POTUS #1
George Washington, our nation’s first President, had no formal education and yet rose in the ranks to become a leader of our nation. Also, he did not chop down the Cherry Tree as the myth told to school children says he did. It’s funny how stories are made and told through generations that actually have no basis or facts behind them.
Like me, George was an avid letter writer. The impassioned letters he penned led to opening the doors and minds of his fellow statesmen. He even wrote letters to his best friend’s wife professing his admiration of her. This, of course, was BM (before Martha) and also, as ardent as the letters were, his esteem for the gal was never acted upon.
George was born in 1732 in Pope’s Creek, Virginia not Mount Vernon. I am very familiar with Pope’s Creek, although my childhood memories of that place involve eating crabs, running down the wharfs, and adults playing music and dancing in the hall from the Maryland side of the river.
President Washington was an excellent dancer. This quality served him well during his two terms as President when his social engagements were many. But one of the most interesting little-known facts about the Father of Our Nation that I found was his embracement of the fundamental that religion practice was a basic right of all natural citizens.
In 1790, George Washington wrote to the Hebrew Congregations of Philadelphia and Rhode Island standing in strong favor of religious freedom. He said “…May the children of the stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the goodwill of the other inhabitants…”
George Washington was a gentleman with a deep, and seemingly flawless, character. And, he was one cool cat to boot! I would have liked to share a dance with him.
Thomas Jefferson Was A Renaissance Guy
In addition to serving two terms as President of the United States from 1801 to 1809, Thomas Jefferson was a man of many faces. Did you know that he was an archaeologist as well as an architect? Known as being a fun, humorous and endlessly curious man, Jefferson accomplished much in his lifetime. From the many biographies written about him, he is listed as being one of the most interesting men in American History.
I was taken by the number of similarities that I share with Thomas. Take for example – he was a wine aficionado. His enthusiasm and love for French wines was legendary. Those who know me understand that IF I am going to consume wine it better be French.
Another thing Jefferson and I have in common is he was obsessed with books. His personal collection was said to have held over 6,500 volumes. So vast was that collection that he donated most to the Library of Congress after the library was invaded by the British in 1814.
And, Thomas was a ‘foodie’ – yes a foodie, just like me. He served a term as a foreign service officer to France. While living in France during his term as US Minister, he cultivated his very discerning palate by studying French cuisine. Like a true Francophile, he brought many French recipes back to the States when he returned.
I loved finding out that Jefferson, our founding father and writer of the Declaration of Independence, was also a devout believer that a person’s religion was between them and their God. This stand led him to be known as having an ‘Enlightenment-Era sense of reason’. He is credited with the ideal that there should be separation between Church and State.
All in all, old TJ was pretty groovy guy and one I think I would have been attracted to had I lived back then. I loved that he had a great sense of humor, stood firm in his beliefs and tried to better humanity by his actions and writing. I relate and love that he adored all things French. In fact, had I lived back then I would have whole-heartedly enjoyed sharing a glass of Sancerre with this interesting fellow. I am sure we would have had a lot to talk about!
Theodore Roosevelt Was A Rough Rider
Teddy, as he was affectionately called, was a Rough Rider. That is not a reference to his stance in a saddle; it is a term that was assigned to the group that then Colonel Roosevelt lead in battle over San Juan Hill, Cuba. If you have ever watched any episodes of Blue Bloods, you would probably be aware that Commissioner Frank Regan was a big fan. After reading and refreshing my memory of this historic figure, so am I.
Theodore Roosevelt was born into a wealthy family. He grew to be a very dynamic and learned man mostly attributed to his photographic memory. He is also known as our most prolific and literate President to date. He is said to have read up to three books a day, penned 35 books and wrote over 150,000 letters in his day. Theodore Roosevelt was also a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
When Teddy was a young politician, he lost both his wife and his mother to disease on the same day. These deaths rocked his world so greatly that Theodore retreated from politics, headed out west to spend a few years as a cowboy working on a ranch.
Perhaps, it was during these years out west that President Roosevelt found his passion as a naturalist. After he returned from his respite and re-entered politics, he created the US Forest Service hence protecting 230 million acres of public land. Whenever you visit a National Park – stop and give a hearty thanks to Teddy as it was his vision that made these Parks possible for all of us and our children’s children to enjoy.
During his presidency, Theodore continued to practice his boyhood hobby of boxing almost daily. During one of these spars, Teddy was blinded in one eye from a detached retina. After that, the President gave up boxing but turned to Jiu-Jitsu instead.
Also, during his presidency, it was widely known that the President enjoyed an early morning dip in the icy waters of the Potomac River. And, although we might think of early 20th-century America as a somewhat prudish place, the president had no hesitation in swimming buck naked.
This rough riding president also survived an assassination attempt taking a bullet during a campaign speech. True to his gritty personality, Teddy addressed the audience, finished his speech and then retreated to the hospital where it was determined that there was a bullet lodged in his rib. That bullet remained in his bone for the rest of his years!
When we hear the adage, ‘Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick’, we think of this tough old coot of a man. Roosevelt was a cowboy, soldier, explorer, hunter, environmentalist, family man and President of the United States. I have always appreciated a well-rounded man!
Read the below excerpt from a 1908 speech where Roosevelt expressed the importance of preserving the environment. How incredible is it that our environment is suffering so severely now – 112 years later!
“But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil and the gas are exhausted, when the soils have been still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields, and obstructing navigation. These questions do not relate only to the next century or to the next generation. It is time for us now as a nation to exercise the same reasonable foresight in dealing with our great natural resources that would be shown by any prudent man in conserving and widely using the property which contains the assurance of well-being for himself and his children.”
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
Don’t Call Me Abe-The Great Emancipator
Outside of the well-publicized and written about accomplishments of our 16th President of the United States including the Gettysburg Address, his opposition to slavery, and then his tragic assassination, I found there was much more to the man than what we learned in school.
President Lincoln, who was said to vehemently dislike being called by the name Abe, had very little formal education. Despite his formal schooling amounting to about 18 months, Lincoln demonstrated himself as an ardent ‘student of life’. Self-taught and self-motivated, much like today’s home schooled children; Lincoln was an avid reader and excelled in many subjects. Embracing the Law as his field of study, Lincoln passed the bar and began practicing law at the age of 28 having never attended law school.
President Lincoln was the only president to hold a patent. His invention was for a device to be used to free steamboats that ran aground. Lincoln was also a gifted story-teller, and about that stovepipe hat he favored…he used to store letters, notes and documents in there!
Our President Lincoln also holds honors in the Wrestling Hall of Fame. His 6′ 4″ height gave him an advantage apparently as his record still stands as 300 matches with only 1 defeat. I wonder if the fact that he liked to talk smack in the ring made him such a formidable opponent!
Abraham Lincoln was a very advanced thinker. He championed and rallied for Women’s Voting Rights years before suffrage was fashionable. To learn about Christianity, he read the bible. Even though he considered himself a Christian, he never attended any established organized church.
President Lincoln cemented his place in history by demonstrating a persona of determination and perseverance . He was not a stranger to failure; he had failures in business as well as politics, and he lost his first presidential bid. Throughout his life, Lincoln suffered from depression while he lost and fought on various issues. However, Lincoln never gave up on a cause which is probably the very attribute that was responsible for presenting the American people with so much social change. He is probably our most famous President to date.
I liked this quote I found; it says a lot. I hope you like it, too.
“With malice toward none; and charity for all.
Abraham Lincoln
