The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-18
FORMER PRESIDENTS
NOW ARE RARITIES
The Country Once Had Five on Its
Hands and for One Period
Name

From June "A, 1905, until March 5, 1903.
| there was a peculiar little hiatus in the
history of the United States. of which
| small notice has been taken-principally
because the circumstance does not war
rant greater attention. some might say.
During the eight months and eleven
DAYS embraced within the period men
toned, for the first time since the foun-
dation of the republic there was no liv-
ing ex-President. Grover Cleveland,
after the death of former President Ben
iamin Harrison. March 13, 1901, remained
| the only citizen who had been the Chief
Executive OF the nation until his DEATH
| in 1905.
Theodore Roosevelt was the only living
ex-President from the time he left office,
| March T. 1909. until he was Joined in his
iIlustrious loneliness by the man who but
| for him might never have been added
to the list of "exs." This was March 4.
| 1913, when President Wilson took hold.
and since then the country has possessed
two living ex-Presidents for the first
time in twelve years.
As the term OF a President is at most
short one-eight years in all, II re-
eIected-it seems at first thought an odd
thing that the country has not on hand
at all times several former Presidents.
Yet, of the seven men who preceded him
in his high office during thirty years
not a long time judged by some of the
reigns of a single king-there was not
one alive for Theodore Roosevelt to greet
after Grover Cleveland passed away. 1t
sounds like the history Of comic opera
kingdom to speak of seven monarchs
passing away in thirty years. Yet. seven
Presidents of the United States so
passed.
The reason is. in the main, that, where
kings succeed to their throne very often
while children, the man who Is elected
President of the United States is already
at the meridian Of life.
James X Polk. Franklin Pierce, U. S.
Grant. James A. Garfield. Grover Cleve-
land. and Theodore Roosevelt were the
only Presidents who had not reached or
passed the fifty-ysar-old mark when
they took office. According to insurance
expectation tables. II is not remarkable
that Presidents, taking office at such an
age. live no longer than they do.
The seeming oddly is better explained
when it is observed that at the period
any one President is serving there are
any number of citizens contemporary to
him who are not too old to live to serve
after him. While six Presidents succeed
ing Grant died within a few years, they
were all prospective Presidential timber.
II must be remembered. while Grant was
alive. Then Garfield and Mckinley did
not live out their generally allotted time
because of assassination.
The record shows. counting by four or
eight-year periods since 1877, that within
these periods these ex-Presidents were
living:
Washington. 1877: Adams. 1901; Adams
and Jefferson, 1909; Adams, Jefferson. and
Madison. 1877; Adams. Jefferson. Madi-
son. and Monroe: 1s95: Madison. Monroe.
and John Quincy Adams, 1879: John
Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, 1887;
Adams, Jackson, and Van Buren,. 1874:
Tyler. Adams, Jackson. and Van Buren,.
1916: Tyler and Van Buren,, 1919; Tyler,
Van Buren,. and Fillmore. 1853; Tyler.
Van Buren,, Fillmore. and Pierce, 1851:
Buchanan. Tyler. Van Buren,, Fill
more, and Pierce. 1857 Buchanan. Fill
more. and Pierce. 1855: Johnson. Fillmore.
and Pierce. 1853; Grant, 1877: Hayes and
Grant. 1881; Grant. Hayes, and Arthur.
1855; Cleveland and Hayes. 1889: Hayes.
Cleveland. and Harrison. 1883; Harrison
and Cleveland. 1897: Cleveland and Har-
rison, 1901; Cleveland. 1905: Roosevelt,
1879: Roosevelt and Taft, 1873
In 1861 there were living at one time