1776. Mr. Adams was considered the greatest man in that great assembly. 
 Great as was the demand upon his time and talents, he found time to produce with his 
 pen many articles which were widely printed, and which did much to influence public 
 opinion. Prior to his departure to Europe, it is said that Mr. Adams, within a period 
 of a year and a half, had served on ninety committees and was chairman of thirty-five 
 of them. It was during the Second Congress that Adams suggested Washington as 
 commander of the Colonial army. In 1777 Mr. Adams was appointed Minister to France. 
 He remained in Paris sixteen months, and put affairs between France and America in a 
 most satisfactory condition. Later he was appointed Peace Commissioner to treat for 
 peace and commerce with England. During his work abroad he effected trade treaties 
 with Holland, Prussia and Spain, which work he is said to have regarded with as 
 much satisfaction as any service he had ever rendered his country. In 1782, in con- 
 nection with Jay, Franklin and Laurens, a treaty of peace with England was drawn up 
 and signed at Paris in 1783. In February, 1785, Congress elected Mr. Adams as envoy 
 to the court of St. James, the first man to be appointed to the position. He published 
 in London "A Defense of the Constitution of the United States," and this work did 
 much toward the adoption of the Constitution of the greatest nation in the world. 
 
 In April, 1789, he was elected the first Vice-President to serve under Washington. 
 Mr. Adams more than twenty times cast the deciding vote in the Senate on matters 
 of national import. 
 
 John Adams was inaugurated at Philadelphia, March 4, 1797. His four years in office 
 were stormy ones. The French Revolution was at its height and Adams did not endorse 
 the idea that we owed any gratitude to France. An army was voted and Washington 
 called to command it, but war was averted and a treaty of peace signed with Napoleon 
 September 30, 1800. President Adams' campaign for re-election in 1800 was hotly con- 
 tested by Thomas Jefferson, who was elected, the election being decided by Congress. 
 
 He died July 4, 1826, just fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence. His remains, together with those of his wife, were deposited in the crypt in the 
 basement of the Unitarian church in his native town, Braintree. 
 
THOMAS JEFFERSON 
 
 The Third President 
 
 AARON BURR, Vice-President 
 GEORGE CLINTON, Vice-President 
 
 Born at Shadvvell, Va., April 2, 1743. His ancestors on his father's side were Welsh, 
 and were among the early settlers in Virginia. His mother, Jane Randolph, was English 
 and was married to Peter Jefferson, the father of Thomas, in 1738. His early education 
 was thorough. He had special instructions in Latin, Greek and French before he had 
 reached his twelfth year. His father died when Thomas was fourteen years of age. In 
 1760 he entered William and Mary College at Williamsburg, then the capital of the colony, 
 where he became a proficient student in mathematics and the classics. Later he studied 
 law and was admitted to practice in 1767. His success was pronounced from that time. 
 In 1769 he was elected a member of the House of Burgesses, where he made manifest 
 his ideas against the transportation to England, for trial, of persons charged with treason 
 in the colonies. 
 
 In 1772 he married Mrs. Martha Skelton, a wealthy widow, through whose dowry he 
 became one of the largest land owners and slave holders in Virginia. In June, 1775, he 
 became a member of the Continental Congress and was cordially greeted, his fame as a 
 writer and advocate having preceded him. He was appointed one of a committee to draw 
 up the Declaration of Independence and, as its chairman, gained full credit as its author, 
 though suggestions were made by Franklin, Adams and other prominent men of the time. 
 The Declaration was signed by the fifty-six members present, Dickinson, of Pennsylvania, 
 being the only one to refuse. 
 
 In June, 1779, Jefferson was elected governor of Virginia, succeeding Patrick Henry. 
 This was at the gloomiest period of the great war, for his state. The British armies had 
 subjugated Georgia and the Carolinas, and the great majority of the younger men of the 
 state were in the field with Washington. Jefferson, however, did everything in his power 
 for his state, and with the assistance of the French fleet, and by the return of Washington, 
 the tide was turned in his favor. He declined re-election in 1781, and returned to Con- 
 gress in 1783, where he did much to establish our present system of coinage. In 1784 he, 
 with Adams and Franklin, was appointed to negotiate trade treaties with the nations of 
 Europe. In 1785 he succeeded Franklin as minister to France, where he did much to bring 
 about a continuance of friendly relations and commerce. In 1789 he returned and accepted 
 the duties of secretary of state under Washington, which office he resigned in 1794, and 
 returned to Monticello, where his domestic tastes were partially gratified by the devotion 
 of his daughter and her children. 
 
 On February 8, 1797, he was elected Vice-President under John Adams, with whom 
 he differed radically on many national questions. His four years in office were not pleasing 
 to him. In 1800 he was elected President, and was inaugurated at Washington, March 4, 
 1801. One of the most important acts of his first administration was the Louisiana pur- 
 chase in April, 1803. The territory was almost an empire in itself, and Napoleon saw that 
 it would be to the interests of France to sell, inasmuch as he had, at the time, numerous 
 difficulties with other nations on his hands. Ohio was admitted to the Union February 19, 
 1803. Upon the recommendation of the President, the famous expedition under Lewis 
 and Clarke was fitted out May 14, 1804, exploring the entire region of the great northwest 
 to the Pacific coast. 
 
 March 4, 1805, Jefferson was inaugurated for his second term, with George Clinton as 
 Vice-President. He grew steadily in popularity and influence, notwithstanding the opposi- 
 tion of the Federalists. He pushed forward with his lofty and practical ideas, and 
 succeeded in establishing among the people substantial ideas of self-government. He 
 suggested the purchase of Florida for two million dollars, but was overruled by Congress, 
 who later paid five million dollars for it. He declined a nomination for a third term. 
 
 Mr. Jefferson, in 1816, was instrumental in founding the Lhiiversity of Virginia, of 
 which he acted as rector until his death, July 4, 1826, the same day that death called his 
 old enemy and friend Adams. 
 
 Thomas Jefferson lies buried in the little graveyard at Monticello, the only portion 
 of the vast estate which he owned at the time of his death. 
 
.,■■■■'■■ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
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JAMES MADISON 
 
 The Fourth President 
 GEORGE CLINTON, Vice-President 
 
 Born at King George, Va., March 16, 1751, the eldest son of James Madison, who 
 married Elanor Conway. His ancestors, who were of English descent, settled in Virginia 
 in 1635. His father, being a man of ample means, provided him with the best educational 
 surroundings, and in 1769 he entered Princeton College, from which he graduated in 1771, 
 after which he read law and devoted much of his time to general literature and philosophy. 
 
 In the spring of 1776 he was elected a member of the Virginia convention called to 
 formulate a constitution for that state. In 1780 he was elected as a delegate to the Con- 
 tinental Congress, and, from that time, was regarded as one of the prominent men of 
 his time. A Constitutional convention was called in 1787 to meet in Philadelphia. Here 
 he was one of the chief framers of the Constitution, and later wrote many state papers in 
 its defense. His labors in support of this great measure were so ardent and so effective 
 that he became known as the "Father of the Constitution." 
 
 In 1789 he was elected to Congress, where he served for eight years. In 1793 he 
 declined the office of secretary of state under Washington, but accepted the offer of Jeffer- 
 son for the same office in 1801. He held this office for a period of eight years, during 
 which time he demonstrated to the entire country his eminent qualifications as a diplomat. 
 
 In 1794 he was married to Mrs. Dolly Todd, a beautiful and accomplished woman, 
 who graced the executive mansion for sixteen years, having acted as first lady of the land 
 while Madison was secretary of state under Jefferson. Their home life was most happy 
 and, as the first lady of the land, she, through her queenly personality and manner, did 
 as much to popularize the administration socially as any lady who has ever occupied the 
 White House. She survived her husband by thirteen years. 
 
 In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson as President at a period of gloom and depression, 
 but he was equal to all emergencies, and carried to a successful finish the task he had 
 assumed. While the domestic affairs of the nation were in an unsettled condition, trouble 
 with England was brewing. She had never been satisfied with the results of the Revolu- 
 tion, and never lost an opportunity to humble her former subjects. She trampled upon 
 American rights on the high seas, boarded American vessels, and impressed our sailors 
 into her service. All appeals to the mother country to respect her treaty obligations were 
 ignored. Forbearance had ceased to be a virtue, however, and war was declared against 
 England in June, 1812. 
 
 Though his war measures were not sustained by New England, Mr. Madison was 
 re-elected for a second term, and carried to a successful ending his policies. The war 
 with England was carried on for three years, during which time Washington was burned, 
 Detroit was surrendered, Perry won his magnificent victory on Lake Erie and Harrison 
 defeated the British and Indians on the river Thames, which brought back to us Michigan 
 and virtually ended the war. On the eighth of January, 1815, the British were hopelessly 
 defeated at New Orleans by General Jackson. Early in 181 5 a treaty of commerce was 
 signed in London. Louisiana was admitted in 1812, and Indiana in 1816. After the close 
 of the war, a national bank with a capital of thirty-five million dollars was established; 
 a tariff for the promotion of industries was adopted and the whole country started on the 
 tide of prosperity. Though the results of the war seemed, at the time, disastrous to 
 America, they proved eventually to be of the highest advantage, inasmuch as they gave the 
 country a higher standing among the nations of the world. 
 
 Mr. Madison retired from public life March 4, 1817, and spent his remaining days at 
 his home, Montpelier, Va. Twelve years later he served in the Virginia Convention 
 called for the purpose of revising the Constitution. He, like Jefferson, took a deep interest 
 in the University of Virginia, and, at one time, served as its rector. 
 
 The state papers of Madison are conceded, by the highest authorities, to be among 
 the ablest ever produced in any country. His personal reports of the various debates of 
 the Congresses were purchased from his widow, by Congress, after his death. He died 
 June 28, 1836, at the age of eighty-five. His remains, with those of his wife, are interred 
 at his early home, Montpelier, Va. 
 
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JAMES MONROE 
 
 The Fifth President 
 DANIEL T. TOMPKINS, Vice-President 
 
 Born in Westmoreland County, Va., April 28, 1758. His ancestors were Scotch, who 
 emigrated to this country at an early day. His father, Spence Monroe, and his mother, 
 Eliza Jones, were both born in Virginia. He enjoyed all of the educational advantages of 
 the time and, at an early age, entered William and Mary College, which he left in 1776 to 
 enlist at Washington's quarters in New York. After the battle of Monmouth he retired 
 from the army and took up the study of law in the office of Thomas Jefferson, and, when 
 but twenty-five years of age, was elected to Congress. After leaving Congress, he was 
 elected a member of the Virginia legislature and vigorously opposed the acceptance, by his 
 state, of the Constitution, on the grounds that it was too monarchical and conferred too 
 much power on the executive. In later years, he, like Jefferson, became one of its most 
 ardent supporters. 
 
 On December 6, 1790, he was elected to the Senate of the United States, where he 
 excelled as a practical and business-like legislator, though he was not on friendly terms 
 with the federal leaders. He was, however, on terms of personal friendship with Wash- 
 ington, wbo appointed him Minister to France in 1794. He was recalled in 1796, charged 
 with having expressed too much solicitude for France. He later published a volume in 
 his own defense, and time demonstrated that the charges were ill-founded. In 1803 he 
 was again sent to France, where he was of great assistance to our minister, Mr. Livingston, 
 in completing the Louisiana purchase for fifteen million dollars. He then proceeded to 
 England as Minister to St. James, where bis efforts to bring about a treaty acceptable to 
 President Jefferson were futile, the existing differences growing greater until the War of 
 1812 resulted. Mr. Monroe was twice elected governor of Virginia, but resigned in 181 1 
 to become Madison's secretary of state. In this office he found much of importance to 
 occupy his great business mind. On the removal of the secretary of war for inefficiency, 
 Mr. Monroe discharged the duties of that office together with those of his own. He even 
 pledged his own private fortune for the defense of New Orleans, and assisted materially 
 in bringing the second war with England to a close. 
 
