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IS THERE A PRESIDENT IN THE HOUSE? (PART II)Read the article this discussion is about
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» Tina_Coruth - Great series! Hi John,I am enjoying this series very much. As usual I learned a lot! While reading about the presidents, a funny idea popped into my head. Do you suppose there was a president who decided that being president wasn't interesting and perhaps wished he had never been elected? I don't mean the presidents who had a difficult time -- for instance, LBJ who decided not to run after a difficult term due to the Vietnam war. I mean a president who found he just didn't like the job for no particular reason? With the debt carried by Americans, it's a good thing they did away with debtor's prisons!! Tina -- posted by Tina_Coruth » Mugwump53 - Interesting Question Thanks for you comments, Tina. And for your question.As a matter of fact, there is one President who comes to mind who didn't like the job. William Howard Taft never wanted to be President. He wanted to be Chief Justice. In 1908, in a famous meeting, Teddy Roosevelt and Taft's wife talked Taft into running. He asked Teddy for an appointment to the Supreme Court, but gave in and ran for President, and was elected mainly because of Teddy's support. Taft hated almost every minute of his White House tenure, although his wife loved it. He only ran for re-election to keep Teddy, who had become dangerously radical in Taft's opinion, from getting back in the White House. While Taft carried only two states, he did take enough votes from Teddy to prevent him for winning. (See my article on the Bull Moose Campaign of 1912) Taft did eventually become Chief Justice, and was excellent. Known for falling asleep at events during his Presidency (he made President Reagan and Senator S.I. Hayakawa look like insomniacs) Taft never fell asleep on the bench. Thanks for stopping by, and for a most interesting point of view on things. -- posted by Mugwump53 » Tina_Coruth - Re: Interesting Question In response to message posted by Mugwump53:Hi John, Thank you! Taft is a very interesting person. And, although he knew beforehand that he would rather be a Supreme Court Justice, he is just the type of President I was wondering about. I'm glad that he finally got his wish! I enjoyed reading the Bull Moose Campaign http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/pres... I spotted your Taft article while looking for the Bull Moose Campaign and enjoyed reading that one too. http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/pres... I can see I'm going to have to make some time to read the articles I missed before I met you at Jerri's Washington State!!! Tina -- posted by Tina_Coruth » Mugwump53 - Larger Than Life Thanks, Tina. I'm glad you liked the Taft articles. He has always been one of my favorites.I am flattered you want to read my earlier articles. That is one of the nicest things anyone has said to me. My favorites are the ones about individuals. There is a good one about Vice PResident Dawes (Hell and Maria) that I enjoyed and an interesting one about the runningmate of New Hampshire's only President (Gays In Governmnet). Let me know what you think about them as you come across them. Thanks again for your continued participation and support. -- posted by Mugwump53 » FortBrooke1824 - enjoyable reading as always..... Hi Mug, You would know better than me on this one. President Polk had a son in the Mexican War by the name of William Hawkins Polk. He was a major in the 3rd dragoons. Would this be the first time that a President had a son in a war in which he would be sitting as President?-- posted by FortBrooke1824 » Mugwump53 - Re: enjoyable reading as always..... In response to message posted by FortBrooke1824:Hi, Dennis. No, the Mexican War was not the first time a sitting President had a son in the war. The Polk's had no children. I am not sure who your Major Hawkins was, but I do not think he was related to the President (or at least not a very close relation). The first war in which a President had a son involved was the Civil War, in which Robert Todd Lincoln was a captain on Grant's staff during the last year or so of the war. Dwight Eisenhower's son was recalled from Korea for his father's inauguration (without his father's knowledge and Ike was not happy that Truman had done it) and I assume returned afterwards to Korea, so that would be another case. The winner in this category would be Franklin Roosevelt. James Roosevelt (1907-1991) served in the Marines, rising to the rank of colonel. He was decorated for bravery while saving the lives of marines whose boats had capsized during the evacuation from Making Island. Elliott Roosevelt served in the Army Air Corps. He entered as a captain (which led to the Republican campaign button proclaiming "I wanna Be A Captain Too") and rose to the rank of brigadier general, which also led to unfavorable press comments. He flew many air reconnaissance missions at close range to the enemy targets, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was also decorated by Great Britain and France for his combat actions. Franklin Roosevelt, Jr. (1914-1988) served in the navy and commanded a ship. He, too, was decorated for bravery. John Roosevelt (1916-1981) served in the navy as logistics officer aboard the carrier U.S.S. Wasp. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. (He later became a Republican, chairman of Citizens for Eisenhower in 1952, and later supported Nixon and Reagan!) Interesting question about Presidential children. It is surprising how many of them served in combat. Could you imagine being their commanding officer and having to answer to the President for their safety? -- posted by Mugwump53 » FortBrooke1824 - you are 100% correct Hi Mug, sorry i misread that one. LOL Major William Hawkins Polk was President Polk's younger brother. LOL sorry bout that. Maybe President Polk was the first sitting President to have a brother in combat while he was President. The site as i think i have referred to you is, using www.google.com enter roster Mexican war Aztec. It is a very good site. And yes i would not want to be the CO in charge of the Presidents son. I think it's safe to assume that Grant did not ask Abe for Robert Todd ability for his staff. I would think that Robert Todd wanted to join and Mary said no and Abe went in the middle and ask Grant a favor. It just shows once again how much faith Lincoln had in Grant.-- posted by FortBrooke1824 » Mugwump53 - Re: you are 100% correct In response to message posted by FortBrooke1824:You are absolutely correct about William Hawkins Polk being President James Knox Polk's younger brother. He was commissioned a major in the dragoons (majors commanded no specific unit but had staff and general field duties, a perfect place for an important person with no military background). Before this he had served in the Tennessee legislature and as minister to the Kingdom of Naples or the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, depending on which source is naming the nation. After the war, he served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. -- posted by Mugwump53
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