Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-04-05
PRESIDENTIAL POVERTY.
Few of Our Executives Who Have Left
Fortunes Behind Them.

Few of Our Executives who Have Left
Fortunes Behind Them.
John Adams. at the age of 66, after
Menty-six years of continuous public
service, writes correspondent to the
Cleveland Leader, retired to his little
estate near Quincy, Mass. with barely
enough property to give him the needs
of life on farm and the only thing he
got from the United States during his
latter wears was the privilege of receiv-
ing and sending his letters without post
age.
Thomas Jefferson had to borrow
something less than S10,OO of a Rich
mond bank to pay his debts before he
left the white house, and the history of
the last seventeen years of his life is one
of utmost continuous financial embar-
rassment. During the forty-four years
which he devoted to the service of his
country his property dwindled away
and his estate became involved. In
asking for Ghe above loan he says: MY
nights will be almost sleepless, as moth
ing could be more distressing to me
than to have debts here Gin Washington
unpaid, if, indeed. l should be permit
ted to depart with them unpaid, of
which am by no means certain"
He obtained the loan, but he went
from Washington still owing 20,O0O,
and few years later he was forced to
sell his library. which he had been sixty
years in gathering to relieve his neces-
sites. Congress, parsimonious then as
now, valued it at half its cost, and gave
him S23s000 for what was worth $780,
600. In 1919 and 1920 there were hard
times in this country, and Jefferson,
now man of 77, lost $4,000 by in
dorsing for friend, and he tried to re-
lieve himself by selling some of his
lands. But times were bad and there
were no purchasers. Land would not
bring more than one-thlrd OF its value,
and at the request of the old eN-presi-
dent the Virginia legislature passed II
nc. permitting him to dispose of Mont:-
cello by lottery. This fact was noised
about over the country, and so many
subscriptions came to his relief that the
idea was given up. New York raised
$500, Philadelphia sent 5000. Baltl-
more $4,000, and Jefferson, it is said,
received these moneys proudly, saying:
"No cent of this is wrung from the tax
payer. 1t is the pure, unsolicited offer
ing of love" He died at 50, believing
that his estate would support his chill
dren. He was mistaken. Continued
hard times caused increased depression,
and 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 $4,000,
and this enabled her TO die in comfort.
Jefiersons only surviving granddaugh-
ter, Mrs. Mickleham, lives in poverty in
Georgetown. and congress has refused
to aid her.
have before me newspaper OF 1926,
published just one month after Jeffer-
sons death. 1t contains an advertise
ment of the sale of Monticello by lot
tery in 1920, and represents it as valued
at $1,000. Shadwell Mills, another
estate of jefferson, is valued at $50, 900,
and the Albemarle estate at 81 500.
making total of three prizes worth
S112,5OO The tickets are $40 each,
and there are 11.477 blanks.
President Madison left some property
at the time of his death, but his widow,
the peerless Dolly, was for time de-
pendent upon the bread and meat fur
nished by an old negro servant, and her
last days were made easy only by con-
gress buying from her for ESQ, 600 the
manuscript notes of the debates OF the
constitutional convention which Madi-
son had taken.
President Monroe, though he declined,
it is said, S35S, 900 from the government
for his public services, died very poor
in New York, and it was twenty-seven
years before his body was removed to
Richmond, Va.
John Quincy Adams must have re-
ceived $500, 900 in government salaries.
and he is one of the few presidents who
again took up public life after he left
the white house. He remained In re-
tirement only about year, and then
entered the lower house OF congress.
After about sixteen years of service
there, he died in the capital in 1S4S, ex-
claiming: This is the end of earth; l
am content" John Quincy Adams ac-
cumulated property, and the home in
which he lived in Washington is now
worth at least $780, 200. and was until a
few years ago in the hands of his de-
scendants. His family is wealthy, and
Charles Francis Adams is railroad ma
bob.
Andrew Jackson gained nothing in
wealth from his white house salary, 1t
cost him, he says, every cent of it to
paw his expenses, and the most of the
proceeds of his cotton crop in addition.
He returned from Washington at the
close of his second term with just $50
in his pocket, to find his farm going to
ruin and himself so deeply in debt that
he had to sell part of his lands to get
out The panic of 1887 did not affect
him, but in 1912 he became involved
through the debts of his adopted
son, and he had to borrow $4,000
from Frank Blair. Congress relieved