Grant, Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur...Hmmmm...

Throughout America's history, many great Presidents have come and gone. But does anyone really pay attention to the ones that don't quite ALWAYS make those news headlines as an American legend? Let's find out, shall we?

First, we have Ulysses S. Grant. Eighteenth President of the United States of America and yet, few people really can come to recall his successes and failures while during his stay in the White House...let alone can they really say they know of his Presidency.

One aspect of this great leader was that he not only was the President people call U.S. Grant, but simultaneously, he was the leading General for the Union in the infamous and unforgettable Civil War.
His Wife, Julia Dent Grant, however during all this commotion of the Civil War and her husband's Presidency, loved spending time in the White House. "Julia Grant's White House years were the happiest of her life-and if it would have been up to 'Mrs. G.', as Grant called her, he would have run for a third time."
One of Grant's many UNKNOWN sucesses include his naming of Yellowstone National Park. "In 1872, Grant named the first national park-Yellowstone, home of Old Faithful."
Perhaps the most odd and funniest fact that took time during Grant's successful Presidency, was the fact that he was a speeder on his horse through Washington streets. "As President, Grant once was given a speeding ticket for riding too fast through the streets of Washington."
Ulysses S. Grant was actually born with a previous name. "Grant was actually born Hiram Ulysses Grant, but when his name was put down as Ulysses Simpson Grant by mistake on his West Point application, Grant liked the initials U.S.G. so much better than H.U.G., he decided to keep them."
Grant was known as a major peace keeper. In fact, his theme campaign slogan proved this to be true and still rings true for him today. " 'Let us have peace' became the theme of Grant's campaign-and is even engraved on his tomb in New York City."

The next impactful yet less talked about President of the U.S. was Rutherford B. Hayes. He really proved to be one of the most religious men to ever take up residency in the White House. Also, as the 19th President of the United States of America, he was not considered to be the favorite among many Americans at his time. "Rutherford Birchard Hayes was an honest, religious man, who began his days with a prayer and ended them with a hymn. Still, his election was the most disputed ever. It took Congress months to decide which candidate had the most electoral votes. In the end, Hayes won by only one, and was called by many 'His Fraudulency'. "
A soldier in the Civil War, Hayes was wounded at one time during the battles. His loving wife who was constantly looking out for her busy husband,Lucy Webb Hayes, was the first actual "First Lady". "Lucy Hayes was the first first lady with a college degree, and the first to be called 'First Lady'. She was also known as 'Lemonade Lucy' because she never served alcohol in the White House."
During Hayes' Presidency, many new things came into the White House's doors. "In 1877, Thomas Edison went to the White House to show his new phonograph to the president. Hayes was the first president to have a telephone and a typewriter in the White House. In 1878, the Hayeses hosted the first official Easter Egg Roll on the White House Lawn-which is still held every year."

Next on the topic board for this blog is the 20th President of the USA is James Abram Garfield. Garfield had one of the shortest terms as President in U.S. history-if not THE shortest. James Garfield's term in office was from March of 1881 to September that very same year. "Four months after he was sworn in, James Abram Garfield was shot as he walked through a train station. He died from blood poisoning ten weeks later. The killer had hoped to get a job from the new President, and was angry because he never did. However, his wife, Lucretia Rudolph Garfield was recovering from an illness at the New Jersey shore when she heard that her husband had been shot, but she returned to Washington rigth away and helped nurse him until he died."
Another source says, "On July 2nd, 1881, President James Garfield was on his way through the train station in Washington D.C., when a stranger came up and fired two shots. The murderer, a man named Charles Guiteau, shot the president because he had not been given a job as U.S. Counsul in Paris."
However, one of the most unique aspects of Garfield and his short time in office, was that to get elected, he mostly performed his speeches from his Ohio home porch. "Garfield did most of his campaigning from his front porch in Ohio-where people came by train to hear him speak."
An interesting fact about Garfield was also that he was the first left-handed man to serve as our great nation's leader. "Garfield was the first left-handed president. He liked to show off by writing Greek with one hand and Latin with the other-at the same time!"

Last but not least, was Chester A. Arthur. The 21st President of the USA was only in office for one term but had no problem with that at all. "Tall, handsome Chester Alan Arthur liked fancy clothes so much, he had had eighty pairs of pants! He liked fine furniture, too, and had the White House redecorated from top to bottm in the latest fashion."
A great loss before her husband's presidency, Ellen Herndon Arthur, or "Nell" for short, died. "Ellen 'Nell' Arthur died just a year before her husband became president. From then on, Arthur places flowers by her picture every day."
Arthur was also known as being a very friendly man. "Arthur shook so many hands when he campaigned, his hand swelled up and his ring had to be filed off. Arthur liked to stay up very late, and hardly ever went to bed before 2 a.m. One of his favorite things to do was give guests tours of Washington in the middle of the night."

All in all, all four of these great men who had served as our nation's previous Presidents all contributed greatly to the developing of our country as we know it now.

Sources:

Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Book of Fascinating Facts. Publications International, LTD; 1992.

Bergen, Lara. Stuck on the Presidents. Grosset & Dunlap, New York; 2001.