Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1869-10-16
Curiosities in American Political His
tory,

The American political history is full of
curiosites and singular incidents. 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 Ad-
ans, when lie left, was sixty-six years old.
After him came Thomas Jefferson, James
Madison and James Monroe. Mr., Jeffer-
son, was sixty-six, Mr.. Madison had just
passed his sixty-sixth year, and Mr. Mon
roc was IN his sixty-sevcnth when they re-
spectivcly left the Presidential chair. Cen
eral Harrison was sixty-scven years old
when he was elected, and died in the Presi-
dental Office.
From 1901 to 1925, the Presidential Of
fee was filed by Virginians. During the
same interval. with the exception of four
years. the Vice Presidential 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 Quincy
Adams, was leading envoy, and negotiated
the treaty which ended the second war
with Ems gland in 1914. His son, Charles
Francis Adams, at the third great crisis of
our history was the Minister to Englanddur-
ing the recent war, from 1861 to 1865, the
period which covers the alabama claims.
In 1900 John Adams was on leading
Presidential ticket. Twenty-four years af-
ter, his son John Quincy, was also Presi-
dental candidate. Twenty years from
that time, Charles Francis Adams, John
Quincy's son, was an important candidate
for Vice President, with contingent Pres
idential 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 naturally perform its
duties. From this fact arose the prece.
dence 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 country
at the time of the Declaration of Indcpend-
ence was John Hancock, of Massachusetts,
the President Of the Continental Con-
gress. The highest military officer was
George Washington, Virginia. The first
battle of the Revolution was fought in
Massachusetts and the last in Virginia
The first President of the United States
was from Virginia. and the second from
Massachusetts. The first English settle
mcnt in the country was made in Virginia,
and the second in Massachusetts. OF the
| ffty-six signers of the Declaration of Indc-
denpence, three long survived upon the
earth after all the others had died; and two
of these had been upon the subcommittee
of five which drafted the immortal inStru-
ment. The very last survivor, Charles
Carroll, of Carrolton, Maryland, threw the
first shovel-full of earth from the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, the first railroad enter
prise in the country. The last man of the
past inaugurated the coming future.
No less than five ofthc greatest of Ameri-
can statesmen were born in the same year,
1882; Daniel Webster, John G. Calhoun,
Thomas H. Benton, Martin Van Buren
and Lewis Cass. From 1900 to 1865, a
period spanning from the second President
to the seventeenth, only two persons held
the Office Of Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court of the United States, John Marshal
and Roger B. Taney.
The first Secretary of the Treasury of
the United States, Alexander Hamilton,
was alleged to be dcfaulter.
The Capital of the United States was To-
Gated at Washington in pursuance Of cor
rupt bargain, by which two or three men,
bcrs of Congress, who lived adjacent to it,
and whose districts would be greatly ben
Gifted 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 " chairs" been Governors
of States held first class mission, been
the head ofthe Cabinet, then Vice Presi-
dent and President. Their names are
Thomas Jefferson and Martin Van Buren,.
Three Presidents died in office-Harrison
Taylor, and Lincoln. -
Three persons were elected by the peo-
pie Vice Presidents before they became
Presidents-John Adams, Thomas JEFF.
erson and Martin Van Buren,.
Three Vice Presidents died in Office
George Clinton, Eldridgc Gerry, and VIM.
r. King.
Three Vice Presidents became Presidents
by the death Of their chiefs-John Tyler,
Millard Fillmore and Andrew Johnson
and every one'ofthem pursued policy ad-
verse to the party by which they were
elected.
Two of the Vice Presidents of the Uni
ted States-and they the youngest who
ever held the officc-havc been indicted
for treason-Aaron Burr and John C.
Breckenridge-and in each case the Gov
ernmcnt broke down and dismissed the case
without ever putting it before jury.
One Vice President, John c. Calhoun,
resigned his scat as President of the Senate,
to take place on the floor where he could
have the privilege of debate, and there