Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-08-28
CURI0SITIES IN AMERICAN HIS
TORY

Iull OF curioslties and singular Incl
dents: For instance, three of our
Presidents, all of whom participated
IN the Revolution, died on its great
anniversary, the 4th of July, viz. ::
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson,
and James Monroe. George Wash
lngton, when he retired from the Pres
ldency, was in the sixty-sixth year of
his age. His successor, John Adams.
When he Ieft was sixty-six years old
After him came and Thomas Jeffer
son, James Madison James Monroe.
Mr. eHerson was sixty-six, Mr. Madi-
son had just passed his sixty-sixth
year, and Mr.. Monroe was in his
slxtyseventh when they respectively
left the Presidential, chair. General
Harrison was siXty-seven years old
when he was elected, and died in the
Presidential office.
from 1910 to 1925, the Presidential
office was filled by Virginians. Dur
ing the same interval, with the ex-
ception of four years, the Vice-Pres-
idential Office was steadily 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 Quin-
cy Adams, was a leading envoy,
ana negotiated the treaty which end
ed the second war with England in
1914. His sou, Charles Francis
Adams, at the third great crisis of
our history, was the minister to Eng
land during the recent war, from IS.
81 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 lead
ing Presidential ticket. Twenty
four years after, his son, John Quin-
cy, was also a Presidential candi-
date. Twenty-four years from that
time, Charles Francis Adams, John
Qulncy's son was an important can
dIdate for Vice-President, with a
contingent presidential succession.
Ofthe first six Presidents four of
them were taken from the office of
Secretary of State; and the other
two, being the first who were elect
ed, could not naturally perfc rm its
duties. From this fact arose the
precedence that makes the Secretary
OF State the first officer in the Cab
met, 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 declara-
ton of Independence, was John
Hancock, of Massachusetts, the
President of the Continental Con-
gress. The highest military officer
was George Washington, of Virgin
ia. The first battle of the Revolu-
ton was fought inMassachusetts and
the last in Virginia. The first Pres
ident of the United States was from
Virginia, and the second from Mas
sachusetts. The first English settle
ment in the country was made in
Virginia, and the second in Mas
sachusetts. OF the fifty-six signers
to the Declaration of Independence.
three long survived upon the earth
after all the others had died; and
two of these had been upon the sub
committee of five which drafted the
immortal instrument. The very
last survivor, Charles Carroll, of
CarrolltoE, Maryland, threw the
first shovelful of earth from the Ralti-
more and Ohio Railroad, the first
railroad enterprise in the country.
The last man of the past inaugurat-
ed the coming future.
No less than five of the greatest of
American statesmen were born in
the same year, 1882 Daniel Web
ster, John {. Calhoun, Thomas H.
Benton, Martin Van Buren, and
Lewis Cass. From 1900 to 1860, a
period spanning from the second
President to the seventh, only two
persons filled the office of Chief JUS
tice Of the SupremeCourt of the Unit
ed states, John Marshall and Roger
b. fancy.
The first Secretary of the Treasury
OF the United States, s,AlexanderHam-
1lton, was alleged to be defaulter.
The Capitol of the United States
was located at Washington in pur-
suance of corrupt bargain, by
which two or three members of Con-
gress, who lived adjacent to it, and
whose districts would be greatly
benefited by it, voted for the fund
ing of the national debt for that con-
But two men IN the United States
have, as they say in Odd-fellowship,
passed through all the "chairsn-
foreign mission, been the
head of the Cabient, the Vice-Pres-
ident and President. Their names
are Thos.J j efferson and NJ. Van Buren,.
Three Presidents died in office,
Taylor and Lincoln.
Three persons We're elected by the
people Vice-Presidents before they
became Presidents, John Adams,
Thos. Jefferson and NJ. Van Buren.
Three Nice-Presidents died in OF
flee, George Clinton, EIbridge Gerry
and VIM. r. King.
Three men were elected President
who had been Ministers to England
under the Federal Government, J.
=. Adams, Martin Van Buren, and
James Buchanan.
Three Nice-Presidents became
Presidents by the deaths of their
chiefs, John Tyler, Nillard Fillmore
and Andrew Johnson, and every one
of them persued a policy adverse to
that OF the party by which they were
elected.
Two of the Vice e-Presidents of the
United States-and they the young
est men who ever held the office
have been indicted for treason,
Aaron Burr and John c. Breckiu-
ridge, and in each instance the
Government broke down and dis
missed the case without ever putting
II before jury.
One Nice-President, John C. CAL
noun, resigned his seat as the Pres
ldent of the Senate, to take a place
on the floor where he could have the
of debate, and there eluci-
date his State rights views under the
constitution Enquirer.