St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-06
IT'S A STEPPING STONE.
The Senate Leads on to the White
House.

House.
New York Sun.
1t is historically true that the United
States senate is a stepping stone toward
the presidency.
When it is remembered that nearly
one-half of all the presidents reached
the White house after serving in the
senate. it is obvious that an election as
senator is not necessarily fatal to the
highest ambition which an American
citizen can entertain.
Consider the case of each of the thir-
teen statesmen in whose careers the
senate chamber was station and a
resting place Oh the road to the White
house.
James Monroe was a senator from 1880
to 1894. Mr.. Monroe finally became
president in 1917, just twentY-seven
years after his election as senator.
John Quincy Adams was senator
from 1903 to 1908. He reached the White
house in 1925, just twenty-five years
after his election as United States SEN
atOr.
Andrew Jackson was first sent to the
United States senate in 1897. He was
inaugurated as president in 1929, thirty
two years after his first appearance in
the senate of the United States.
Martin Van Buren, was senator from
1921 to 1925 He reached the White
house in 1887, sixteen years after bis
election as senator by the legislature of
New York.
William Henry Harrison served in
the United states senate from 1924 to
1928. He was inaugnrated as president
OF the United States on March 4, 1841,
ftOr |, ioIf nf
senatorial honors.
His vice president and successor, John
Tyler, had served in the senate from
1927 to 1886. He found work to do dur
ing the fourteen years that elapsed be-
tween his election as senator and his
entrance into the White house after
Gen. Hafrison'S death.
Franklin Pierce was elected as SEN
atOr from New Hampshire in 1887. He
reached the White house sixteen years
later, eleven of them having been spent
in private life.
James Buchanan repeated the ex-
perience of his predecessors. He was
inaugurated as president of the United
States in 1857. nearly tWenty-three years
after his election to the senate.
Andrew Johnson sat in the senate
from 1857 to 1862. Eight years and an
unforeseen crime carried johnson IRON
the senate to the White house.
Benjamin Harrison was elected to the
senate in 1880. He reached the White
house eight years after his election as
senator.
Thus it will be seen that. while no
man has ever passed directly from the
senate to the White house, or has been
elected president while serving as SER
ator, nor less than ten ambitious and
progressive statesmen have finally
reached the highest office which the
people can bestow, in spite of the fact
that at some time during their lives
they went into the United States senate.
To mention in the brietest way the cases
of all the senators whose ambition to be
president has been overruled by Provi-
dence would require columns of space
and much melancholy English.
Although it is hardly correct to say
that the senate is stepping stone to
the presidency, it may be affirmed with
out fear of contradiction. OH the strength
of these ten instances, that the senate is
sometimes stepping stone toward the
the White house. How long the step
has always been is shown by the brief
table here appended: