Honoring the presidents

A holiday, however, means more than a long weekend and sleeping until 1:45 in the afternoon. Just as classes were canceled to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it is sad that this same courtesy was not extended to our presidents. It is curious how the administration would see fit to close the campus doors to recognize one great man, but not all of those who have occupied the highest office in our land.

In a small effort to make-up for this failure, politically correct as it may be, I shall conduct a short course. It is the hope of this column to make readers aware of one fact about each of our presidents.

Are you all ready? Pens, notebooks? OK.

Did you know that:

George Washington was offered a third term, but declined, believing that no person should serve more than two terms.

John Adams said "The preservation of the means of knowledge among the lowest ranks is of more importance to the public than all the property of all the rich men in the country."

Thomas Jefferson was known to write standing up.

James Madison, at 5-foot-4 and 100 pounds, was the smallest president in history.

James Monroe is the young man depicted holding the flag in the famous painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware."

John Quincy Adams loved to "skinny dip" in the Potomac River in the early hours during his term.

Andrew Jackson was born on a ship from Ireland, and according to the law was ineligible for the presidency, possibly making him an "illegal" president.

Martin Van Buren was known to habitually sleep until noon.

William Henry Harrison, after refusing to wear an overcoat on his rainy Inauguration Day, contracted pneumonia and died just one month after taking office.

John Tyler had fifteen children - eight sons and seven daughters.

James Polk had none.

Zachary Taylor was adamantly opposed to politics, never cast a vote in a presidential election, resisted the nomination, refused to campaign, and still won the election.

Millard Fillmore said "An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory."

Franklin Pierce's best friends were Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

James Buchanan, heartbroken as a young man over the death of his fiancé, vowed never to marry again, making him the only bachelor to ever occupy the White House.

Abraham Lincoln once described his best friend as a man who could get him a book he had not yet read.

Andrew Johnson, who attained all branches of office - executive, legislative and judicial, had no formal schooling. His wife taught him to read and write.

Ulysses Grant had planned to attend Ford's Theater with President Lincoln on April 14, 1865, but altered his plans at the last minute. This decision likely saved his life, as John Wilkes Booth was later found to have been carrying a large knife he intended to use on Grant.

Rutherford Hayes was nominated for president the same month that General Custer met his fate - June, 1876.

James Garfield said "Justice and goodwill will outlast passion."

Chester Arthur was known as "Elegant Arthur" for his lavish lifestyle.

Grover Cleveland did not marry until he was 49, at which time his wife was 21. He had been her legal guardian since she was 11.

Benjamin Harrison was the first president to live with electric lights in the White House, however was so fearful of the new devices that he would refuse to touch the switches and often slept through the night with all the lights on.

William McKinley said "In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be nearest."

Theodore Roosevelt (the patron president of this column) known as tenderhearted toward animals, was depicted in a cartoon in the Washington Post in which he refused to shoot a bear cub, inspiring the popular term used today: "teddy bear."

William Taft got stuck in the White House bathtub and a new tub was installed to fit him, one large enough to hold four ordinary men.

Woodrow Wilson, when confronted with distraction or setback, would proclaim "I must push on. To linger would be fatal."

Warren Harding was the first president to ride to his inauguration in an automobile.

Calvin Coolidge was president during the time that all Indians were given citizenship.

Herbert Hoover was the first president to be born west of the Mississippi River.

Franklin Roosevelt said "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Harry Truman's middle name, "S," is not an abbreviation but an actual name given in a compromise of his parents in their dispute over the names "Shippe" and "Solomon."

Dwight Eisenhower was president when NASA was established.

John Kennedy was the first president born in the twentieth century.

Lyndon Johnson was skillful at handling Congress, as none of his 30 vetoes were overridden.

Richard Nixon said "Others may hate you but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them."

Gerald Ford turned down two professional football contracts, from the Detroit Lyons and Green Bay Packers, to study law at Yale.

Jimmy Carter's mother, upon learning that he would be running for president, questioned, "President of what?"

Ronald Reagan appointed the first female to the United States Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor.

George Bush made less income in 1991 than his wife, Barbara, after she published Millie's Book, an account of the White House as experienced by their pet spaniel.

Bill Clinton said "I want to say something to the American people, and I want you to listen to me: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky."

A few months later, after the surfacing of irrefutable DNA evidence, confessed that "I did have a relationship with Ms. Lewinsky that was inappropriate."

Any questions?

Let the administration be put on notice that next year, tradition, national pride and patriotism must come before the political correctness of the day.

Al Mollo is a political science senior and can be reached at Al.Mollo@wildcat.arizona.edu. His commentary appears every Monday.