The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1888-12-08
KETCHUM ALTURAS COUNTY, DECEMBER 1888
SOMETHING ABOUT the PRESIDENTS.

SOMETHING ABOUT the PRESIDENTS.
Personal Appearance and Character
istics---Wo orldly Possessions, Etc.
Twenty-Five Presidential elections
have taken place prior to that which
was held on Tuesday, November
9Th. Hence we have completed one
century of our present form of gov
ernment and are just at the begin
ming of another. Taking review
of the past, it may be said that the
first idea of a President was origin.
ated by Benjamin Franklin at the
Albany Convention in 1851. That
convention was held for the pur-
pose of consolidating the colonies
under the British flag, but the crown
authorities opposed the scheme and
it was abandoned. The Presiden-
tial office was created when the FIRST
ConksoD6 49, 10
bents were called Presidents Of
Congress-" This Office continued
until the Constitution provided a
President to be elected by the peo-
pie. The first of these was George
Washington, who was fifty-seven at
the time of his Inauguration.
John Adams was sixty-two. JEFF
ferson, who succeeded him, was a
Virginian of fifty-eight, and was
sixty-six when he retired from the
Presidential chair. Madison, like
wise a Virginian, was fifty-seven
when elected and retired after eight
years service, ranging from 1909 to
1917. Monroe, also a Virginian,
was inaugurated at the age Of fifty
nine, and was sixty-seven when he
retired from Office, period extend
ing from 1917 to 1925. John Quincy
Adams was elected at the age of
fifty-seven and retired at sixty. one,
having served but one term, which
closed March /, 1929. Jackson, a
native of North Carolina, was sixty
two when elected and retired at
seventy, having served eight years,
from 1929 to 1887. Van Buren was
the first native of New York state
to enter into the Presidential Office.
He was ffty-four when elected and
served but one term, which lasted
from 1887 to 1841. General Harri-
son was a native of Virginia and
was sixty-seven when elected. He
died after a months service, and
John Tyler, also a Virginian, was
raised from the Vice Presidency to
take the office thus vacated. This
was the first instance Of such an
exigency, and, therefore, was an
important experiment.
OTHER NAMES.
Polk, the next President, was of
North Carolina birth, and was fifty
when elected. He retired after one
term, which closed in 1849. His
successor was General Taylor, a ma
tive of Virginia, who was sixty-6ve
when inaugurated. His term was
closed by death in 1850, and Fill
more was raised from the Vice Pres
idency. He was a Buffalo lawyer,
and was at that time fifty-one.
Frank Pierce, the next President,
native of New Hampshire, was forty
eight when elected, and served but
one term, which closed in 1857.
His successor, James Buchanan, a
native of Pennsylvania, was sixty
four when this occurred. His term
closed in 1851, when Abraham Lin
coin, a Kentuckian By birth, but
from boyhood a resident of Illinois,
aged tifty-one, was inaugurated.
johnson was inaugurated at fifty
seven, Grant at forty-six, Hayes at
6fty-four, Garfield at torty-nine,
Arthur at fifty-one, Cleveland at
forty-seven and Benjamin Harrison
is fifty-tive.
DOMESTIC LIFE.
Washington was married, but had
no children. Adams was married
and had one son, whom he lived to
see President. Jefferson was wild
over, his wife having died twenty
wears before his election. They had
six children, all daughters, of whom
only two survived infancy. Madi-
SON was married, but had no chill
dren. His wife was the most
beautiful woman that ever adorned
the Presidential mansion. She sur
viyed him, and was for many years
the pride of Washington society,
having lived to listen to Henry
Clay's farewell speech in the Senate
in 1851. Monroe was married and
so was John Quincy Adams, whose
children inherited some of the fam
ily talent. Jackson was a widower,
and so were Van Buren, and Cen
eral Harrison. Tyler was wldower
when he entered Office, but soon
afterward married the heiress, Miss
Gardiner, of New York. He was
the first President who married dur
ing his term of Office. Polk was 8
married man, but Buchanan was
the first bachelor inducted into the
h a