 He was inaugurated as President March 4, i8ij>, and served two full terms, with 
 John Quincy Adams as secretary of state. His two terms were those of peace with foreign 
 nations, and were known as the "era of good-feeling." The Seminole Indians, together 
 with the Creeks, began depredations in Georgia and Alabama, and General Jackson was 
 sent to subdue them. Jackson was successful, and was appointed first governor of Florida, 
 which was purchased from Spain in 1819. Mississippi was admitted in 1817, Illinois in 
 1818, Alabama in 1819, Main in 1820; Missouri applied for admission in 1821, but its 
 application as a slave state was strongly opposed by the North. The act known as the 
 "Missouri Compromise" was passed, and Missouri was admitted in 1821. In 1823 President 
 Monroe sent to Congress a message inspired by the overtures made by Russia and other 
 European countries touching upon matters pertaining to the South American Republics 
 and Mexico. This message, now known as the "Monroe Doctrine," gave Europe warning 
 that "we should consider any attempt on the part of European powers to extend their 
 system to any portion of this hemisphere, as dangerous to our peace and safety." 
 
 After the election of his successor, he retired to private life and spent most of his 
 time at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Governeur, in New York. Before going to New 
 York, however, he served for some time as justice of the peace in Virginia. He also 
 served with Madison and Jefferson as regent of the University of Virginia. 
 
 Mr. Monroe's declining years found him distressed financially, the nation, to whom 
 he had given sixty years of his life, allowing him to suffer. He died July 4, 1831, being 
 the third President to die on that date. His remains were buried in New York until July 
 5, 1858, when they were, by the people of the state which he had so highly honored, re- 
 interred in Hollywood cemetery at Richmond. 
 
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS 
 
 The Sixth President 
 JOHN C. CALHOUN, Vice-President 
 
 Born at Braintree, Mass., the home of his illustrious father, John Adams, on July II, 
 1767. His early life was spent between Braintree and Boston with his mother during his 
 father's absence. His early education was most thorough for those days, and in 1777 he 
 accompanied his father to France, and, in the best schools of Paris, became a master of 
 the French language. In 1780 he accompanied his father to The Netherlands, and pursued 
 his studies in Amsterdam and Leyden, and in his fourteenth year was invited by Francis 
 Dana, our Minister to Russia, to become his private secretary. Later he rejoined his 
 father in Paris, and was present when the treaty of peace was signed there in 1783. In 
 1787 he graduated from Harvard, and at once began the study of law. At the age of twenty- 
 seven he was appointed, by Washington, Minister to The Hague. In 1795 he was directed 
 by the secretary of state to proceed to England, where he was instructed to ratify Jay's 
 treaty with that country. He then returned to Holland. While in England he met the 
 daughter of the American Consul, Johnson, whom he afterward married. 
 
 During the administration of his father, he was sent to Berlin, where he brought about 
 commercial treaties between America and Prussia. On his return he was engaged as 
 professor of rhetoric at Harvard and, in 1804, was elected to the Senate, where he made 
 manifest his ability to uphold the principles advocated by his father. In 1809 he was 
 appointed Minister to Russia, where he was received with marked respect by Emperor 
 Alexander and his court. His familiarity with the French and German languages, his 
 great literary accomplishments, his thorough knowledge of the political and commercial 
 relations of many nations, and his simplicity of manner gained for him a standing seldom 
 acquired at a foreign court. His stay in Russia was of short duration, as he was ordered 
 to join the commissioners at Ghent, where a treaty of peace between England and America 
 was signed December 24, 1814. Shortly after this event, he returned home and was, by 
 President Monroe, made secretary of state, which position he filled for eight years. 
 
 During this period he sustained with wonderful power and influence the stand that 
 America had taken against the encroachments of England on our commerce and flag. He 
 firmly adhered to the principles he had advocated in his numerous publications regarding 
 the rights and duties of his country at home and abroad. He was an enemy of slavery, 
 and never failed to make manifest his opposition to the carrying of its doctrines into the 
 North. He was opposed by such men as Calhoun, Pinkney and Henry Clay in his ideas, 
 but did not waver. He and Monroe understood one another perfectly; Adams was a 
 thinker, and Monroe a great executive. During the secretaryship of Mr. Adams, the 
 affairs of state were put upon a better footing than the country had ever known. 
 
 On March 4, 1825, Mr. Adams was inaugurated as President. The election was 
 decided by the House of Representatives against Clay, Jackson and Crawford. Henry 
 Clay was made secretary of state. In President Adams' inaugural address he announced 
 his distinct approval of internal improvements by the government ; a tariff for the encour- 
 agement of American industries ; a civil service based on merit ; the establishment of a 
 naval school, and many other ideas which were, in reality, fifty years ahead of his time. 
 During his term the country was honored by a visit of the great Lafayette, whose recep- 
 tion was of a national character, and whose pleasure it was to assist in laying the corner- 
 stone of the monument of Bunker Hill. In 1825 the Erie Canal, connecting the waters of 
 Lake Erie and the Hudson river, was completed. Adams' administration was conducted 
 with the utmost wisdom, dignity and purity, and no administration, before or since, has 
 shown stronger of those qualities. He was defeated for re-election by Jackson, and the 
 following year was elected to Congress, where, for eighteen years, he upheld his great 
 reputation as a fearless and eloquent champion of the rights of the people. In December, 
 1835, he was chairman of the committee which accepted from James Smithson, of London^ 
 the first money used for the founding of what is now known as the Smithsonian Institute! 
 
 On February 23, 1848, he was stricken with paralysis on the floor of Congress, and 
 died within a few hours. His remains, together with those of his father, are buried at 
 Braintree, now Quincy, Mass. 
 
3, Si. J\cLciS>-rtb 
 
ANDREW JACKSON 
 
 The Seventh President 
 
 JOHN C. CALHOUN, Vice-President 
 
 MARTIN VAN BUREN, Vice-President 
 
 Born March 15, 1767, on a farm located in what was then known as the Waxhaw 
 Settlement, N. C. His ancestors were of Scotch-Irish descent. His father died a few- 
 days prior to the birth of the subject of this sketch, and his mother died when young 
 Jackson was in his fifteenth year. His early education was obtained in the country schools, 
 where he was not an apt scholar, and it was not until after the death of his mother that 
 he made any attempt to study. 
 
 At the age of thirteen he joined the state militia, and was made a prisoner in 1781 by 
 the British under General Tarleton. After the war, he removed to Charleston, where he 
 read law. He then went to Nashville, Term., where he was successful in his practice, and 
 in 1796 was elected to Congress, and later to the Senate. He resigned the latter position 
 to become judge of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, which office he held for six years. 
 
 In 1S01 he was appointed Major-General of Militia and took a leading and aggressive 
 part against the Creek Indians, whom he followed into Georgia and Alabama, accomplishing 
 their defeat and compelling them to cede, what is now Alabama, to the United States. In 
 May, 1814, Jackson was, in return for this great service, given the rank of major-general 
 in the United States Army, and sent the bulk of his command to New Orleans, where he 
 declared martial law on December 15. Jackson had less than four thousand men, while 
 the British had more than three times that number, well trained and equipped. After four 
 vain attempts to dislodge Jackson's troops, and hours of desperate fighting, the great 
 battle was won, and Jackson became the "Hero of New Orleans," January 8, 1815. This 
 battle virtually closed the War of 1812. In 1817 the Seminole War broke out, and Jackson 
 with his forces carried the war into Florida, where the Indians were defeated at a Spanish 
 post. In 1821 Florida was purchased and Jackson made its first governor, but soon 
 relinquished the office and returned to his home near Nashville. 
 
 In 1823 he was again elected to the Senate, and in 1824, after a bitter campaign for the 
 Presidency, was defeated by John Quincy Adams, the election being decided by the House. 
 He was, however, chosen by his party as its representative four years later, and was 
 elected. He was again elected in 1832, and Van Buren was made Vice-President. In 
 November, 1830, South Carolina passed the "Nullification act," declaring the collections 
 of tariff to be "null and void." Jackson acted at once, and that state was compelled to 
 remain in the Union. The chief advocate of state rights at that time was John C. Calhoun. 
 Jackson showed plainly his hostility to the United States Bank bill, passed in 1816, 
 which would expire in 1836, and the bill was repealed. He ordered that the public money 
 be placed in state banks. He was sustained by the House, but not by the Senate. Won- 
 derful prosperity prevailed during both of President Jackson's terms, and great changes 
 took place. In 1830 locomotives were used between Charleston and Hamburg, and before 
 the expiration of his term in office, more than fifteen hundred miles of railway were in 
 operation. In 1836, anthracite coal was tested and used on steamboats and railways ; in 
 the same year the screw propeller replaced the old side-wheel ; the revolving pistol was 
 invented in 1835, and the friction match took the place of the flint and steel. The whole 
 country was prosperous. In 1835 the entire national debt was paid, and the government 
 divided a large surplus among the states. 
 
 Jackson's ignorance of law, history and political science, coupled with his imperious 
 manner, inspired the opposition of the Senate. In July, 1836, he issued his "specie circular" 
 compelling collectors of revenues to accept gold and silver only in payment of revenues. 
 Early in 1837 Congress passed a repeal of this measure, but he failed to approve it, and 
 the greatest panic the country had ever known was left for Van Buren to look after. 
 Jackson's foreign policy was vigorous with Spain, Portugal and France, the latter country 
 paying to the United States five million dollars for depredations on our commerce years 
 before. In 1836 Arkansas was admitted to the Union, and Michigan in 1837. When his 
 successor was elected, Jackson retired to his home, where he lived for eight years, growing 
 calmer and more gentle during his closing years. He died June 8, 1845, and his remains, 
 together with those of his wife, are interred in the grounds at the "Hermitage," about 
 eleven miles from Nashville, Tenn. 
 
MARTIN VAN BUREN 
 
 The Eighth President 
 
 RICHARD M. JOHNSON, Vice-President 
 
 Born at Kinderhook, N. Y., December 5, 1782, shortly before the treaty of peace 
 between the United States and England was signed. His ancestors were Holland-Dutch, 
 and his father, Abraham, was a farmer near Kinderhook, where the young man obtained 
 his early education in the country schools, and at the age of fourteen undertook the study 
 of law, which he pursued for six years. He went to New York, where he pursued his 
 studies, and later became a friend of Aaron Burr. He returned to his own town, Kinder- 
 hook, where he practiced for six years with success. He was admitted to the bar in 1803, 
 and four years later to practice in the Supreme Court. He was appointed surrogate of 
 Columbia County, and soon after. moved to the town of Hudson, where, for several years, 
 he followed a successful practice. In 1812 he was elected to the state senate, and advo- 
 cated war with England. In 1815 he was elected state senator for a term of four years. 
 For a time he took sides with DeWitt Clinton, who afterwards became governor of New 
 York, but in 181 8 opposed with rigor his policies, and organized "The Albany Regency" 
 to control the politics of the state. _ / 
 
 In 1821 he was elected to the Senate of the United States, where he made manifest 
 his abilities as a politician, as well as those of a statesman. He used his influence and 
 skill in favor of Jackson against Adams, but Adams won, and Van Buren used all of his 
 powers to shape the next campaign for Jackson, and here he showed his skill in assisting 
 the originator of the phrase, "To the victor belong the spoils," into office. 
 
 In 1828, through the death of Clinton, Van Buren was chosen governor of New York, 
 and later, was made secretary of state by Jackson. Van Buren was pre-eminently a state 
 rights advocate and undoubtedly had much influence with Jackson. He, with Jackson, 
 opposed the national, and favored state banks, and together were responsible for the panic 
 which followed in 1837. In 1831 Van Buren was appointed Minister to England, where 
 he was cordially received, but Congress failed to approve the appointment, Clay, Calhoun 
 and Webster having opposed the confirmation. Jackson, however, was with Van Buren, 
 and on March 4, 1833, the latter was elected Vice-President under Jackson. As president 
 of the senate he met with strong opposition, but Jackson stood by him and virtually 
 handed to him the Presidency. 
 
 On March 4, 1837, Mr. Van Buren was inaugurated President of the United States. 
 The stagnation of business, which had existed for two years under Jackson, was made 
 worse by the fact that Van Buren was pledged to Jackson's policies. Congress, early in 
 1837, passed a repeal of Jackson's "Specie Bill," but the storm was bound to come, and 
 the panic of 1837 was on in full. Thousands of banks failed ; many of the states could 
 not meet their obligations, and business confidence seemed wholly destroyed, but matters 
 finally righted themselves, and specie payments were resumed in 1838. 
 
