Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-10-13
CuriOsities of American History.

The American political history is
full of cuTiOsities and singular incl
/ dents. For instance, three of our
Presidents, all Of whom participated
[ in the Revolution, died on its great
anniversary, the Fourth of July, viz:
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and
James Monroe. General Washington,
when he retired from the Presidency,
was IN the siXty-siXth year of his age
His successor, John Adams, when he
left, was siXty-six years old. After
him came Thomas Jefferson, James
Madison and James Monroe. Mr..
I Jefferson was siXty-six, James Afadi-
son had Just passed his siXty-siXtll
year, and Mr.. Monroe was in his six
ty-seventh when they respectively left
the Presidential chair. General Har-
risOn was sixty-seyen years old when
he was elected, and died in the Presi-
dental office.
From 1901 to 1925 the Presidential
Office was filed by Virginians. Du-
ring the same interval, with the ex-
ceptiOn of four years, the Vice Presi-
Dental Office was held by citizens of
New York. John Adams negotiated
the treaty of peace that concluded the
war of the revolution with England.
His son. John Quincy Adams, was a
leading envoy, and negotiated the
treaty which ended the second war
with England in 1914. His son,
Charles Francis Adams, at the third
great crisis of our history, was the
minister to England during the recent
war, from 1851 to 1865, the period
which covers the Alabama claims, out
of which another war is altogether
possible with the old mother country.
In 1900, John Adams was on a Lead
ing Presidential ticket. Twenty-four
years after, his son, John Quincy, was
also Presidential candidate Twen-
ty-fOur years from that time, Charles
Francis Adams, John Quincy's son,
was an important candidate for Vice
President, with a contingent Presiden-
tial succession.
OF the first six Presidents, four of
them were taken from the Office of
Secretary of State and the other two
being the first elected, could not per-
form its duties. From this fact rose
the precedence that makes the secre-
tary of State the first officer in the
cabinet, instead of the Secretary of the
Treasury, which is the case in Great
Britain.
The highest civil officer in the
country at the time of the Declaration
of Independence was John Hancock,
of Massachusetts, the President of the
Continental Congress. The highest
military officer was George Washing
ton, of Virginia. The first battle of
the revolution was fought in Massa-
chusetts, and the last in Virginia.
The first President of the United
States was from Virginia, and the
second from Massachusetts. The first
English settlement in the country was
made in Virginia and the second in
Massachusetts. OF the fifty-six sign
ers to the Declaration of Independ-
ence, three long survived upon the
earth after all the Others had died, and
two of these had been upon the COM
mittee of five who drafted the impor-
tant instrument. The very last sur
vivor, Charles Carroll, of Carrollton,
Maryland, threw the first shovel full
OF earth from the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad, the first railroad enterprise
in the country. The last man of the
past inaugurated the coming future.
No less than five of the greatest of
American statesmen were born in the
same year, 1872, Daniel Webster,
John G. Calhoun, Thomas II. Benton,
Martin Van Buren and Lewis Cas-
From 1900 to 1865, a period spanning
from the second President to the sew
enteenth, only two persons filed the
office of Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court of the United States, John Mar
shall and Roger B. Taney.
The first Secretary of the Treasury
of the United States, Alexander Ham
ilton, was alleged to be defaulter-
The capitol of the United States was
located at Washington in pursuance
of corrupt bargain, by which two or
three members of Congress, who lived
adjacent to it, and whose districts
would be greatly benefited by it, voted
for the funding of the national debt
for that consideration.
But two men in the United States
have, as they say in Odd Fellowship,
passed through all the ''ehairs," been
governors of States, held a first-elass
foreign mission, been the head of the
Cabinet, then Vice President and
President. Their names are Thomas
Jefferson and Martin Van Buren.
Three Presidents died in office, Har-
risOn, Taylor and Lincoln.
Three persons were elected Vice
HreSluenIS DeIOre Iney O6cdLue 10 De
Presidents: John Adams, Thomas
Jefferson and Martin Van Buren,.
Three Vice Presidents died in Office:
George Clinton, Eldridge Gerry and
William r. King.
Three men were elected President
who had been ministers to England
under the Federal government: John
Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren
and James Buchanan.
Three Vice Presidents became Pres
idents by the death of their chiefs
John Tyler, Millard Fillmore and An
drew JOhnson-and every one of them
pursued a policy adverse to that of the
party by which they were elected
Two of the Vice Presidents of the
United States-and they the youngest
men who ever held the Offiee-have
been indicted for treasOn-AarOn
Burr and John @. Breckinridge-and
in each instance the government
broke down and dismissed the case
without putting it before ajury.
One Vice President-JOhn G Cal
his seat as president
of the Senate to take a place on the
floor, where he could Eave the priv1-
leges of debate, and there elucidate his
state rights views under the eOnstltu-