The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-04-18
WIDOWS OF THE PRESIDENTS.
From Syracuse On. W HERALD

From Syracuse On. " HERALD
Four widows of Presidents are
now living-namely, Mrs. Garfield,
Mrs. Grant, Mrs. Harrison and Mrs.
Mckinley. The widow of General
Grant, who was Julia Dent, daugh-
ter of Judge Dent, resides in Wash
ington. her home being shared with
her daughter, Mrs. Sartoris. She
has experienced more of the vicissi-
tudes of life than any other mistress
of the White House. Her early
married life was passed in poverty.
and the eight years her husband was
President were the most magnificent
in the entertainment and social brill
liancy of the executive mansion. A
romance of her courtship was in the
fact of her family Directing to
Grant, who was poor soldier and
she the daughter of well-to-do
Judge, and the overcoming of this
obstacle by the saving of her broth
er's life by young Grant in the
Mexican campaign. Some months
after their marriage Captain Grant
and his wife were stationed at Sack
ett's harbor, on Lake Ontario. AT
ter retiring from the regular army,
Grant attempted in succession farm
ing, real estate, brokerage, tanning,
and then his enlisting in the civil
war was the turning point in his
fortunes.
Mrs. Garfield was for only few
months mistress of the White
House. She was familiar with Wash
ington, where she had lived while
her husband was Representative in
Congress, and was always known as
a domestic woman. She, too, was
acquainted with moderate circum-
stances in life. Like her husband,
she was early teacher. Garfield
was successfully a college professor,
a preacher, and then a lawyer, en-
tering the army at the breaking out
of the civil war and serving with
distinction. Mrs. Garfield is small,
spare woman, with delicate features
and fine black eyes. She has superb
self control and it WAS SAID of her
by her husband that never in his
political career had he suffered from
any words or act of hers. She al
ways has been a close student and
was the tutor of her two sons and
daughter. She lives in suburb of
Cleveland, and enjoys pension
from Congress aud the income Of
fund raised by her husbands admir-
ers after his death. She is Ga years
old and in poor health.
Mrs. Harrison, who was Mrs.
Dimmock, a niece of the first Mrs.
Harrison, married Gen. Benjamin
Harrison after he had retired from
office. She is of middle age, an at
tractive and spirited woman, and
lives in the Harrison homestead at
Indianapolis with her only child,
daughter. She was left by her hus-
band in comfortable circumstances
Mrs. Mckinley was Miss Ida Sax
ton, whose father was a banker at
Canton and for whom she acted as
clerk and cashier. She married Nc
Kinley soon after he returned from
the war, with only his military rank
as major and an ambition to become
lawyer. Mrs. Mckinley resembles
Mrs. Garfield IN domestic taste and
was never reconciled to her husband
having a public career. His second
election to the Presidency was
matter of regret with her, and it is
recalled that in the California trip
she declared that she was looking
forward to the time when she and
her husband could pass their years
in the quiet of private life at their
Canton home Two children were
born to the McKinleys, whose early
death was heavy affection. Mrs.
Mckinley has for years been an
invalid.