 In Canada, what was known as the "Patriot War" broke out in 1837, and had numer- 
 ous supporters in our country who, however, were not sustained by Van Buren, thus 
 averting another war with England. During his canvass for another term, he was hope- 
 lessly defeated by Harrison, who had two hundred and thirty-four votes, while he received 
 but sixty. In 1844 he was again defeated by James K. Polk because he had opposed the 
 admission of Texas and consequently, the extension of slavery. In 1848 he ran as a 
 "Free Soil" Democrat and was again defeated, this time by General Taylor. In this cam- 
 paign he polled three hundred thousand votes, enough to throw the election to the Whigs. 
 Mr. Van Buren, one of the most polite and courteous of men, was regarded as the most 
 adroit politician of his time, outwitting, by his skill and cunning, such men as Adams, 
 Clay and Webster. He had been in public life from 1812 to 1848 and had held more 
 places of trust than any man of his generation. 
 
 After his return from Europe, where he had spent two years, he retired to his home, 
 where he spent his remaining years in the enjoyment of reading and writing. One of 
 his principal works, entitled, "An Inquiry Into the Origin and Course of Political Parties 
 in the United States," was published by his son in 1867. Though he was at one time a 
 strong advocate of state rights, he ardently supported the policy of President Lincoln. 
 He died July 24, 1862, and his remains, together with those of his wife, lie in the little 
 graveyard at Kinderhook. 
 
<? 7 7/ZS^ ^t^f^U^^^ 
 
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON 
 
 The Ninth President 
 JOHN TYLER, Vice-President. 
 
 Born at Berkeley, Va., February g, 1773, the son of Benjamin Harrison an associate 
 of the leading patriots of the Revolution, a signer of the Declaration and three times 
 governor of Virginia. Benjamin Harrison was one of the ablest men of his time and much 
 of that ability was inherited by his child, who, like his father, was from childhood sur- 
 rounded by the best associations, and blessed with all of the opportunities for education 
 which wealth and intellect supply. His early education, in the schools of his native state, 
 was thorough. At the age of eighteen his father died, and Henry was left under the 
 guardianship of Robert Morris, a financier of the Revolution. 
 
 After his graduation from Hampden-Sidney College, he took up special studies pre- 
 paratory to undertaking the study of medicine, under Dr. Rush at Philadelphia. After 
 a few months, however, his military spirit manifested itself and he accepted a commis- 
 sion under Washington, and proceeded westward ; after many hardships and trials, he 
 arrived at Fort Washington, where Cincinnati now stands, and reported to General St. 
 Clair, then in charge. 
 
 For bravery in action against the Indians, he was rapidly promoted, and soon joined 
 the army of General Wayne, who won his title of "Mad Anthony" by his fearless and 
 successful assaults against the enemy. Wayne, after many months awaiting supplies 
 from Pittsburgh, finally started on his terrible campaign against the Indians, who were 
 well equipped with arms and supplies, and who were familiar with the Ohio Valley which 
 was entirely new to the whites. In every encounter he was successful, and succeeded in 
 driving the savages to the mouth of the Maumee, near Toledo. 
 
 Young Harrison's active and efficient force, his educated mind and spirit, fitted him 
 to support this intrepid leader, whose endorsement secured to him the rank of captain 
 and the charge of Fort Washington. He shortly afterward resigned his place in the 
 army to become secretary of the territory of the Northwest. This was in 1797, and in 
 the following year he was sent as its first delegate to Congress. 
 
 In 1800 the Northwestern Territory was divided and Harrison made its first gov- 
 ernor. The territory embraced the states of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan and 
 was known as the Indian Territory. As governor, his authority in Indian affairs was 
 great, and his conduct of them so satisfactory that he was appointed governor of upper 
 Louisiana, where his authority was almost absolute. He served under three administra- 
 tions, Adams, Jefferson and Madison. He made many treaties with the Indians, and 
 secured to his country more than sixty million acres of land. His treaties with the Indians 
 were always just. It has been truly said that "No pages in our national history are 
 whiter than those which record the life and deeds of Governor Harrison." His further 
 work against the Indians and English is briefly referred to in the sketch of James Madison. 
 
 In September, 1812, Harrison was made commander-in-chief of all the forces of the 
 Northwest, and turned his attention to the recapture of Detroit, and reinforcements were 
 sent from Ohio and Kentucky. Detroit was restored to the American forces in September, 
 1813, and shortly afterward, Tecumseh and Proctor were defeated at the Battle of the 
 Thames, and the war was virtually ended ; Harrison later being presented with a medal 
 by the Senate and Congress for his great assistance. In 1816 he was elected to Congress, 
 in 1819 to the Senate, in 1829 Minister to Columbia, and in 1836 was defeated by Van 
 Buren, who four years later was as badly beaten by Harrison, whose campaign, known 
 as the "Log Cabin" and "Hard Cider" campaign," was one of the most exciting ever 
 known in this country. 
 
 General Harrison was inaugurated March 4, 1841, with John Tyler as Vice-President. 
 He named a strong cabinet, with Daniel Webster as secretary of state. About all that 
 he did during his brief administration was to call a special session of Congress to consider 
 the great financial questions. He died April 4, just thirty days after he assumed his 
 duties. His remains, together with those of his wife and children, lie in the little ceme- 
 tery at North Bend, Ohio, about fifteen miles from Cincinnati. 
 
/^ //r//^^f*^- 
 
JOHN TYLER 
 
 The Tenth President 
 
 Born March 20, 1790, at Greenville, Va. He was the son of John Tyler, who, like the 
 father of Harrison, had been governor of Virginia and judge of the highest courts. Like 
 his predecessors, he was one of the earliest of the Colonial children, and was surrounded 
 by the scholarly and patriotic influences of the times. He received his early education in 
 the public schools and graduated from the College of William and Mary when he was 
 seventeen. 
 
 Young Tyler then studied law and in two years was admitted to practice. He was 
 known as a prodigy, and was overrun with practice within four months. At the age of 
 twenty-one, he was elected a member of the Legislature, where he served several terms. 
 He also raised a company of militia to assist in repelling the attack of the British on 
 Richmond, and later served as rector and chancellor of William and Mary College. 
 
 In 1816 he was sent to Congress, and was twice re-elected. He was strictly partisan, 
 being a strong supporter of state rights, the pro-slavery doctrines of the South which 
 sought to extend slavery. He supported the South in the matter of the "Missouri Compro- 
 mise ;" voted for the censure of General Jackson for his conduct in the Seminole War ; 
 opposed protective tariff, internal improvements and national banks. After he resigned 
 from Congress, he was again sent to the Virginia legislature, where he advocated for his 
 state the very ideas he had opposed in Congress. In 1825 he was elected governor of Vir- 
 ginia, and re-elected one year later. His ideas of the "federative principles" made him 
 extremely popular, and the people, in 1827, elected him to the United States Senate over 
 one of their ablest men, John Randolph. His work and actions in the Senate were identical 
 with those during his Congressional terms. He resigned his seat in the Senate because 
 he believed in the "right of instruction," which he so strongly advocated in Congress. 
 
 In 1835 he failed as a candidate for election as Vice-President on the ticket with 
 Harrison, but was elected to the Virginia legislature, where he acted with the Whig party 
 in opposition to Van Buren. In 1839 he went as a delegate to the Whig convention at 
 Harrisburg in the interests of Henry Clay, but Harrison was nominated, and to conciliate 
 the Clay supporters, Tyler was named for Vice-President. At heart, he did not endorse 
 the principles of the Whig party, but advocated them until after the election. 
 
 Mr. Tyler was inaugurated President on the sixth of April, 1841, and it took him but 
 a short time to become the most unpopular by vetoing the various bank bills passed by 
 Congress, even vetoing a bill drawn in accordance with his own ideals. All of his cabinet, 
 with the exception of Webster, resigned and he only remained long enough to complete 
 some important transaction with England pertaining to the settlement of the Northeastern, 
 or Maine, boundary, in 1842, and that agreement remains the same to the present day. 
 
 Tyler virtually cast aside the principles he had advocated during his heated campaign 
 with Harrison. The finances of the country were in poor shape, but, during a special 
 session of Congress, a Protective bill was passed and he signed it. A treaty with China 
 was made through the great Caleb dishing. In 1844 a treaty of annexation was arranged 
 with Texas, and this state became a member of the United States, March 1, 1845. 
 
 Tyler was a man of delightful and distinguished presence ; eminent as a scholar and 
 student, but lacked the power to adhere to principles advocated even by himself. He 
 was twice married, first to Miss Christian of Virginia, in 1813, who died in Washington in 
 1842, and then to Miss Gardiner of New York. 
 
 He retired from office March 4, 1845, without a party, and with few regrets on the 
 part of the people. He retired to his elegant Virginia home, where, for several years, he 
 lived in happiness and peace. He had always maintained the doctrines of state right, and 
 was an intimate friend of its foremost advocate. In 1861 he became a member of the 
 Congress of "Confederate States," where he served faithfully for the dismemberment of 
 the country which had honored him for many years. He died in Richmond, January 17, 
 1862, and is interred in Hollywood cemetery, near Richmond, about thirty feet from the 
 grave of James Monroe. 
 
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JAMES K. POLK 
 
 The Eleventh President 
 GEORGE M. DALLAS, Vice-President 
 
 Born November 2, 1795, in Mechlenburg Count}-, N. C. He was the son of Samue! 
 Polk and Jane Knox, both of Scotch-Irish descent, and whose ancestors came from 
 Ireland between 1735 and 1740. The Polks were all staunch patriots during the Revo- 
 lution, and the father of James was an enterprising and successful farmer. The 
 family moved westward, and in 1806 settled in the valley of the Duck River, in Tennessee, 
 now Maury County. Young Polk, the eldest of the children, greatly assisted his father, 
 who was a practical surveyor, in making surveys of the surrounding country, thus shaping 
 his mind for further studies, which he carried on under the direction of Rev. Doctor Hen- 
 derson until he was able to enter the academy at Murfreesburg, and later, the University 
 of North Carolina, from which he graduated with the honors of his class in June, 1818, 
 and was honored by the same institution with the degree of Doctor of Laws in 1847. 
 
 Shortly after leaving college he took up the study of law in the office of Felix Grundy, 
 at Nashville, where he formed the acquaintance of Andrew Jackson, whose friendship 
 was strong and lasting. Polk was admitted to the bar in 1820 and met with success from 
 the start. His first political office was that of clerk of the House of Representatives of 
 Tennessee, and in 1823 he was elected a member of that body, where he served two terms. 
 
 In January, 1824, he married Miss Sara Childress. He was then in his twenty-ninth 
 year, and his reputation as a scholar and lawyer was fully established. In 1825 Mr. Polk 
 was elected to Congress, where he occupied a place on the most important committees, 
 and was one of the most influential members of that body until elected to the governorship 
 of Tennessee. During his last four years in Congress he served as speaker. 
 
 Mr. Polk was known as "The Napoleon of the Stump," and his polished manner and 
 forceful eloquence did much to secure to him the coveted prize of the governorship, which 
 he assumed in October, 1839. His administration of two years was so strong that he 
 was a candidate for re-election, but the conditions of national affairs were such that he 
 was defeated, the Harrison canvass having placed Tennessee in the Whig column. He 
 was again defeated in 1843. 
 
 The Democratic national convention held in Baltimore in 1844 had before it, for 
 honors, such men as Martin Van Buren, Lewis Cass, Richard M. Johnson and James 
 Buchanan. The annexation of Texas was one of the leading questions at that time and 
 Van Buren was opposed to it. Though he had the majority of votes, he could not 
 secure the number required, and Mr. Polk's name was presented to the convention, and 
 on the ninth ballot he was nominated by acclamation. Henry Clay was the Whig candi- 
 date and received 105 electoral votes ; Polk received 170. He was inaugurated March 4, 
 1845, and proceeded to prepare for the annexation of Texas. In his first message to 
 Congress, President Polk informed that body of the importance of passing an act favorable 
 to the application of Texas. The bill was passed and the war with Mexico was on. 
 General Zachary Taylor was ordered to occupy the territory along the Rio Grande river 
 and Commodore Connor was ordered with the naval forces to the Gulf of Mexico. The 
 history of the Mexican War is written in volumes and we can merely refer to it as a series 
 of victories from the battle of Palo Alto, fought May 8, 1846; Capture of Monterey, Sep- 
 tember 24 ; Buena Vista, February 23, 1847 ; Cerro Gordo, April 18 ; Chapultepec, Septem- 
 ber 13, to the surrender of the City of Mexico, September 14, 1847. The treaty of peace 
 was signed February 2, 1848. 
 
