Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-10-07
PRESIDENTS RIGHT HANDS.
Private Secretaries in the White House Since
Buchanan's Administration.
New York Sun.

Private Secretaries in the White House Since
Buchanan's Administration.
New Yerk Sun.
! Dan Lamont is Cleveland's right hand,
and a good, strong, persuasive one, too.
Sometimes he is as potent as both hands.
He may occasionally be seen in New York,
| if one knows him. Otherwise he would
attract nobody's eye, for he is quiet, tact
| turn, ard prefers to look on at the crowd
from afar. But if you get near enough
/ to look into his Scotch eye, you will see
caution, shrewdness, and keen penetrat-
ing glance. He will hardly be content
with his career as Cleveland's private Sec
rotary. Perhaps he may go to the white
house again some day. Who knows? Sen
ator German used to be a page in
the senate, and exActing Secretary of
State Hit was, few years before, steno-
grapher to congressional committee.
Fred Phillips was a much more import
ant right hand for President Arthur than
the politicians generally thought. He was
as taciturn, if necessary, as Lamont, but
concealed his taciturnity under guise
of childlike innocence Phillips had a
difficult job in keeping the New York pol
itical bores away from Gen. Arthur, and
he did it exceedingly well. He is some
times seen in Now York admiring the art
gallery at the Hoffman, but he still lives
in Washington in elegant bachelor apart
ments at the Metropolitan club. Phillips
looks with some amusement and amaze
ment upon Dan Lamont. He says that
Lamont may help make or unmake po-
Iiticans, but he never will beat the presi-
dent shooting alligators or receive pres
| oa11tS
cooks planked shad on the Potomac. Mr..
Phillips used to be asked for by ladies
who called at the white house, but he
never knew that it was for his handsome
eyes, and not because he was the presi-
dents private secretary, that they wished
to meet him.
Gen. Garfield expected to depend very
much upon his right-hand assistant, f.
M. Brown, but for the few months Brown
was in the executive office he seemed
somewhat dazed. He was the youngest
of all the private secretaries, and the
mustache he cultivated was still downy
when he entered the Office. Brown had
been Garfeld's stenographer, and never
ran smack up against politicians until ne
went to the white house. Now and then
he comes to New York, and may be seen
in the corridors of the Fifth Avenue hotel
with Tommy Nichols, who was once one
of Garfelds secretaries. Brown is now
assisting Mrs. Garfield in the management
of her estate.
Hayes right hand man was poor
withered instrument. Hayes made hin
: so. He brought Mr.. Rogers with hin
from Ohio, and the secretary seemed tC
the politicians a curious kind of mortal
If Hayes had found him with his nose anC
eyes buried in the pages of an old bool
at a secondhand book stall, people would
not have been surprised. Rogers was {
a-~-i Il III a oad man, and he ran The
executive office something as an attend
ant stands guard at the tent CT general
He comes occasionally to New Y ork
where he seems to feel lost. Rogers il
now a claim agent in Washington.
Grants private secretary, Gen. Bah
cock, was man with n career when ht
7 entered the office. He was blum
brusque officer, who had served on Grants
staff. He began another career after b,
followed Grant to the white house, anC
came very near going from his Office tc
the penitentiary. Babcock was the only
) private secretary, besides Lamont, who
had according to repute, the persuasive
; voice in the ear of the president: bu
there is this difference, Grant was thought
to be Influenced by Babcock's wishes,
while Cleveland is understood to RELY up
: on Lamont's Judgment and observation
in making political combinations that are
; to be effective. Babcock was drowned &
few years ago off the coast of Florida.
Col. Warden, was Andy Johnson's right
arm, and good one. The colonel under
stood the curious mental and tempera
mental peculiarities of Johnson, and was
able, therefore, not to run counter to them
! Col Warden now and then comes to New
York, and is Instantly recognized by the
clerk at the Metropolitan. He is a short
stout gentleman, with gray hair, and is
now a lawyer at Washington.
Col. John Hay has been, perhaps, the
most fortunate of presidential right
hands. President Lincoln brought him
to Washington from a law Office in
Springfield, Ill. Hay was then very young
but he proved himself equal to the fiery
furnace heat at the white house during
the war period. Col Hay, however, turn
ed from politics to literature after he
Quilted the white house, and wrote one
book, 'Castilian Days." which gave him
desirable literary repute; poem, Gilt
tie Breeches," which betrayed the talents
Of humorist, and for a while was con-
| L
now lives in one of the most beautiful
and costly houses in Washington, which
he built, and is supposed to be finishing
his great book, "The Life of Lincoln
Col. Hay often comes to New York, and
generally prefers the Brevoort house. He
dresses simply but extensively, is med
ium-sized gentleman, with full dark beard
and dark eyes. His wife brought him a
fortune of several million dollars
In glancing over the careers of these
his predecessors as presidential right
hands, will reflections come to him sug-
gested by the fact that all quit politics
when they went from the white house. Is
Dan Lamont going to be the exception
which proves the rule? Another thing.
Every one of them has remained in
Washington. Is Daniel going to break
the rule?
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