The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1869-09-24
CuriOsities in American History.

For istance. three of our Presidents, all
of whom participated in the Revolu-
ton, died on its great anniversary, the
4th Of July, viz: John Adams, Thomas
jefferson and James Monroe. General
Washington, when he retired from the
Presidency, was in the sixty-sixtli year
of his age. His successor. John Adams,
when he left, was sixty-six wears old.
After him came Thomas jefferson.
James Madison and James Monroe
Mr.. Jefferson was sixty-six, Mr.. Mad
i.on had just passed his sixty-sixth
year. and Mr.. Monroe was in his sixty
seventh when they respectively left the
Presidential chair. General Harrison
wGs si1tr.seTsu years old when be was
elected and died 10 the Presidential Of
ice.
Efbta Is1l 70 1925. tlss Presidential
GiZg@ ~2s flied BIZ Virginian.. Dur I
li.E lie s4une interval, with the excep- !
G.a III i1Gr wars the Eice-P -Presiden- I.
'-si Difice wes steadily held By citizens
.. New YORK. John Adams negotiat- (
81 The treaty Of peace that concluded 7
the war oi the Revolution with England. I
HI. son, John Quincy Adams. was
leading envoy, and negotiated the treaty
" biIil tllNltu lIlt stiOlIl WAT J@llR-
land 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 1861 to
1866 the period which covers the Ala
bama claims, out of which another war
is possible with the old mother country.
In 1900, John Adams was on 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 independent candidate for Vice.
President, with u contingent Presiden-
tial succession.
OF the first six Presidents, four of
them were taken from the office Of Sec
retary Of State; and the other two, be-
ing the first who were elected, could
not naturally perform its duties. From
this fact arose the precedence that makes
the Secretary 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 coun-
try ut the time Of the Declaration of In
dependence was John Hancock, of Mas
sachusetts-the President of the Cont
mental Congress. The highest military
officer was George Washington. Of Vir-
ginia. The first battle Of the Revolu-
ton was fought in Massachusetts. and
the last in Virginia. The first Presi-
dent of the United States was from Vir-
ginia, and the second from Massachus-
etts. or the tifty-six signers to the De-
! claration of Independence. three long
survived upon the earth after all the
others had died and two of these had
been upon the sub-cOmmi,toc of five
which drafted the immortal instrument.
The very last survivor, Charles Carroll,
of Carrollton, Maryland, threw the first
shovelfull of earth from the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, the first railroad en-
terprise 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. 1882: Daniel Webster, John
G. Calhoun, Thomas III. Benton, Martin
Van Buren,, Lewis Cass. From 1900 to
1865. q period spanning from the second
President to the seventeenth, only two
persons filled the Office of the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of the
United States, John Marshall and Ro-
ger B. Taney.
The first Secretary of the Treasury
of the United States, Alexander Hamil-
ton. was alleged to be a defaulter.
The Capitol of the United States was
located at Washington in pursuance OF
a corrupt bargain, by which two OF
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 deb,
for that consideration.
But two men in the United States
have, as they say in Odd-fellowship
passed through all the "chairs." been
Governors of States. held frst-class
foreign mission, been the head of the
Cabinet, then Vice President. Theil
names are Thomas Jefferson and Mar.
tin Van Buren,.
Three Presidents died in Office, Har.
rison, Taylor and Lincoln.
Three persons were elected bv the
people Vice Presidents before they be-
came President, John Adams, Thomas
Jefferson and Martin Van Buren,.
Three Vice Presidents died in office
viz: George Clinton, Elbridge Gerry
and VIM. II. King.
Three men were elected President
who had been ministers to England un.
der the Federal Government, viz: John
q. Adams, Martin Van Buren, aud
James Buchanan.
Three Vice Presidents became Presi-
dents by the death Of their chief. viz
John Tyler, Millard Fillmore and An.
drew johnson, and every one of them
pursued IL 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 otfice-have
been indicted for treason, viz: Aaron
Burr and John &. breckenridge, and in
each instance the Government broke
down and dismissed the case without
ever putting it before Jury.
One Vice President, John c. Calhoun
resigned his seat as President of the
Senate, to take place on the floor
where he could have the privilege OF
debate, and there elucidated his State
rights views of the Constitution.
Bay Why is clergyman like loco