 Mexico could not meet her indebtedness to the United States and could settle only 
 by relinquishing her ownership of New Mexico and upper and lower California. During 
 Mr. Polk's administration Florida was admitted in 1845, Iowa in 1846 and Wisconsin in 
 1848. The present Oregon boundary line was settled with England and gold was dis- 
 covered in California in 1849. President Polk's administration was popular with his party, 
 but he little dreamed that his fondest hopes for the extension of slavery were to be blasted 
 by the faithful anti-slavery element of the North. 
 
 President Polk retired from office on March 3, 1849, and, with his family, visited 
 many of the leading cities of the South. He contracted cholera at New Orleans and 
 died on his way home June 15, 1849. His remains are interred at Nashville. 
 
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ZACHARY TAYLOR 
 
 The Twelfth President 
 MILLARD FILLMORE, Vice-President 
 
 Born November 24, 1784, in Orange County, Va. He was the third son of Colonel 
 Richard Taylor, who was one of the ablest of Washington's officers during the Revolu- 
 tion. While Zachary Taylor was an infant, the family migrated to Kentucky, and built 
 a home in the wilderness, a few miles from the present city of Louisville. 
 
 His education was gained from the common schools of that time and from books 
 taken by the family from their Virginia home. He was a lover of nature, and his contact 
 with its demands made of him a young man of force and action. When he was twenty-four 
 years of age, his brother Hancock, who held a lieutenant's commission in the United 
 States army, died, and after his father secured for him the commission, he joined the 
 army at New Orleans. 
 
 In 1810 he married Miss Margaret Smith, of Maryland. In November of that year 
 he was promoted to the rank of captain and soon after placed in command of Fort Knox, 
 near Vincennes. At this time Tecumseh and his brother, known as the "Prophet," were 
 active in their efforts to check the advance of the whites, and Taylor was ordered to 
 learn their plans and report to General Harrison, who established Fort Harrison, then 
 seventy-five miles from any white settlement. Taylor was ordered to hold this fort 
 against the Indians, whose treachery could not deceive him, so thorough was his knowledge 
 of their ways. Against heavy odds, he defended this fort against a night attack of the 
 enemy, who had forced the block house and in overwhelming force attacked Taylor's 
 command of less than sixty men. The Indians lost heavily, and were driven from the 
 post. For this heroic defense, he was promoted to the rank of major by brevet. Major 
 Taylor continued his work until placed at the head of the troops in Missouri. Later he 
 was ordered to Vincennes, where he resigned his commission, and retired to his farm 
 near Louisville. 
 
 In 1816 he was reinstated, and placed in command of Fort Crawford, near Green 
 Bay, Wis. In 1832 he was promoted to colonel, and under General Atkinson commanded 
 the regulars who captured Black Hawk and the "Prophet," and brought that war to a 
 close. The Seminole War still dragged along, notwithstanding the great work effected 
 by General Jackson, and Colonel Taylor was transferred to Florida, where he planned 
 a campaign which would compel the Indians to fight in the open. He penetrated the 
 swamps, and, with his forces, marched one hundred and fifty miles in the wilderness, 
 where he found the enemy with his cattle, horses and stores. On the twenty-third of 
 December, 1837, he gave battle, routed the enemy, capturing one hundred and fifty pris- 
 oners besides six hundred head of cattle and one hundred horses. He served for two 
 years in Florida, ended the Seminole war, and was breveted with the rank of brigadier- 
 general. 
 
 As stated in the preceding sketch, General Taylor was ordered to the Rio Grande in 
 order to protect Texas, and probably provoke war with Mexico. In his mission he was 
 entirely successful, and the honor of the victories at Resaca de la Palma, Matamoras, 
 Monterey, Buena Vista and Palo Alto belong to "Rough and Ready," as General Taylor 
 was popularly called. General Taylor was superceded by General Winfield Scott, and 
 soon retired to his plantation in Mississippi, after a continuous service of more than 
 forty years. 
 
 In June, 1848, the Whig convention met in Philadelphia, and Taylor received the nom- 
 ination for President on the third ballot. The campaign was an exciting one, but Taylor 
 was elected. He, with Fillmore, was inaugurated on the fourth of March, i8dfl. In Congress 
 the Democrats were in the majority, and slavery was one of the disturbnfg elements of 
 the times. California's application for admission was opposed by the South ; Texas 
 claimed a portion of New Mexico, and attempts were made by the South to revolutionize 
 Cuba. President Taylor issued a vigorous proclamation against it, and was generally 
 supported. On July 4, 1850, he attended the laying of the corner-stone of the national 
 monument, and there contracted the illness from which he died on the ninth of July, 1850. 
 
 His remains, together with those of his wife and three generations of his family, are 
 interred in the Taylor cemetery on his father's old farm, about five miles from Louis- 
 ville, Ky. 
 
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MILLARD FILLMORE 
 
 The Thirteenth President 
 
 Born February 7, 1800, at Summerhill, Cayuga County, N. Y. He was the son of 
 Nathaniel Fillmore, who was a lieutenant under General Stark at the Battle of Bennington 
 in 1777. His grandfather was a soldier during the French and Indian Wars. His early 
 education was confined to the country schools, until the family moved to Niles, Erie County, 
 where he made good use of a small library, and by the time he reached his nineteenth 
 year he was possessed of a fair education. He studied law and was admitted to the bar 
 in 1822, and took up the practice of his profession in the village of Aurora. Here he 
 married Miss Abigail Powers. He served in the lower house in the Legislature until 
 1832, when he was elected to Congress, where he became leader of the House. He was 
 an ardent supporter of the protective tariff, and gave much of his time to that subject. 
 
 He was a candidate for governor of New York in 1844, but was defeated by Silas 
 Wright. In 1848 he was elected Vice-President with Zachary Taylor, and as presiding 
 officer of the Senate honored that great body by his dignity and fairness at all times. 
 
 He succeeded to the Presidency July 10, 1850, following the death of President Taylor, 
 and at a time when the whole nation was debating the great question of slavery. Texas 
 was threatening New Mexico, and California was pleading for admission as a state. 
 
 The Congress of 1850 had among its members such men as Benton, Webster, Clay and 
 Calhoun, and the debates of these giants stirred the nation to the verge of civil war, but 
 Clay, who was known as the "Great Pacificator," succeeded in having the "Omnibus bill" 
 become a law. This bill provided for the admission of California as a free state, and for 
 territorial rights to Utah and New Mexico, with the slavery provision omitted. It also 
 endorsed the payment to Texas of ten million dollars for its claim to New Mexico, the 
 prohibition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and the passage of the fugitive-slave 
 law. The fugitive-slave law was approved by the President, and declared constitutional 
 by the Supreme Court. 
 
 The President placed before Congress many important matters for its consideration, 
 but Congress was Democratic, and they were simply ignored. At various times attempts 
 were made to seize Cuba as a slave island, but the course pursued by the President pre- 
 vented such a scheme. In 1852 an expedition commanded by Commodore Perry was sent 
 to Japan, and resulted in a treaty which was of great importance to both countries. 
 
 During Mr. Fillmore's administration, treaties were made with many of the South 
 American states. His foreign policies were strong, and conducted with wisdom and ability. 
 His cabinet was a strong one, and its members were in perfect harmony with him. His 
 first secretary of state, Daniel Webster, died on October 24, 1852, and was succeeded by 
 Edward Everett, a man of great ability and learning, whose duty it was to reply to a 
 note from the cabinets of France and England asking that the United States enter, with 
 them, into a treaty by which Cuba was "now and forever hereafter" to remain subject to 
 Spanish rule. His reply, which was endorsed by the President, was plain and to the 
 point, and to the effect that while the United States Government had no intention of vio- 
 lating existing neutrality laws, it could not with indifference see "The Island of Cuba fall 
 into the hands of any other power than Spain." In March, 1853, Oregon was divided, and 
 Washington Territory created. 
 
 President Fillmore retired from office March 4, 1853, after having lost the confidence 
 of the North on account of his sympathies with the compromise measures. He was a 
 candidate for the Whig nomination in 1852, but he had signed his death warrant when 
 he signed the fugitive-slave law, and he secured but twenty votes from the free state 
 delegates. 
 
 He traveled through Europe until 1856, when he was nominated for the Presidency 
 by the American party, but this party cut no figure in the election which followed. His 
 remaining days were spent in Buffalo, where he enjoyed all the honors of a nobly spent 
 life. During the Civil War he manifested no particular interest, but his loyalty to the 
 cause of freedom was not questioned. He was one of the founders, and the first president 
 of the Buffalo Historical Society. He passed away, March 8, 1874, in the seventy-fifth 
 year of his life. His remains, together with those of his wife, are interred in Forest 
 Lawn cemetery, about three miles north of the city of Buffalo. 
 
^JU/U^o j4§w^ 
 
FRANKLIN PIERCE 
 
 The Fourteenth President 
 WILLIAM RUFUS KING, Vice-President 
 
 Born November 23, 1804, at Hillsborough, N. H. He was the sixth child of Benjamin 
 Pierce, who was a major-general during the Revolution and later governor of his native 
 state. It was his father's desire that his son should become possessed of a good education 
 and after a preparatory course he entered Bowdoin College, from which he graduated in 
 1824. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1827. Among his schoolmates 
 were Nathaniel Hawthorne, Calvin E. Stowe, the husband of Harriet Beecher Stowe, and 
 many others whose names became distinguished and honored. 
 
 In 1829 he became a member of the Legislature, where he served for four years and 
 was honored by being elected speaker during two terms. In 1833 he was elected to Con- 
 gress, where he served as the youngest member of that body until elected to the Senate 
 in 1837. He occupied this position and honored it until 1842, when he resigned to resume 
 the practice of his profession. In 1846 he was offered the position of attorney-general 
 but declined to accept it. 
 
 As a member of the House he opposed all forms of internal improvements ; voted 
 against the establishment of a military academy at West Point, and was antagonistic to 
 all anti-slavery legislation. Mr. Pierce enlisted as a private in a regiment raised at Con- 
 cord, and soon rose to the rank of colonel, and later became a brigadier-general in the 
 Mexican War, where he distinguished himself for gallantry in action under General Scott. 
 
 After the close of the war he resumed his practice and in 1850 was president of the 
 convention called to revise the constitution of New Hampshire. In 1852 he was chosen 
 the Democratic candidate for President on the forty-ninth ballot. In the election lie 
 received 254 electoral votes, his opponent and former superior, General Scott, receiving 
 only 42. He was inaugurated March 4, 1853, and in his inaugural address advocated the 
 support of slavery and his determination to enforce the fugitive-slave act. During his 
 administration it was the misfortune to lose to this country Arizona, following the settle- 
 ment of the boundary question. The Missouri Compromise was repealed May 31, 1854. 
 During President Pierce's term the various routes of the Pacific were explored ; the 
 fisheries disputes settled with Great Britain ; the territories of Kansas and Nebraska 
 organized and desperate efforts were made to extend slavery into Kansas. In his message 
 to Congress in 1S56 he considered the act of Kansas, in maintaining that it should be a 
 free state, as an act of rebellion. Conditions in "Bleeding Kansas" were terrible in the 
 extreme, and border warfare with all its horrors held full sway under six territorial gov- 
 ernors, whose efforts failed to quell the disturbance. President Pierce, who was warm in 
 his espousal of the Southern cause, and notwithstanding his avowal of his belief in the 
 Union, became known as "the Northern man with Southern principles." 
 
 President Pierce was surrounded by an able cabinet, among them being Jefferson 
 Davis as secretary of war, and with him he adhered strongly to his pro-slavery doctrines 
 throughout his administration. In 1856 Congress was in a constant turmoil, and violent 
 attacks were of frequent occurrence between its members. It was during one of these 
 turbulent sessions that Charles Sumner was attacked on the floor of the Senate by Preston 
 S. Brooks, during the debate relative to the admission of Kansas. 
 
