Evening journal., 1913-09-13
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How Presidents From N. Y.
City Reached the White
House
-------Z
By Holland.

There is a home upon one Of the
avenues OF New York city which, in
my opinion, should have a memorial
tablet placed conspicuously either be-
tween the front windows or over the
front door IL is numbered 123 Lex
instOn avenue. and il viii pass into
tradition as the only private house in
the United States in which the oath
of office of President of the United
States was administered.
This remark was made to me by the
late colonel George Bliss, who was
for many years as intimate a personal
and political friend as General Ches-
ter A. Arthur had Colonel Bliss
served with General Arthur upon the
staff of Governor Edwin ID. Morgan
in Civil War days. and il was in that
service that he received his title of
colonel, and IL was also in that serv-
i've that General Arthur gained his
title as general.
u have recently been looking up
the record" said Colonel Bliss, and
] think that, with a single exception
of Andrew Johnson. the presidential
oath has been administered i'm some
public place, and since 1898 in the
presence of Congress. The oath was
administered TO Andrew Johnson,
have learned. in his apartments in
one of the Washington hotels as soon
as possible after the death OF Presi-
dent Lincoln.
General Arthur lived from the
time he became a citizen of New York
city until his death excepting the two
and One-half years of his service as
President, in the brownstone front
house numbered 1913 Lexington ave
nue.. New York city. My impression
Is that the purchase of that house was
one of Arthur's most successful in
yestments The value of the property
appreciated considerably during the
time that he held the title to II.
1T was widely known, of course
that President Arthur took an oath
Of President in the reception room of
his house about two hours after he
was informed by the cabinet that
President Garfield had died. / think
that if Garfield had died earlier in the
day the probabilities are that Arthur
would have gone 10 Long Branch TO
take the oath in the presence of Gar
fields cabinet But there was SO
much apprehension OF danger, and
Arthur himself had received so many
threatening letters that II seemed
to him the prudent course 20 take
the oath of Office as soon as possible
"He therefore summoned his long
time friend. Judge DAILY, of the New
York Supreme Court, and, think
with no other witness than his son
Alan. he took the oath of Office as
administered by Julge Daily.
Now this is so completely unique
a record very likely never to be re-
peated. that il has always seemed Ia
me appropriate that there be a memo
rial tablet set somewhere upon the
front of the house. with a brief record
of this fact Maybe ] will undertake
myself to get permission of the own
crs that this may be done"
Colonel Bliss died, however, before
he had opportunity to carry out his
plan. The prediction ne made, how
ever. that it was unlikely that there
would be a similar record WAS not al
accurate predictions Almost exactl.
twenty years later Theodore Roose
welt took the oath as President of thi
United States in the house of Johl
G. Millburn. Buffalo. n. Y.
II has often been spoken Of as
curious circumstance that the onl,
citizens Of New York city who eve
became President reached that ofIic
through the vice-presidency although
Roosevelt was afterward electel
President. and these two citizens O
New York who went from the vice
presidency by constitutional success
sion have lived almost within
stones throw, certainly within pistol
shot, of one another in New Yorl
city