Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-03-10
EXECUTIVE POVERTY.
Presidents Who Left No Forums
Behind Them
A.l4iasF Posersx--Fte stF.lt 40 watch Jef-
feF.oa - a. ksdsssd fiis Old Age
Ho~ F4n Esarea Accommodated
Wealth. Etc. fEs-


ertg - give aim the needs ~ ills On farm,
and the 0niy thing ne got frosn the United
States durias his latter yeas ~as the
privilege u Feceiyiag and se lsi.as his let
tiers ~ithoas postage.
Thomas Jefferson had q b0Fr0~ some
thing less than sl0,0O0 Of = Rlehm sad bank
b pay rs debts before he lett The Waite
House, and the history Of ths last seyea-
teen years Of MS life Is one o. aIuost con
tinaous financial efnbarrass MEET. Deria !.
the forty four years Which hs devoted to
TIE service Of his country Lis property
d~inaied away and his estates oscaIas Ia
sOlved- Ia asking for the above he says.
my nights wul % almost sleegi-ss. as
nothing could Dc more dis ressing - ms
than to have debts here (ia Nashin ytoal
unpaid, II, indeed, l should rs permitted 6,
depart with them unpaid, whieh / sia by
10 msans certain"
He obtained the loan, but hs went from
Washington stiil owing 80. ~, AMI few
years later he Was forced t. sell his libra
~. which he had been sixty years ia gath
ering 10 relieve his necessities Congress
parslmoniOus then now, valued it at
half its cost, and gave him $1,000 for
what was werth $4,000. In l-i9 and
1890 there were hard times In
this country. andi JEFF ersOn, now
man of seventy seven, losl y 90 by in
dorsing for friend, and he tried u re-
hsve himself by selling some Of his lands
But times were bad aud thers We're 40
purchasers. Land woaid not orias more
than oae-third OF its value, AMI at the re-
quest OF the old ex- President tie vrs sinis
-.
70 dispose OF Monticello by a lottery. rhis
tact was noised about over the country.
and SO many subscriptions came 80 as
relief that the idea was given up. New
York raised $500. Philadelphia sent
5000, Baltimore $1,000, andNJe.s rsol. 1t -
said. received these presents pr3u Ily, say
ing: mo cent OF this is wruns from the
taxpayer. 1t is the pure, unsolicited offer-
ing OF love-" He died at eighty-threr, be-
hevlns that his estate would support his
children He was mistaken. Continued
hard times caused, inereased depression.
ami the mansion and the estate merely
paid the debts which hung over them.
Martha Jefferson, his daughter, lost her
home, and prepared TO teach school, but
the Legislatures OF South Carolina and
Louisiana each voted her 1000, and this
enabled her To die IN comfort
have before me newspaper of 1926,
published just one month after Jefferson's
death. Ii contains an advertisement OF the
sale Of Monticello by lottery tn lseO, and
represents il as valued az S7l,O0O. Shad-
well Mills, another estate of Jefferson, is
valued at $4,000. and the Albemarle es-
tate at Sll.jOO, making a total OF three
- - 81 -
each. and there are IL Az blanks.
President Madison left some property at
the time OF his death, but his widow, the
peerless Dolly, was for a time dependen
upon the breai and meat furnished her by
an old negro servant, and her last days
were made easy only by Congress buying
from her for so 900 the manuscript notes
OF the debates of the Constitutional Con-
vcntion which Madison had taken.
President Monroe, though he declined, it
Is said, SIS 900 from the Government for
his public services, died very poor in New
York. and il was twentyseven years be-
fore his body was removed to Richmond,
Va.
John Quincy Adams must have received
over $4,000 in Government salaries, and
be - one Of the few Presidents who again
took up public life after be left the White
House lie remained in retirement only
about year. and then entered the Lower
House of Congress. After about sixteen
years OF service there, be died in the cap
ital in ls4s, exclaiming: This is the end
OF earth. l an. content" John Quincy
Adams accumulated property, and the
home in which he lived in Washington is
now worth at least 81, 900, and was until a
few years ago in the hands OF his descend
ants His family is wealthy, and Charles
Francis Adams Is a railroad naboh.
Andrew Jackson gained nothing In
wealth from bis White House salary. 1t
cost him, be says, every cent of it to pay
bis expenses. and the most OF the proceeds
OF his cotton crop in addition. He returned
from Washington at the close of MS second
term with just ninety dollars in his pocket,
TO find his farm going TO ruin aud himself
40 deeply in debt that he bad TO sell part
Of his lands TO get out. The panic Of 1897
did not affect him. but in 1852 he became
involved through the debts OF his adOpei
son. and he had 70 borrow $1,000
from Frank Blair. Congress relieved
him somewhat during his latter years by
refHndinx the fine of 81 900. which he had
paid in View Orleans in 1915. and this with
the interest amounted in iS2. I think. 70
- 20 Still. at the time ~ Iack'0n's
death he owed more than $4,000. and now
his heirs hold only life estate in the Her.
mitage by an act Of the Tennessee Iezis-
lsture.
Martin Van Buren, retired from the
White House wealthy and am itious. He
ran for second tsrrn AMI vas defeated.
He was a candidate for nomiBa ion when
Polk was nominated a Bal more four
years later. aud IN fsts he accepted acm-
nation as the Free Soil candidate Tor
ths Presidency and received Sooo votes.
Van Buren, was = close. cautions. money
making fellow. He got good law fees. sad
began % Earn economy while savin-
enough ss = young man q ge- married
Ar his estate ss Tindenws'i. where he
lived during bis last vesrs he vas sur
rounded with books snd comforts. and be
left manuscripts on political parties IN the
United States which his son published IN
fss7. hvs years after his father death
President Harrison o~nei q farm in Ols7o
when he vas insagurat 4 President. Is =