 President Pierce probably did more than any man of his time to cause the organiza- 
 tion of the Republican party. By his acts and utterances he virtually caused the Aboli- 
 tionists, Free Soilers, Know Nothings and Whigs to unite in the opposition to the exten- 
 sion of slavery, and the convention which was held in June, 1856, placed in nomination 
 John C. Fremont and William L. Dayton. This was the first ticket nominated by the 
 "Republican party. While the President was anxious for another nomination, he failed 
 to receive the honor, being defeated in the convention by James Buchanan. After his 
 retirement from office he traveled in Europe. During the great Civil War his sympa- 
 thies were with the South, but he took no active part. He died on October 8, 1869, and 
 with all of his family, his remains lie in the beautiful cemetery at Concord, N. H. 
 
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JAMES BUCHANAN 
 
 • The Fifteenth President 
 
 JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE, Vice-President 
 
 Born April 23, 1791, at Stony Batter, Pa., the child of parents of humble birth. His 
 father came from Ireland in 1783 and five years later married Miss Elizabeth Spear, the 
 daughter of a farmer. When James was eight years of age the family moved to Mer- 
 cersburg, in Franklin County, where he attended the public schools and at the age of 
 fourteen entered Dickinson College, from which the graduated in 1809, and like many 
 of his predecessors adopted the legal profession, taking rank at the bar when less than 
 twenty-two years of age. He represented his district in the Legislature, and in 1820 was 
 elected to Congress, where he served for a period of ten years. 
 
 In early life he was a Federalist, believing in the Constitution and, in fact, that the 
 nation should exercise power over any of its parts. Time and surrounding influences 
 caused him to lean strongly toward the doctrine of state rights, probably because he 
 thought that its advocates were possessed of more real political strength. In Congress 
 he was a zealous supporter of Jackson and Van Buren, and violently opposed all of the 
 measures not endorsed by Jackson's administration. He opposed national improvements, 
 the protective tariff and national banking acts. 
 
 Under Van Buren he supported the independent treasury measures, and under Polk 
 was a firm advocate of the idea that Texas should be admitted as a slave state. 
 
 In 1832 he was appointed Minister to Russia by President Jackson, to arrange a treaty 
 of commerce with that country, but did not long remain abroad. In 1833 he was elected 
 to the United States Senate, where he served until 1845, when he resigned to become 
 secretary of state in President Polk's cabinet. At the close of this administration he 
 enjoyed private life until 1853, when he was appointed Minister to England by President 
 Pierce. His mission to England was to settle the questions in relation to Spain and the 
 Central American States, and Cuba. Here, Mr. Buchanan took the leading part in framing 
 the "Ostend Manifesto," in which the importance of Cuba to the United States, by pur- 
 chase or by conquest, should slavery in that island be interfered with, was set forth. It 
 mattered not where Mr. Buchanan was, he always found slavery demanding his support, 
 and that support was forthcoming. 
 
 In June, 1856, Mr. Buchanan was nominated by the Democratic convention, and, in 
 the fall of that year, was elected over the Republican candidate, John C. Fremont. His 
 term in office was a trying one and he showed himself unequal to the task which was 
 his to perform. He approved the famous "Dred Scott Decision" which was rendered by 
 Chief Justice Taney in 1857. This decision was to the effect that slaves were property, 
 and could be taken anywhere, even in the "free states," and returned to their native state 
 at any time without the loss of ownership to their masters. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan took the Southern side of the Kansas embroglio ; he vetoed the Home- 
 stead bill for settlers on the public lands ; in fact, he did all he possibly could do against 
 the anti-slavery portion of the Union, and stood unmoved in his attitude, notwithstanding 
 the fact that the great question of the day was being debated on the rostrum, in the pulpit 
 and the press, by the ablest men of the land. During the exciting days of 1859 occurred 
 the famous raid of John Brown, who seized the armory at Harpers Ferry and attempted 
 to launch the Revolution. 
 
 During Buchanan's term the first Atlantic cable was laid by Cyrus Field, and among 
 the earliest messages sent was one from Queen Victoria to the President. Minnesota 
 was admitted in 1858, Oregon in 1859 and Kansas in 1861. South Carolina passed an 
 ordinance of secession December 20, 1861. The Southern Confederacy was formed Feb- 
 ruary 4, 1861, at Montgomery, Ala., and Jefferson Davis was elected as its president. 
 President Buchanan's last message to Congress was weak, and demonstrated plainly that 
 he was not the man for the place. Like many really great men of his day, he wavered 
 in his patriotism, and finally took his stand on the side of injustice. 
 
 After his retirement he lived in quiet obscurity until he passed away, June 1, 1868, in 
 his seventy-eighth year. His remains are buried in Woodward Hill cemetery, Harris- 
 burg, Pa. 
 
YZ^S&?tS 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 The Sixteenth President 
 
 HANNIBAL HAMLIN, Vice-President 
 ANDREW JOHNSON, Vice-President 
 
 Born February 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Larue County, Ky., the son of Thomas 
 Lincoln, who married Miss Nancy Hanks, a native of Virginia. The father was a man 
 without education and with little ambition ; the mother was a woman of force and char- 
 acter, and was ever held in the highest esteem by the great Lincoln, who was proud to 
 say, "All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my mother; blessings on her memory." 
 
 His early education was very limited and was procured from the few books then at 
 his command, as he had but little opportunity to attend school. When about eighteen 
 years of age, he built a flat boat, and with a neighbor, floated a quantity of produce and 
 merchandise to New Orleans. This experience afforded him an opportunity to see some- 
 thing of the country and to learn something of business. This trip was the means of 
 securing him a clerkship in a store at New Salem, 111., where he made many lifelong 
 friends by his sterling honesty and worth. Here he pursued his studies further, paying 
 particular attention to the newspapers. While at New Salem, he enlisted in the Black 
 Hawk War and was chosen captain. He saw little active service, but had, by his kind- 
 ness and industry, made many friends among his associates, who, on his return to New 
 Salem, nominated mm for the Legislature on the minority ticket ; he was defeated, how- 
 ever, and turned his attention to store-keeping but failed to better his condition. This 
 was 'followed by work as a surveyor about New Salem until 1834, when he was elected 
 to the Legislature, where he served for four years. He devoted his spare time while in 
 office to the study of law and was admitted to practice in 1836. During his term in the 
 Legislature, his wonderful logic and oratory made him famous. Here he met, for the first 
 time, Stephen A. Douglass, then the youngest member of the House, and contested honors 
 with him in many great debates. Mr. Lincoln rose to distinction in his profession rapidly, 
 and in 1837 removed to Springfield. He was again elected to the Legislature, but refused 
 to serve longer than one term. 
 
 In 1842 he married Miss Mary Todd of Lexington, Ky. Only one child, Robert T. 
 Lincoln, survives the union. In December, 1847, Mr. Lincoln took his seat in the Thirtieth 
 Congress, where he vigorously opposed war with Mexico. He, however, gave General 
 Taylor strong support during the Presidential canvass. After serving with honor in Con- 
 gress, he returned to his practice with a valuable acquaintance and experience. 
 
 In 1858 he contested the canvass of Stephen A. Douglass for the United States Sen- 
 atorship and carried on with that gentleman a series of debates that will live long in our 
 political history. The wit, ability and logic shown by Lincoln brought him before the 
 whole people, and though he was defeated, he became in reality the leader of his party. 
 These great speeches, together with his masterful efforts at Cooper Institute, at Harvard 
 and Gettvsburg, should be read and studied by every American. 
 
 He was elected President after the most bitter and violent campaign known to history. 
 He was inaugurated March 4, 1861, and delivered a most conciliatory and patriotic address. 
 He foresaw the coming storm and prepared for it, even in the face of strong opposition 
 in the North. No man ever occupied so exacting a position and no man has ever more 
 perfectly acquitted himself. From the time the first shot was fired on Fort Sumpter, 
 April 12, 1 861, until the time of his death, President Lincoln guided the ship of state 
 through the perils of the greatest civil war the world has ever known. In September, 
 1862, he issued the Proclamation of Emancipation which wiped the foul blot of slavery 
 from the Union. 
 
 Lincoln's history is a history of the Civil War, and he was the soul of all the good 
 that came from that war. He was re-elected in 1864, and the war was continued with 
 a series of triumphant victories by the Federals. Petersburg and Richmond surrendered 
 April 2 and 3, and Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, Va., April 9, 1865. 
 
 President Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre, Washington, April 14, and died early 
 on the morning of the 15th, 1865. The Rebellion ended in the martyrdom of that grand 
 soul who will live for all time as the "Savior of the Nation." His mortal remains are 
 interred, midst the scenes of his early struggles and victories, at Springfield, 111. 
 
ANDREW JOHNSON 
 
 The Seventeenth President 
 
 Born December 29, 1808, at Raleigh, N. C. His father, Jacob Johnson, died when 
 Andrew was only four years of age. The child, at the age of ten years, was apprenticed 
 to a tailor, and for several years followed his trade. He taught himself to read and write 
 and became an ardent student of such books as he could procure. It is said that Mr. 
 Johnson never attended school a single day in his life. 
 
 In 1826, he, with his mother, moved to Greenville, Tenn., where, though poor and out 
 of work, he married a young woman who doubtless had much to do with the shaping 
 of his career, as she was a person of education and culture, and taught him the various 
 branches of learning. He soon became a leader among his associates, who elected him 
 to the office of alderman, and later to that of mayor. In 1835 he was elected to the Legis- 
 lature while he was still making his living at his trade. During his two terms he was a 
 strong opponent of slavery and an advocate of internal improvements. He took an active 
 part in the canvass for Van Buren, and, in 1841, was elected to the state senate. In 1843 
 he was sent to Congress, where he served with ability and honor for ten years. Though 
 a slave owner himself, he was faithful to the Union and his slaves were confiscated by 
 the people with whom he differed. 
 
 In 1853 he was elected governor of his state and served two terms. In 1857 he was 
 elected to the United States Senate, where his course was similar to the one followed in 
 Congress. He supported the Homestead bill, which was vetoed by Buchanan, and opposed 
 the compromise measure, but endorsed them later. He was trained with the slave owners, 
 and desired to perpetuate slavery, but he was ever a violent opponent of secession, declaring 
 openly, and at the risk of his very life, that, were he President, he would treat its 
 advocates as traitors. 
 
 In 1862 Johnson was appointed military governor by President Lincoln. His part was 
 a difficult one, so varied were the problems with which he had to deal. With the people 
 divided between secession and the Union ; with frequent opposition by the civil authorities, 
 as well as by the military, lie pursued his work with the Union ever in his mind. In 1863 
 he visited President Lincoln in Washington and discussed with that great leader the 
 advisability of re-establishing a civil government in Tennessee. 
 
 In 1864 the Republican convention met in Baltimore and chose Lincoln and Johnson 
 as its standard bearers. The stand Johnson had taken regarding the solidity of the Union 
 brought to him the loyal support of the North, and he was strongly sustained by the 
 Democrats whose sympathies were for the perpetuity of the nation as a unit. His speeches 
 during the campaign were simply electrifying, and the one delivered in Nashville, shortly 
 after his nomination, will compare with efforts of Clay or Henry. 
 
 He was triumphantly elected with his great leader and applied himself, with all his 
 power, to the readjustment of the chaotic affairs of the nation. The Rebellion had been 
 crushed ; Sherman had made his memorable march to the sea ; Grant was in Richmond ; 
 Petersburg had fallen, and on April 9, General Lee had surrendered to General Grant. 
 
