The San Francisco call., 1896-06-19
THE FAMILIES OF
The PRESIDENTS,
Many Chief Executives
Were Not Blessed
With Sons.
Martin Van Buren's Son Became
Famous as Prince
John.
He Danced With the Queen of Great
Britain-The Distinguished
TylerS.

The fact that the incumbent of the ex-
ecutive chair of the Nation is the father
of three daughters calls to mind that the
descendants of Americas chief executives
are nearly all girls.
Jefferson, Monroe, Fillmore and John
son were blessed only with daughters,
and number OF the early Presidents who
sorely disappointed.
During the social season just ended, the
daughters of three Presidents of the
United States met at reception in Wash
ington. They were Mrs. Sartoris, daughter
of General Grant; Mrs. Stanley Brown,
daughter of Garfield, and Mrs. Mckee,
daughter of Ben jamin Harrison,
1t is a somewhat remarkable fact that
the chief magistrates of the Nation had
few male children, and those who had sons
were bereaved of them early in life. Presi-
dent Buchanan was a bachelor, Pierce's
two children. both boys, died before they
reached their maturity. Two sons of Abra-
ham Lincoln died young, leaving Robert
who also lost son, but has another one
living. Benjamin Harrison's son has
daughter, and his daughter has a son, but
there is no male child to perpetuate his
name.
The first President of this Republic,
George Washington, was without male IS
sue, and so anxious was he to give life TO
the Washington family tree that he
adopted the grandchildren of his wife,
whose family name was Custis. But even
his adopted son had no male child, and
hic n rroo rriad ~ Gauoro1 70 NJ
ert E. Lee. Washlngton's brothers had
sons galore, and their children and chill
dren's children are scattered throughout
the Old Dominion and other parts of the
United States.
The Adamses were more fortunate, and
maintained their place in politics and his
tory through many male members. John
Quincy Adams son was Minister to Eng
land during the Civil War, and was can
didate for Presidential honors. Charles
Francis Adams had four sons, two of whom
served in the late war. One of them was
twice nominated for Governor of Massa-
chusetts, another is now Mayor of Quincy,
Mass, and third of Boston-Josiah
Quincy.
Jefferson had four daughters to perpet-
own individual family tree is concerned
died out.
When Aaron Burr brought James Madi-
son to see Dorothea Payne Todd at her
home in Philadelphia she was a widow
with one child, who in manhood was
rather wild. James Madison and Dolly
Todd were married, and when he attained
the pinnacle of his ambition in his election
to the Presidency the wife of the chief ex-
ecutive gave her social powers full swing
and changed the even tone of Jeffersonian
simplicity to more luxurious ways. But
no son came to bless the union, and the
disappointment was all the greater to the
mother at least, for her own son, Payne
Todd, had gone to the bad.
James Monroe and his wife had no sons.
OF their two daughters one was named
for the Queen of Holland. Hortense Beau
harnais, with whom Eliza Monroe had
been in school in Paris while her father
was United States Minister there. The
second daughter married member of the
famous Gouverneur family in New York.
Monroe died in their house after he had
lost his fortune.
Andrew Jackson's romantic union with
Mrs. Robards, which followed upon a sem
sational suit for divorce by her husband.
was also sonless. This circumstance greatly
embittered Jackson's life. He had made
many sacrifices for the woman he loved,
fighting duel with Dickinson on account
of casting insinuations against her charac-
ter. Deprived of parental hope, Jackson
adopted boy, to whom he gave his name.
This adopted son married Sarah Yorke.
fhe result of the union was a son, who be-
came a colonel in the Confederate army
The young lady whom he called daughter,
and who presided at the White House after
the death of his wife, was his niece Emily
Martin Van Buren, was one of the excep-
tions to the line of sonless Presidents. His
four sons took up their residence with him
in the Executive Mansion. The one that
was known as prince John" became a
famous man.
During a visit to London he attended a
grand ball at Buckingham Palace. and
danced with the young Queen Victoria.
This gave rise to proposal of union be-
tween the English Queen and an American
Prince. His title of prince John" stuck
to him from that time on. Some of the
descendants of Van Buren, went to Paris
and died. while quite number of them
reside in New York, South Carolina and
other States.
When President Benjamin Harrison Wis
tied San Francisco in 1891 his SON Russell
and the younger members of the Presi-
dental party were entertained by the b.
hemian Club, and in presenting Russell to
the company the chairman OF the evening
facetiously remarked that the young man
would never attain greatness, as Provi-
dence had habit OF skipping generation
in Destowing its honors on the Harrison
family. This allusion to the fact that
Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of
William Henry Harrison. although it
pointed out great promise of baby"
Mckee, was not so apt as it seemed to be
TO the Bohemians and the guests, for John
Scott Harrison, the son of William Henry,
and the father of Benjamin, was man OF
some prominence and served his native
State of Indiana in Congress during the
SOS. William Henry, John Scott and
Benjamin, the Presidential line, were all
of the w estern branch of the family. while
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