Which presidents are related?

by Periodic Presidents | Jun 30, 2014 | Blog

Father-Son Duos

The Adamses were the first father-son duo to be elected President. The Adams family connection to the New World goes way back. In fact, John Adams’s great-great-grandparents were among the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth in 1620.

John and John Quincy experienced similar careers: both went to Harvard, both were lawyers, and both were elected to one presidential term.

“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.”

~John Adams, in a letter to Abigail Adams, 1780

George Herbert Walker Bush and George Walker Bush were the second father-son duo to reach the White House. Incidentally, the Bush presidents share some similarities with the Adams presidents.

Both John Adams and George H. W. Bush served as vice presidents before being elected president. John Quincy and George W. both entered the White House under controversy.

John Quincy Adams defeated Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay in the election of 1824 – in what was dubbed “The Corrupt Bargain” by Jackson supporters. In 2000 George W. Bush defeated Al Gore in a presidential election that wasn’t finalized until five weeks after Election Day. Neither John Quincy Adams nor George W. Bush received the majority of the popular vote in their elections. As a matter of fact, the elections of 1824 and 2000 were both decided by outside of the Electoral College. The House of Representatives made the final decision in 1824, and in a five to four vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the 2000 election with a George W. Bush victory.

“I had watched Dad climb into the biggest arena and succeed. I wanted to find out if I had what it took to join him.”

~George W. Bush, Decision Points, 2010

Grandfather & Grandson

The Harrison family name was etched in American history books when Benjamin Harrison V signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Founding Father Harrison had a son named William Henry, who eventually became a war hero, a president (for thirty days), and the origin of a presidential legend. William Henry’s grandson, Benjamin would also reach the White House when he was elected in 1888.

The election of 1840 was truly a national campaign with slogans, songs, and even nicknames. William Henry Harrison, or “Old Tippecanoe,” ran as an everyman candidate who was born in a log cabin. However, Harrison’s beginnings were far from modest. The Harrison family had been a wealthy Virginia family from the beginning of the nation.

As the grandson of a president and the great-grandson of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Harrison brought a distinguished name into the White House. However, most historians agree that his one term as president didn’t shine nearly as brightly as his family name.

Cousins

James Madison and Zachary Taylor were second cousins. James Madison was a devoted student of history, law, and politics. As a an influential Founder, he played a leading role in framing the Constitution and introducing the Bill of Rights.

Zachary Taylor, on the other hand, was a military hero who arguably knew little about government, law, or politics when he was elected. How about that? The Father of the Constitution and the president who was a first-time voter at his own election are related.

The Roosevelts were fifth cousins. Teddy was the uncle of Eleanor. In fact, when Franklin and Eleanor married, Teddy gave the bride away. Teddy’s signature can be seen on Franklin and Eleanor’s marriage certificate below.

Genealogists have determined that FDR is related – by blood or marriage – to a total of eleven presidents: George Washington, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, James Madison, Zachary Taylor, William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison, Martin Van Buren, Ulysses S. Grant, and William Howard Taft.

“It is a good thing to keep the name in the family.”

~Teddy Roosevelt to a reporter at the Franklin Roosevelt-Eleanor Roosevelt wedding, 1905

Click to order your copy!

Sources

Smith, Carter. Presidents: All You Need to Know. Irvington, NY: Hylas, 2005.
Wilson, Jr., Vincent. The Book of the Presidents. Brookeville, MD: American History Research Associates, 2013.
http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-roosevelts

Where is FDR’s original memorial?

by Periodic Presidents | Feb 9, 2014 | Blog

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only president elected four times (1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944). Sadly, he passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage shortly after being elected to his fourth term. Leading the country through an economic crisis and a world war usually puts Franklin Roosevelt near the top of most greatest presidents lists. No matter how one views Franklin Roosevelt’s time in the White House, his legacy has a permanent place in our nation’s capital in the form of a memorial.

The FDR Memorial (1997)

Dedicated in 1997, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. is far from a modest remembrance of an oft-admired president. At seven and a half acres, it is the largest presidential memorial on the National Mall. In many ways, the FDR Memorial is one of the most powerful and captivating memorials on the Mall. Its power lies in its grandeur.

Upon arrival to the FDR Memorial, the visitor is greeted by a solitary bronze statue of Roosevelt seated in his wheelchair, a stark reminder of the president’s personal struggle with polio. Then, the visitor travels through four main sections, each representing one of FDR’s four terms. The memorial’s pink granite, cascading waterfalls, bronze statues, and inspirational quotes tell the story not only of a president, but also of a nation.

But, technically-speaking, this is not the first memorial in our nation’s capital to honor FDR. Even more, the FDR Memorial might go against the wishes of Roosevelt himself. Despite the beauty and magnitude of the FDR Memorial, Roosevelt spoke of a much more modest memorial.

Photographs by PJ Creek

“…plain without any ornamentation”

The original memorial to FDR is located near the National Archives, the home of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. A rectangular piece of gray stone, the memorial is roughly the size of FDR’s desk. This simple memorial seems a fitting remembrance of the man who led our nation through the Great Depression. The following text appears on the memorial’s informational plaque:

“IN SEPTEMBER 1941 PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT CALLED HIS FRIEND, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE FRANKFURTER, TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND ASKED THE JUSTICE TO REMEMBER THE WISH HE THEN EXPRESSED:

‘IF ANY MEMORIAL IS ERECTED TO ME, I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I SHOULD LIKE IT TO BE. I SHOULD LIKE IT TO CONSIST OF A BLOCK ABOUT THE SIZE OF THIS (PUTTING HIS HAND ON HIS DESK) AND PLACED IN THE CENTER OF THAT GREEN PLOT IN FRONT OF THE ARCHIVES BUILDING. I DON’T CARE WHAT IT IS MADE OF, WHETHER LIMESTONE OR GRANITE OR WHATNOT, BUT I WANT IT PLAIN WITHOUT ANY ORNAMENTATION, WITH THE SIMPLE CARVING, ‘IN MEMORY OF _____________’.’

A SMALL GROUP OF LIVING ASSOCIATES OF THE PRESIDENT, ON APRIL 12, 1965, THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH, FULFILLED HIS WISH BY PROVIDING AND DEDICATING THIS MODEST MEMORIAL.”

Photographs by PJ Creek

How should FDR be remembered?

It’s interesting to consider how we remember our presidents. Massive memorials are constructed to honor the memory of admired presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln. These architectural accomplishments craft a narrative of a president’s legacy. The FDR Memorial is an expansive tribute to a significant president.

Nevertheless, the question remains: How should FDR be remembered? If one takes FDR at his own words, the President wanted a small, modest memorial. Perhaps the fact that FDR thought of the construction of his own memorial points to another interesting question: Can a president accurately envision his own memorial? In any case, the original, desk-sized memorial located by the National Archives is a fascinating contrast to the seven football fields of granite that sprawl along the Tidal Basin.