 Within two hours after the death of the great Lincoln, Chief Justice Chase admin- 
 istered to Mr. Johnson the oath of office and he became President, April 15, 1865. Presi- 
 dent Johnson recognized the government of several of the secession states which were 
 reorganized under the protection of Union troops. General amnesty was declared on 
 Christmas day, 1868, and applied to all who had assisted in secession, with the exception 
 of a few of the leaders. His quarrels with Congress, and his autocratic use of the power 
 of veto, as well as his plans for reconstruction, are matters of history, as is his impeach- 
 ment, which was brought about by his numerous attempts to over-ride the House and 
 the Senate by the exercise of powers plainly opposed by the Constitution. Nebraska was 
 admitted in 1867, and Alaska was purchased during the same year. In 1866 the second 
 Atlantic cable was completed. Had his fine natural powers been supplemented by an 
 early education, posterity would see him in a grander light. In 1875 he was elected to 
 the Senate, but served only for a short time. He died at the home of his daughter, July 
 30, 1875. His remains rest in a beautiful cemetery one-half mile from Greenville, Tenn. 
 
ULYSSES S. GRANT 
 
 The Eighteenth President 
 
 SCHUYLER COLFAX, Vice-President 
 
 HENRY WILSON, Vice-President 
 
 Born April 27, 1822, at Point Pleasant, Ohio. He was the son of Jesse Grant, who 
 married Miss Hanna Simpson in 1821. His ancestors were, hy some biographers, said to 
 have been Scotch, while others claimed that they came to this country from the west 
 of England. 
 
 His early education was acquired in the public schools. In 1839 he entered West 
 Point, from which he graduated in 1843. As a second-lieutenant by brevet he was 
 assigned to duty at Jefferson barricks, near St. Louis. In 1844 he was ordered to the 
 Red River country to begin his service in the Mexican War, where he served under 
 Robert E. Lee. His regiment took an active part in the battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la 
 Palma and Matamoras under General Taylor. He also participated in the battle of Mon- 
 terey and later at Chepultepec, where he was promoted to a first-lieutenancy. 
 
 In August, 1848, he married Miss Julia Dent, and, shortly after, was assigned to his 
 regiment at Detroit. He was promoted to a captaincy, and, as quarter-master, was sent to 
 Fort Humboldt, California. His family was in St. Louis and he was in a melancholy state 
 of mind, situated as he was, far from the surrounding influences of love and civilization. 
 He resigned from the army, and in the course of a few months, took up farming on the 
 old Dent homestead a few miles from St. Louis. In 1S60 he with his family removed to 
 Galena, 111., where he took a clerkship in the tanning business conducted by his brothers. 
 
 At the outbreak of the Rebellion he was appointed colonel of a regiment, by Governor 
 Yates, and ordered to Missouri, where he soon demonstrated his great abilities as an 
 officer. In July, Elihu B. Washburn urged Congress to advance him to the rank of 
 brigadier-general, and he received every vote, notwithstanding there were forty other 
 candidates. He at once took possession of Paducah, Ky., and captured a great amount of 
 stores. From this time on until the close of the war Grant's history, like Lincoln's, is 
 but a history of that awful struggle. He was anxious for action, but was held back by 
 Halleck, who had replaced Fremont in command. In 1862, however, he was ordered to 
 take Fort Henry and Fort Donaldson, which were captured on February 2 and 16, respect- 
 ively. His victory at Shiloh, after a two days' battle, April 6 and 7, incited the jealousy 
 of Halleck, and Grant was given command of the Army of West Tennessee. He had 
 his mind set on Vicksburg, and after many successful battles, he brought about the fall 
 of this stronghold, July 4, 1863. President Lincoln placed General Grant in command of 
 the three western divisions of the army, and he at once proceeded to accomplish the fall 
 of Chattanooga, which took place November 25, 1863. General Grant was made lieutenant- 
 general in March, 1864, and was henceforth in general command of all of the Union 
 forces. His subsequent work at Petersburg and Richmond, and the surrender of Lee at 
 Appomattox, April 9, 1865, are worthy of research. 
 
 On March 4, 1869, he was inaugurated as President, and at once began the great 
 task of completing the work of reconstruction. It was for Grant to put into practice the 
 various plans for the settlement of all troubles existing north and south, and he did it to 
 the best of his ability. He was re-elected in 1872, and served until 1877. During his 
 term, the great overland railway was completed in 1869, the fifteenth amendment was 
 passed in 1872, the Modoc War was conducted, and the Custer massacre occurred in 1876; 
 in 1872 England paid fifteen million dollars for damage done by the Alabama. Colorado 
 was admitted in 1876, and the great Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia took place the 
 same year. After his retirement from office he made a tour of nearly every civilized 
 country in the world and, on his return, entered business in New York. In this departure 
 he was unsuccessful. The greatest work of his life was undertaken while he was suffering 
 from the inroads of cancer, and his devotion to that work, in order that he might see his 
 loved ones provided for after his demise, demonstrated the grandure of his nature. A few 
 days after the completion of his memoirs, he died, July 23, 1885, and his mortal remains 
 lie beside those of his wife in the beautiful tomb in Riverside Park, New York City. 
 
RUTHERFORD B. HAYES 
 
 The Nineteenth President 
 HENRY WILSON, Vice-President 
 
 Born October 4, 1822, at Delaware, Ohio, the son of Rutherford Hayes, who married 
 Miss Birchard. His father, who came of strong Vermont stock, died before the subject 
 of this sketch was born, and his whole early training devolved upon the mother, whose 
 beautiful influence was made manifest during his entire life, which was one of honesty 
 of purpose and fidelity to duty. He attended the common schools and prepared for Kenyon 
 College, from which he graduated in 1842. In 1843 he entered Harvard, where he studied 
 under such masters as Story and Greenleaf. He was admitted to practice in 1845, and 
 followed his profession in his native town. He removed to Cincinnati in 1850, where he 
 met with some degree of success. He served for some time as city solicitor. 
 
 He identified himself with the Republican party and was an earnest supporter of Mr. 
 Lincoln during his campaign for the Presidency. At the outbreak of the war he offered 
 his services to Governor Dennison, who appointed him major of the Twenty-third Ohio 
 Volunteer infantry. He was appointed, in September of that year, judge-advocate of the 
 Department of Ohio, which position he filled until promoted to the rank of lieutenant- 
 colonel. He served under General McClellan and was wounded at the Battle of South 
 Mountain. He was soon promoted to the colonelency of his regiment and served with 
 gallantry under General Crook. He led his brigade through the heat of battle at Win- 
 chester, and bore a conspicuous part under General Sheridan at Cedar Creek. For "bravery 
 and distinguished services" he was breveted major-general. His entire war record as a 
 brave and honest officer was not excelled by any man in the army. He was one of the 
 first to offer his services, and fought valliantly throughout the struggle until elected to 
 Congress in 1865, and was re-elected the following year. 
 
 In 1868 he was inaugurated governor of Ohio, and served during two terms. The 
 eloquence and logic of Mr. Hayes during his campaign, brought him nearer to the people of 
 the whole nation. Those were history-making days, and he showed plainly his great 
 abilities in his various discussions regarding the questions of reconstruction, negro suf- 
 frage; and, in fact, all the great questions of the day. After the expiration of his second 
 term, he was defeated in a Congressional canvass, but in 1875, was again elected governor 
 on what is known as the "honest money" platform of his party. He served through the 
 Centennial year, and through his excellent administration, became the logical candidate of 
 his party for the Presidency, and at its hands received the nomination at Cincinnati, and 
 entered the contest against Mr. Tilden, the Democratic nominee. 
 
 The contest was one of the closest and most bitter ever fought. Fraud was the cry 
 by both parties, North and South, and the election was settled by the appointment of 
 the electoral commission, which decided by a vote of eight to seven in favor of Mr. Hayes, 
 who entered upon his duties as President, March 4, 1877. The inaugural address of Mr. 
 Hayes embodied all of the salient points of his letter of acceptance, which expressed fully 
 his belief in civil service reform, which, as he said, should be thorough, radical and com- 
 plete. He was a strong advocate of the resumption of specie payments, which became 
 effective January I, 1879. It was during his term that the great railway strikes took place ; 
 millions of dollars' worth of property were destroyed ; six thousand miles of railway 
 blocked and one hundred thousand men lay idle. This great strike was settled by an 
 appeal to the United States government. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Hayes to Miss Lucy Webb, in 1852, proved a most happy one. 
 She was a noble woman who had been finely reared and educated, and contributed much 
 toward his success. She bore him eight children, several of whom are still living. Her 
 administration of affairs in the White House were, like his in national affairs, plain, 
 honest and true. No purer or better administration has our country ever had, considering 
 that it followed the terrible period of the reconstruction, with its rings of political pirates 
 and demagogues. 
 
 After the expiration of his term, he retired to his beautiful home in Fremont to end 
 his days in peace and happiness. He died January 17, 1893, and with his wife, is buried 
 at Fremont, Ohio. 
 
fk/S 
 
 /^a^yL^. 
 
JAMES ABRAM GARFIELD 
 
 The Twentieth President 
 CHESTER ALAN ARTHUR, Vice-President 
 
 Born November 18, 1831, at Orange, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, the fourth child of 
 Thomas Garfield, who married Miss Mary Ballou. Thomas Garfield was of English, Welsh 
 and German stock of the most stalwart sort, and his wife was a descendant from a 
 Huguenot family who settled in Rhode Island. When James was less than two years of 
 age his father died, leaving the wife with four children to care for, and on a farm which 
 was not paid for. With fortitude she faced the ordeal, and with the assistance of her 
 ten-year-old child, Thomas, managed to keep the family together. To this eldest brother, 
 James owed much of his future success and greatness, for Thomas always assisted and 
 guided him with the love and fidelity of a father. As a boy, young James applied himself 
 with equal earnestness to his work on the farm and to the winter schools, and became 
 self-supporting, in a manner, however, that was not satisfactory to him. He turned his 
 attention toward the procuring of an education, and attended the Chester Academy. In 
 185 1 he entered Hiram College and later, Williams College, Massachusetts, where he was 
 graduated in 1856. After graduation he became a professor at Hiram, and later, president 
 of that institution. During his college work as teacher he studied law and was soon 
 prepared for practice. 
 
 In 1858 he married Muss Lucretia Rudolph, who was a student with him at Chester. 
 In i860 he was elected to the state senate, the youngest member of that body, and one of 
 the ablest. He was a student at all times, a polished advocate, a great teacher and a 
 preacher of great force. He hated slavery, and was outspoken in favor of the natural 
 rights of men. 
 
 When President Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand troops, Mr. Garfield moved 
 that Ohio furnish twenty thousand men as her quota. He then offered his services to 
 Governor Dennison and was ordered to Cleveland to organize the Seventh and Eighth 
 regiments of infantry. He was then appointed lieutenant-colonel and raised a regiment, 
 composed principally of his friends, in the Western Reserve. Though without military 
 training, he was prevailed upon to act as its colonel, and in September of that year was, 
 by General Buell, assigned to duty in eastern Kentucky. He was soon made a brigadier- 
 general, and, by President Lincoln, given command of the Twentieth brigade, which took 
 an active part in the battles of Shiloh and Corinth in 1862. He became chief-of-staff to 
 General Rosecrans, and saw active service in the great battles of Chickamauga and Chatta- 
 nooga, after which he was, for gallant services, raised to the rank of major-general. He 
 was the choice of his congressional district, and, at the earnest request of President 
 Lincoln, accepted the honor and became one of the leading members of that great body 
 at a time when such services as he might render were needed. He mastered thoroughly 
 the great questions of finance, taxation and the tariff and became a powerful factor 
 among the leading lawmakers of his time. He was in Congress during the administra- 
 tions of Johnson, Grant and Hayes and supported with almost superhuman power in 
 debate all of the measures intended for the betterment of the whole people. In the spring 
 of 1880 he was chosen United States Senator, and in the fall of that year was nominated 
 as the compromise candidate of his party for the Presidency. His election over his 
 opponent, General Hancock, was complete and he was inaugurated March 4, 1881. 
 
 His position as President was a trying one, and it was his sincere desire to bring 
 together the discordant elements of his party and to eradicate the feeling that existed 
 between the conservative and the "machine" leaders. He might possibly have succeeded 
 had he not been the victim of the assassin's bullet. On July 2, 1881, while in conversation 
 with his secretary of state, James G. Blaine, at the Baltimore & Ohio station in Wash- 
 ington, he received a mortal wound in the back. He was removed to the White House, 
 and later, to his cottage at Elberon, N. J., where after patient suffering he breathed his 
 last, September 19, 1881. 
 
 The deep devotion he had ever shown to his country was equaled only by his life-long 
 devotion to his aged mother and his invalid wife. 
 
