The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-07

son, fifty Benjamin Harrison, fifty
six; Hayes, fifty-four; Lincoln, iifty-two;
Tyler and Arthur, fifty-onc; Polk and Fill
more. fifty; Garfield and Pierce, forty-ninc;
Cleveland, forty-cight. and Grant, tho
youngest president forty seven.
1t is rather odd that President Elect
Cleveland has never been endowed with
nickname. lie is often spoken of as
Grover" in an affcctiCnately familiar sort
OF way. but this is not n nickname like
"Old Hickory" for General jackson, "Old
Tippccanoe" for William Henry Harrison,
Trough and Ready" for Taylor, "Old
Buch' for Buchanan. cold Abe" for Lin
coin and Little Ben" for President IIar-
r:son.
When ar. Cleveland came to the White
House eight years ago next March he was
Il bachelor the second bachelor ever chosen
to the presidency, Buchanan being the 9th
or. But Mr. Cleveland returns not only Il
husband but II father. Baby Cleveland will
be the first Ruth that ever lived in the
White House, So far as am able to learn,
though of course history has not preserved
the names of ali the children of the White
House. Only four of the married prcsi-
dents were chi!dlcss-Washingto Madi-
son, jackson and Polk The first Harrison
had the greatest number of chidren-ten.
Including Baby Ruth the children of nj.
our presidents number cighty-five, of whom
tifty-threc We're boys and thirty-two girls.
Twelve of our twcnty-three presidents
had military experience. Sixteen of them
had been in the state legislature, ten of
them in the national house of representa-
tivcs, eleven IN the senate, and ten had
been governor Of their state. Six had held
seats in the cabinets of former presidents
all in the state department, excepting Gen
eral Grant, whose service as secretary of
war was merely temporary. Five had
served their country us minister to foreign
countries
1t is somewhat remarkable that the par
entS of sixteen of our presidents were
farmers or planters. Of these the parents
of John Adams, Fillmore, Buchanan
Grant and Garfield were in humble cir
cumstances, while johnson, jackson and
Lincoln sprang from 1.-THE poor white
trash" of the south.
Thirteen presidents were college Cralu-
ates, and one. John Q. Adams, was Il college
professor. Of the others two or three were
very ignorant men, 50 far rs book learning
goes. The great Jackson could not much
more than read and write, and he never
had the patience to read books A mem
Der of Jacksons family once said the gen
eral did not believe the world was round
Some of Zachary Taylor's photography WIS
Il sight TO see. Andrew Johnson's ec.uca-
tional experience was most romantic
While Il village tailor he WIS taught To
read by the young woman who uftcrwnrd
became his wife
Cleveland has broken several records
lie is the only president to be married in
the White House, and he married mt a
more advanced age than any OF his prcdp-
cessors Extremes meet i'll Cleveland and
harrison III this respect, for Harrison mar
ried younger than any other president He
was only twenty; Cleveland was fifty. TYLER
and Fillmore married twice. Several of the
presidents, notably Washington, jefferson.
jackson and buchanan, were unsuccessful
in their early loves.
Some ingenious statistician has figured
out that men who become president of
the United States do not live as long ms
men who arc satisfied to occupy less e:lali-
! ed stations. all of which is very comfortin.,
! to the millions of us who can't be presi-
| dent. 1t has also been discovered that OF
| the twenty dead presidents seven died in
the month OF July, while still another
Gar[eld-was assassinated in this fatal
month. Four died in June, thus placing
| against these two months the olium OF
having destroyed n majority of all dead
American presidents. Why June and July
should be so much more fatal to presidents
than December and April is not explained.
Another ineXplicable fact is that only two
presidents were born in the summer
General liarrisons grandfather and "
Ter, who were elected on the same Tick,
were both born in Charles CITY countv ",
Wcstmoreland county. same static nro.
duccd two nts-WusbinUton ami
Monroe. 1t is II rather odd fact that th,.
three citizens of Tennessee who were
elected to the presidency-Jackson. Polk
ana Johnson-were natives Of North Car
oii III,
The president elect is the heaviest man