Valdez daily prospector., 1916-10-23
MONDAY, OCTOBER 2s, 1916
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTS.

Former President Taft's reference the other day to the ex-president's club of the United States, and his forecasting that there will be a new member elected to that club this year, leads to the inquiry as to how great a membership the ex-presidents' club ever reached in the United States.
 Reference to the records shows that it was during the administration of Abraham Lincoln that the member ship was the greatest, the number reaching five. These were Van Buren, Tyler, Fillmore. Pierce and Buchanan.
 During the administrations of John Adams, Hayes. and Taft there was a single member. while during the ad- ministration of Madison, John Quincy Adams, Jackson, Van Buren, Pierce, Garfield, Arthur, Harrison, Mckinley and Roosevelt the membership was two, or the same as at present.
 The ex-presidents' club numbered three members during the admins trations of Monroe. William Henry Harrison. Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fill more, Jackson, Grant and Cleveland, though during Cleveland's second ad- ministration there were four members he being one of them, being both pres ident and an ex-president His is the only case where a president having been defeated for reelection was again elected after an interim.
 During the administration of Bu- chanan there were four members, they being Van Buren, Tyler, Fill more and Pierce.
 The senior Adams lived twenty-five years after retiring as president, that being the longest period that an ex- president has lived. Van Buren and Fillmore each lived twenty-one years. and Madison and John Quincy Adams each lived nineteen years. Jefferso l lived seventeen years after retiring as president, and so did Tyler.
 Washington lived two years, Mon- roe six, Jackson eight, Polk five, Pierce twelve. Buchanan seven, Johnson six, Grant eight, Hayes twelve. Arthur one, Cleveland eleven, and Benjamin Harrison eight years. Wm. Henry Harrison. Zacchary Fay Tor, Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Wm. Mckinley died in of- flee.
 It is interesting to note the reli-. gious affiliations of the presidents.
 Washington, Madison, Monroe, w. Henry Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, Pierce and Arthur were Episcopalians; John Adams. John Quincy Adams, Fillmore and Taft were Unitarians; Jackson, Polk, Buchanan, Lincoln, Benjamin Harrison, Cleveland and Wilson were Presbyterians; Van Buren and Roose- welt, Reform Dutch Jefferson, while believer in Christianity, was non- sectarian, and is classified as a Lib cral; Garfield was a member of the Disciples church, and Grant, Hayes and Mckinley were Methodists.
 Johnson's wife was Methodist. and he was a believer in Christianity, but he had no church affiliation.
 Charles E. Hughes, who may be- come president. is a Baptist, and if elected he will be the first Baptist reaching the presidency.
 Twenty-one of the presidents were lawyers: one was a planter and one farmer, Two are classed as sol diers; three as statesmen, and one, Roosevelt, a public official.
 In early life one was a surveyor. two were tailors, one a farm hand. five were teachers. fourteen lawyers. two soldiers, and one a publicist. Nine never attended college and the others were college bred.
 Three of the presidents, Arthur. Cleveland and Wilson, were sons Of clergymen. JOhnson's father was n | church sexton and town constable. Grants father was a tanner. The fathers of Washington, John Adams. Jefferson. Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Van Buren. Polk. Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Lincoln, Garfield, and Benja- min Harrison were planters or far mers, while the father of Wm. Henry Harrison was statesman, a signer of the Declaration of Independence: md the father of John Quincy Adams vas lawyer and former president of Il he United States. The elder Adams ived one year after his son became president. Tyler's father was a fur st; Buchanan's, Hayes, and Roose- 'elt's fathers were merchants and Nc an iron manufacturer.
 Tyler, Fillmore, Benjamin Harri- Ie on and Roosevelt were twice married. I Buchanan was bachelor through life I nd Cleveland bachelor when elect 1 d. Cleveland and Wilson married 'hile in the White House. At his death John Adams was tho V ldest of the presidents, his age e eing ninety. Garfield was the young | st to die, his age being 49. The " lder Harrison was the oldest man toI