 His remains rest in a beautiful mausoleum erected in Lake View cemetery at Cleve- 
 land, Ohio, by the people of the country he loved and who, in return, loved him. 
 
^yLJ^C^^is/ 
 
CHESTER ALAN ARTHUR 
 
 The Twenty-First President 
 
 Born at Fairfield, Franklin County, Vt., October 5, 1830, the son of Rev. William 
 Arthur, a Baptist clergyman. Chester received his early education in the schools and 
 academies of Vermont, and at the age of nineteen graduated from Union College, Sche- 
 nectady. For a time after his graduation and while reading law, he was principal of 
 the Pownal Academy. He entered the law office of Judge Culver in New York City and, 
 after having been admitted to the bar, formed a partnership with H. D. Gardiner. He 
 had scarcely been admitted to the bar when, in 1852, he became well known through his 
 connection with the famous "Lemon Slave Case." He associated with himself William M. 
 Evarts, and the two undertook against Charles O'Conor and H. L. Clinton, two famous 
 lawyers, the conduct of the case against Lemon, who attempted to conduct slaves from 
 Virginia to Texas through New York. Arthur and Evarts won the case, and the decision 
 of Judge Paine was sustained by the United States Supreme Court. This famous case 
 and other similar cases won for him the friendship of the colored race as well as that 
 of the anti-slavery people of the North. 
 
 Mr. Arthur was a delegate to the convention which organized the Republican party 
 of the state of New York at Saratoga, and here he made manifest his disbelief in slavery 
 and his belief in the permanent national power of the Union. In i860 he was appointed 
 judge-advocate of a brigade of New York militia, and in 1862 was appointed quarter- 
 master-general of the militia forces of the state, and served until the close of Governor 
 Morgan's term. In this office he demonstrated his great business ability by handling 
 accounts amounting to millions of dollars with such exactness that the War Department, 
 in Washington, virtually passed them without question. During the war he served, for a 
 time, as inspector in the Army of the Potomac. Later he returned to the practice of law, 
 and, in 1871, was appointed collector of the port of New York by President Grant, which 
 office he held until removed by President Hayes in 1878. In 1880 he went as a delegate 
 to the convention in Chicago, which placed in nomination Garfield and Arthur. He took 
 an active part in the campaign, working in conjunction with Conkling and Grant, and did 
 much toward securing the election of the ticket. The election had divided the party, and 
 feeling regarding Federal patronage ran high. Mr. Conkling, the leader of New York, 
 would not yield any of his prerogatives as the party chief of his state, and resigned from 
 the Senate to seek vindication at home. Mr. Arthur, in his vigorous efforts to assist in 
 the re-election of Mr. Conkling, incurred the antagonism of President Garfield. In the 
 midst of these troubles, President Garfield was assassinated, and Mr. Arthur became 
 President, September 19, 1881. 
 
 He assumed the great responsibilities with a sincere desire to serve the people, and 
 he served them well, his whole administration being distinguished by great dignity and 
 wisdom. The first session of the Forty-seventh Congress opened December 5, 1881, and 
 lasted two hundred and forty-seven days. Among the most important bills passed were 
 the Chinese Exclusion act, the Anti-Polygamy act, a bill to prevent immigration of crim- 
 inals from foreign countries, many important river and harbor measures, and the creation 
 of a commission to conclude a treaty with Mexico. During the short session, an act was 
 passed forbidding the assessment of office-holders for political purposes, and also an act 
 reducing letter postage. One of the greatest achievements in engineering skill ever accom- 
 plished occurred in the spring of 1883, when the great bridge joining the cities of New 
 York and Brooklyn was completed. The completion of the great Northern Pacific railroad 
 followed in August of the same year. 
 
 During the first session of the Forty-eighth Congress the President urged the passage 
 of a bill for the establishment of civil government in Alaska, and also a bill for the repeal 
 of an act conferring upon the people of Utah territorial power, and both of these measures 
 were passed. It was during President- Arthur's administration that the French people 
 presented to the people of the United States the statue of "Liberty" which adorns New 
 York harbor. A few months prior to the adjournment of Congress on March 4, a bill 
 was passed authorizing the President to place on the retired list of the army one man 
 with rank and full pay of general for life. He named Ulysses S. Grant, and the nomina- 
 tion was confirmed by the Senate. This was his last official act. He resumed his law 
 practice in New York, where his death occurred November 18, 1886. His remains were 
 interred in the Rural cemetery at Albany, N. Y. 
 
GROVER CLEVELAND 
 
 The Twenty-Second and Twenty-Fourth President 
 
 THOMAS A. HENDRICKS, Vice-President 
 ADLAI STEVENSON, Vice-President 
 
 Born March 18, 1837, at Caldwell, N. J. He was the fifth child of Richard Cleveland. 
 On his father's side his ancestors were of English stock, while his mother was of Irish 
 descent. When but three years of age, his family moved to Fayetteville, N. Y., where 
 the boy first attended school. After the death of his father, his entire plans were changed, 
 and he became assistant to an older brother, who had charge of instruction in a New 
 York asylum for the blind, where he served for wo years. 
 
 In 1855 he resolved to study law, and through die assistance of an uncle in Buffalo, 
 entered a law office in that city, where he won the admiration of his employers because 
 of his industry, courage and honesty. He became a member of the firm in 1859. In 1863 
 he was appointed assistant district attorney. In 1869 he was elected sheriff of Erie county, 
 and performed his duties in a non-partisan manner to the satisfaction of the people. 
 After serving for two years, he resumed the practice of law and placed himself well at 
 the head of the bar of western New York. 
 
 In 1S81 he was elected mayor of Buffalo, and set about to rescue the city from the 
 grasp of the political rings which were then thriving at the expense of the people. He 
 was known as the "veto mayor," and the power of veto was expressed by him in no 
 uncertain words when the people's interests were in danger. He gave the city the cleanest 
 and ablest administration it had ever known, and placed his name prominently before the 
 people as a most desirable man for governor of the state, and he was, in 1882, elected 
 to that office by a large majority. He despised the "red tape" routine, and placed himself 
 in touch with all classes. Possessed of a natural dignity and affability, he made friends 
 with the masses, and was in turn opposed by the political schemers of both parties. 
 
 He was the logical candidate for the Presidency, and, by his party, was nominated 
 by the convention which met in Chicago in 1884, notwithstanding the violent opposition of 
 Tammany Hall. The campaign was one of slander and abuse, but Blaine made a won- 
 derful canvass, and had not the religious issue been dragged in within a few hours of the 
 election, he would have been the victor. Mr. Cleveland carried New York state by eleven 
 hundred plurality and was elected to take his seat March 4, 1885. His inaugural address 
 was a plain, dignified, conservative expression of his own ideas, and his messages to Con- 
 gress were of the same nature. 
 
 President Cleveland's two terms were marked by many history-making events. During 
 his first term, the Apache Indian uprising led by Geronimo was suppressed, and in July 
 of the same year the Cheyenne Indians were subdued by General Miles; in the fall of 1884 
 occurred the great labor strikes, inspired by the "Knights of Labor," and for several 
 months railroad traffic west of the Mississippi was at a standstill ; important measures 
 against polygamy were passed; the claims of settlers to lands in the northwest were 
 adjusted in their favor and against the Northern Pacific railroad; the Presidential Succes- 
 sion bill was passed. During 1886 anti-Chinese riots were frequent on the coast, and the 
 anarchist riots occurred in Chicago; in January, 1887, the Interstate Commerce act was 
 adopted; later still the "Mills bill" was generally discussed, and the people at once took 
 sides as protectionists or free traders. 
 
 In the campaign of 1888 Mr. Cleveland was defeated by Mr. Harrison, but was vic- 
 torious over his former antagonist in 1892. During his second term and on Washington's 
 birthday. North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington were admitted to the 
 Union, and Utah in 1896. In 1893 the great Columbian Exposition opened in Chicago ; 
 in October, 1893, the purchase clause of the Sherman bill was repealed, and the Venezue- 
 lan boundary question settled by arbitration after the President had strongly expressed 
 his intention of upholding the Monroe doctrine. 
 
 President Cleveland was married January 2, 1886, to Miss Frances Folsom. the 
 daughter of his former law partner. After the expiration of his term, he retired to his 
 home in Princeton, where he devoted much time to writing on matters of national interest. 
 
 After a lingering illness, he died June 24, 1908, and is buried at his adopted home, 
 Princeton, N. J. 
 
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BENJAMIN HARRISON 
 
 The Twenty-Third President 
 LEVI P. MORTON, Vice-President 
 
 Born August 20, 1833. at North Bend, Ohio, the second son of John Scott Harrison 
 by his second marriage, and the grandson of the great William Henry Harrison, the ninth 
 President. A brief review of his ancestry is rendered under the sketch of his illustrious 
 grandparent. The mother of Benjamin Harrison was Miss Elizabeth Irwin of Mercers- 
 burg, Pa., a woman of high and noble character, whose devotion to her home and family 
 made a lasting impression on her children, who were raised among the purest of sur- 
 roundings. Young Harrison had all the advantages of an early education both in the 
 schools and at home, and at an early age entered Miami University, where he was gradu- 
 ated in 1852. He excelled in his studies and devoted much of his time to oratory, in 
 which he was equalled only by the late David Swing, who afterward became the most 
 popular divine in Chicago. 
 
 After graduation he took up the study of law in Cincinnati, and afterward removed 
 to Indianapolis, Ind., to build up a practice. While pursuing his studies he married Miss 
 Caroline Scott, the daughter of the principal of a young ladies' seminary at Oxford. To 
 gain a foothold in his newly adopted home, he was compelled to compete with some of 
 the ablest advocates of his time, but his untiring industry saw him safely through. In i860 
 he was elected Reporter of the Supreme Court on the Republican ticket, after a canvass 
 which demonstrated thoroughly his power as a student and orator. 
 
 In 1862, when President Lincoln called for more troops, young Harrison raised and 
 drilled the Seventh Indiana regiment, and, as its colonel participated in many battles. 
 For skill, ability and energy he was breveted brigadier-general. When discharged, May 20, 
 1865, he returned to his home and practice. He soon became one of the leaders of the 
 bar, and his positive opinions on all matters pertaining to national affairs brought him 
 into the field of politics. He was defeated for the governorship in 1876, but ran far ahead 
 of his ticket. In 1880 he was a delegate to the National Convention in Chicago, and in 
 1884 was delegate-at-large in the convention which nominated Garfield and Arthur. He 
 was offered a portfolio in President Garfield's cabinet but modestly declined. Shortly after, 
 he was elected to the Senate of the United States, where he served for six years with 
 great credit to himself and the nation. 
 
 In 1888 he was the choice of his party for President against such candidates as Sher- 
 man, Alger, Gresham, Depew and Blaine. The campaign which followed was conducted 
 on party lines, the tariff issue being paramount to all others. The campaign was devoid 
 of the popular interest of the masses which had characterized the preceding campaign. 
 The famous "Front Porch" speeches made by Harrison to the thousands who flocked to 
 hear him at his home have, for force and logic, never been surpassed, if ever equaled. 
 New York was the pivotal state, but Harrison carried it by a substantial plurality, 
 though David B. Hill was elected governor. He was inaugurated March 4, 1889, and 
 selected a strong cabinet, with James G. Blaine as secretary of state. 
 
 On May 31, 1889, the Conemaugh valley was desolated by the terrible Johnstown 
 flood, and Congress promptly passed relief measures, at the suggestion of the President. 
 In October of the same year occurred the "Mafia" riots at New Orleans, but our friendly 
 relations with Italy were soon restored. In December, 1889, the "McKinley Tariff" bill was 
 passed and a strong protective policy assured. In 1891 the war with Chile was averted 
 by the diplomacy of Blaine and the payment of damages by Chile. In 1891 the Sioux 
 uprising in the Northwest was suppressed. In 1890 Blaine's famous reciprocity with South 
 American republics became effective, and the eleventh census was completed, showing a 
 population of sixty-two millions of people. He was nominated for a second term, with 
 Whitelaw Reid as his running mate. The latter was unpopular with the labor masses and 
 the ticket went down to defeat. During his term North and South Dakota, Washington, 
 Montana, Idaho and Wyoming were admitted. His administration was clear, honorable 
 and efficient at home, and our country was represented abroad by men of learning, experi- 
 ence and ability. Mr. Harrison, after his retirement, was counsel in many of the greatest 
 legal controversies and was regarded as a leading authority on international and con- 
 stitutional law. He died March 13, 1901, and is buried at Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
//*— / i^^^^fy-^ 
 
WILLIAM McKINLEY 
 
 The Twenty-Fifth President 
 
 GARRET E. HOBART, Vice-President 
 
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT, Vice-President 
 
 Born January 29, 1843, at Niles, Ohio. His father and mother were born in Pennsyl- 
 vania. His early education was procured in the common schools, and at the age of sixteen 
 he entered Allegheny College, but soon relinquished his studies on account of ill health. 
 For a time he followed teaching for a living, and at the outbreak of the war enlisted as a 
 private, and by the close of the Rebellion had attained the rank of major. He then took 
 up the study of law and was admitted to practice in 1867. When he was thirty-four years 
 of age he was elected to Congress, where he served for fourteen years as one of its 
 ablest members. 
 
 He was a candidate for the speakership in 1889, but was defeated by Thomas B. Reed. 
 The next year, he, as chairman of the "Ways and Means Committee," framed the famous 
 "McKinley bill," a strong protective measure, which soon became a law. During the 
 same year he was elected governor of Ohio and served for two full terms with such ability 
 as to merit the confidence of the whole people. He was the logical candidate for the 
 Presidency in 1892, but resisted the honor because of his fidelity to Harrison, whom he 
 had pledged himself to support. He was, however, nominated four years later, and 
 triumphantly elected over Mr. William Jennings Bryan, after a campaign most successfully 
 handled by that political master, Marcus A. Hanna. 
 
 The campaign was most ably conducted, and great changes took place in both of the 
 leading parties. The money question was the great issue. President Cleveland had called 
 a special session of Congress and urged the repeal of the "purchase clause" of the Sherman 
 act, and after many weeks of debate this was done, but it divided his party. The 
 Democrats, headed by their candidate, began an active campaign in favor of free silver, 
 and Mr. Bryan was ardently supported by the silver-producing states of the great West. 
 During his campaign Mr. Bryan addressed more than five millions of people, and by his 
 magnetic and wonderful oratory, made many converts to his ideas. Mr. Hanna, however, 
 planned the "campaign of education" and determined to reach every voter with campaign 
 literature. This was accomplished, and resulted in such a widespread interest as had 
 never before been known. This campaign settled the money question, and Mr. McKinley 
 was elected to take his seat March 4, 1897. 
 
 His inaugural address was a masterly one, in which the President pledged himself to 
 the doctrines of protection ; to preserve the national credit ; to enforce economy in all 
 branches and to build up a strong merchant marine. An extra session of Congress was 
 called for March 15, and a bill enacted providing for a tariff which would reduce the 
 large deficiency which had been growing annually under the preceding administration. 
 This was done, and the long-continued period of depression gave way to one of unprece- 
 dented prosperity. 
 
 For years the Cubans had suffered from the atrocities of Spanish rule, and though 
 Congress proffered assistance, President Cleveland ignored them. On February 15, 1898, 
 the battleship Maine was destroyed in the harbor of Havana and two hundred and sixty 
 lives were lost. War was declared ?gainst Spain April 25, 1898, but lasted less than one 
 hundred days. The destruction of the Spanish fleet by Commodore Dewey, in the bay of 
 Manila, May 1, was followed in rapid succession by many victories in Cuba, and on July 3, 
 by the destruction of Cervera's fleet by Commodore Schley, which virtually ended the war. 
 The terms of settlement providing for peace were signed at the White House, August 12, 
 by Secretary of State Day and Ambassador Cambon, of France, representing Spain. The 
 second campaign, in 1900, was against his former adversary, Mr. Bryan, who, from the 
 first, could hope for naught but defeat. 
 
 His second term had but just begun when he was shot by an assassin while greeting 
 his fellow citizens at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, September 6, 1901. He 
 lingered until September 14, when he passed from earthly cares. His last words were, 
 "It's God's way! His will be done." His devotion to his country was equaled only by 
 his devotion to his aged mother and his invalid wife, who had shared his hardships and 
 successes with him. His remains are entombed in a beautiful memorial mausoleum at 
 Canton, Ohio. 
 
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THEODORE ROOSEVELT 
 
 The Twenty-Sixth President 
 CHARLES W. FAIRBANKS, Vice-President 
 
 Born October 28, 1858, in the city of New York. His father, Theodore Roosevelt, 
 was of Dutch and Scotch-Irish ancestors who emigrated from Holland in 1649. His 
 mother was Miss Martha Bulloch, a descendent of one of the most aristocratic families 
 of the South. The father was a banker and glass manufacturer provided with means amply 
 sufficient to surround his family with all of the luxuries of life. He took a deep interest 
 in his son's early education, which was gained mainly at home, and under the guidance 
 of the best private tutors, until he entered Harvard, from which he graduated with honors 
 in 1880, after which he spent some time abroad in travel and study. 
 
 On his return he turned his attention to politics and became the friend and associate 
 of George William Curtis, whose ideas of civil service reform found in young Roosevelt 
 an ardent and eloquent supporter. In 1882 he was elected to the state assembly, where 
 he introduced the first Civil Service bill in that body. He was tireless in his application 
 to duty, and notwithstanding the fact that the state was under Democratic rule, he intro- 
 duced and carried through many important measures which are on the statute books today. 
 In 1884 he was chairman of the New York delegation to the national convention of his 
 party in Chicago. Here he strongly opposed the nomination of Blaine and was not in favor 
 of Arthur, but, true to his principles, he supported the ticket. 
 
 After the election Mr. Roosevelt spent some months in the West, devoting his time to 
 hunting and writing tales of frontier life. On his return he was defeated for mayor of 
 New York by Mr. Hewitt. In 1889 he was, by President Harrison, appointed head of the 
 Civil Service Commission, where for six years, he proved a terror to the politicians. His 
 fidelity to the principles of civil service were never relaxed, and to-day more than one 
 hundred and fifty thousand offices are under civil service rules. In 1895 he became the 
 head of the police commission in New York, and the reforms he brought about in that field 
 of criminal corruption are equaled only by those accomplished by him in the civil service. 
 
 In 1897 he was, by President McKinley, appointed assistant secretary of the navy, and 
 while in that office made his personality so strongly felt that Congress voted more than a 
 million dollars to be devoted to "target practice." The war with Spain showed that the 
 money was well spent. At the outbreak of the war with Spain Mr. Roosevelt resigned 
 from the navy, and assisted in organizing the greatest volunteer regiment of history, the 
 "Rough Riders." He was appointed lieutenant-colonel and served under Colonel Leonard 
 Wood. His men distinguished themselves in many battles, especially that of San Juan 
 Hill, July 5, 1898. He was commissioned colonel July 11 and came home, the most 
 popular man in the country. 
 
 In the fall of the same year he was triumphantly elected governor of New York, 
 and for two years exercised his powers with his characteristic fearless independence. He 
 desired a second term but was opposed by the bosses, who desired to shelve him by a 
 nomination for the Vice-Presidency. He was nominated on the ticket with Mr. McKinley, 
 and rose to the Presidency by the death of his chief. He took the oath of office at 
 Buffalo, N. Y., September 14, 1901, and proceeded at once to carry out the unfinished 
 work of his predecessor. His first message to Congress was a strong one, in which he 
 opposed a general revision of the tariff, supported the Monroe doctrine, and urged the 
 passage of laws to check the evil influences of trusts. His numerous messages to Congress 
 are well remembered, especially by those who opposed them. The President was nomin- 
 ated by acclamation, for a second term and, in the "square-deal" campaign, defeated Mr. 
 Parker by the largest vote ever cast at a national election. 
 
 Mr. Roosevelt was twice married, and is the devoted father of seven children. As an 
 author, he ranks among the highest, though his range of subjects vary from "Hunting 
 Trips of a Ranchman" to "American Political Ideals." As an all-around athlete and 
 sportsman, he has but few equals to-day, and his return from the jungles of Africa will 
 mean valuable contributions to literature and science. 
 
 For his strenuous and practical ideals and his fearless devotion to honesty and truth, 
 he is loved even by his enemies. He is, beyond question, the most popular man in the 
 country to-day, and will measure quite up to the standard of any of the great men 
 of the world. 
 
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT 
 
 The Twenty-Seventh President 
 JOHN S. SHERMAN, Vice-President 
 
 Born September 15, 1857, at Cincinnati, Ohio, the third son of Alphonso Taft, who 
 had served as secretary of war, attorney general, and also as American Minister to 
 Austria Hungary and Russia. His education in the public schools prepared him for 
 Yale, from which institution he graduated with high honors in 1878. Like many of 
 his illustrious predecessors who had occupied the highest office within the gift of the 
 people, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1880. His advance was rapid, 
 and in 1881-1882 he was assistant prosecuting attorney of Hamilton County. In 1882-1883 
 he was collector of internal revenue in his district and later followed the general practice 
 of his profession until 1887, when he became Judge of the Supreme Court of Ohio. He 
 subsequently served for two years as solicitor general of the United States until he was 
 appointed Judge of the Sixth United States Circuit Court, which position he held with 
 honor to himself and to his country for ten years. 
 
 Though strongly attached to his labors on the judicial bench, his services were needed 
 in another field, and he was honored by President McKinley, who, in 1930, appointed 
 him president of the Philippine Commission. On July 4, 1901, he assumed the duties of 
 the first civil governor of that archipelago, and, by his wonderful tact and ability, did all 
 that could be done to establish American rule. While performing his arduous duties as 
 governor, he was, by the direction of the President, sent to Rome, where he arranged in 
 a most satisfactory manner all of the plans for the purchase of the lands in the Philippines 
 belonging to the various religious orders. 
 
 In February, 1904, he assumed, at the request of President Roosevelt, his duties as 
 secretary of war and in this work demonstrated his great abilities both at home and 
 abroad. During his occupancy of this office, he traveled extensively in many foreign 
 countries, and, by his wonderful diplomatic powers, strengthened America as a com- 
 mercial power. In 1906 he was sent to Cuba, where, as provisional governor, he did 
 much to reconcile the disturbing elements of the island. In the following year he under- 
 took the same work in Porto Rico and Panama and succeeded to an admirable degree in 
 bringing order out of chaos. His memorable trip to the Philippines is well remembered, 
 and his vigorous speeches in support of the President's policies had a lasting effect. His 
 memorable visit to Japan and China, where he was received with grand ovations, had a 
 reassuring effect upon public opinion in the Orient, where he earnestly supported the 
 "open door" policy and assured the people of the sincere and lasting peace sentiments 
 of America. 
 
 In January, 1909, Mr. Taft, assisted by a special commission of engineers, made a 
 thorough investigation of all work and conditions concerning the Panama canal, and to 
 him the people of America, and of the whole commercial world, owe a debt of gratitude 
 for the masterful manner in which bis investigations were conducted. 
 
 It was almost a foregone conclusion that Mr. Taft would receive the nomination, by 
 the convention to be held in Chicago, as he had the strong support of the administration 
 forces. He was nominated, and his resignation as head of the war department followed 
 the next day. 
 
 He was inaugurated March 4, 1909, and his address was a masterful effort, embodying 
 his opinions on all of the vital issues of the day. His first message to Congress was a 
 recommendation favoring a revision of the tariff, and received the careful attention of 
 both houses. His first general message was sent to Congress December 7, 1909, and is 
 generally regarded as one of the strongest and most consistent documents of the kind 
 ever submitted by an executive. January 18, he extended to the governors of all the 
 states an invitation to meet him in Washington in order that measures of importance 
 concerning the whole country might be fully discussed, and the invitation was responded 
 to by thirty of the state executives. 
 
 In 1886 Judge Taft married Miss Helen Herron of Cincinnati. They have three 
 children, two sons and one daughter. 
 
 When Mr. Roosevelt said of him, "he stands pre-eminently for the broad principles 
 of American citizenship which lie at the foundation of our national well being," he voiced 
 the opinion of American intelligence. 
 
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