The sun., 1916-09-17
FISHING PRESIDENTS
OF U. S. NUMBER IA
Washington, Lincoln, Grant,
Cleveland and Roosevelt
Fine Anglers.
ONE. AN AUTHOR OF BOOK
ny ALEXANDER Med. sTODDART.

~ ALEXANDER Med. STODDART.
A. election time approaches and inter-
est centres upon the Presidency II might
not DO amiss to call attention to the nsh-
ing Presidents Of the United States.
Fourteen Of the twenty-seven presi-
dents have been fishermen, ana II Charles
y Hughes Is elected next November he
will bring the number up to fifteen. for
Hughes IL an angler who ever delights IN
going to the Adirondack for trout n
black bass.
when fishing and the Presidency are
mentioned sthe mind instantly recalls
Cleveland. the fishing PRESIDENT He 10
the one President who wrote q book dis
cussing angling. 1t IL not generally
known. but the first President OF the re.
public was an enthusiastic angler.
Indeed the late George II. Moore. IL
brarian of the old Lenox Library. him
self 4 devotee Of angling. wrote "A mono
graph In 1887: "Washington ~ an An.
gler, with Extracts From His Diaries.
i7s7-17s0.' This book was published
in 1887. 100 years following the time his
boob referred to.
Washington ~ Asgler.
Mr.. Moore dedicated the book to
Grover Cleveland. President OF the United
states at the time. saying:
at IL known to me that there have
been skilful fishermen. more than one,
among the Chief Magistrates Of the ma
ton.
your Immediate predecessor has left
an unsurpassed record among them. and
Il Is with no ordinary pleasure that those
" W. who profess the faith and follow
the precepts OF The Compleat Angler
have been assured that you arc inclined
to indulge in similar recreation betimes.
No good fisherman was ever a bad
man. and history will bear out the as
sertion that the best Presidents have
been the best fishermen.
" one Of the many blogra pliers of
the first President OF the United States
has done Justice to the character Of
Washington In this important feature.
and the present publication of e~xtracts
from his diaries is intended to be q
timely tribute To his fame as a man
among men. a fisherman among fisher
men. In which 1t will be no ~disparaEe-
inent to you to share.
I'm the first century OF this nations
life he was the first and you have been
called the last President. trust that
the beginning of the new era will md as
good "A fisherman as you are in office and
that the line may continue 10 stretch out,
like that Of the blood bothered Banauo,
till the crack OF DOOM"
The fishinR President replied 10 Mr.
Moore as fellows:
Please accept my thanks for the little
book you sent me entitled Washington
as al Angler
Il am much pleased to learn that the
only clement Of greatness heretofore un.
noticed In the life Of Washington is thus
supplied.
Il am a little curious to know whethe,
the absence Of details as to the result OF
his fishing Is owing to bad luck. a lack OF
liberation Of fish stories at that time
among anglers. or to the fact that. ever
as to the nunbe Of Ash he caught, the
Father Of His Country could not tell q
lie"
In the light OF Mr.. Moore's statemen,
that mo good fisherman was ever a bad
man. and history will bear nut the a..
sertion that the best Presidents have
been the best fishermen" II Is interesting
10 record the names OF the fishing Prosi-
| dents
They are George Washington, MARTYR
Van Buren,. John Tyler. Zachary Taylor
Willard Fillmore. Franklin Pierce. Abra'
ham Lincoln. Andrew Johnson. Clysse.
Simpson Grant. James Abram Garfield
,HVs'Vi S'o HI'HuT bToNeT SIeSeIdTlO
Theodore Roosevelt and william Howard
Taft.
In a brief article. Justice cannot b,
done to the fishing Presidents unless con,
sidered separately or in groups. but Il
Washington, the first President. hrat at
tention should be given.
George Washington as a boy and mar
fshed in the waters OF Virginia. TIL.
habit continued throughout the years.
The First Presidents Diary.
The first President was president OF
/ he Federal convention tina met at Phil
ndelphia in the summer Of 1887. When
the convention adjourned on July rs
not To meet again until August 6 follow.
ing, Washington set out for Moore Hal
IN order to visit his old quarters at Val
ley Forge. ~
on Monday, July 80, he rcco9 his
diary:
In company with Mr.. Govern& Nor
rls went into the neighborhOod Of the
Valley Forge TO a Widow Moore's
a-ishing AT whose house we lodged.
The widow Moore was the wife o.
Judge William Moore, who owned All
ancient stone mansion. farm and mill in
the township Of Charleston. In the count
OF Chester. situated or the Schuylkil
twenty-three miles from Philadelphia.
The Judge has been referred to by
Mr.. Moore IA "the most conspicuous and
heroic figure In the county Of Chester in
his day and generation"
on the day following Gen. Washing.
ton In his diary Of July 81 says:
Before breakfast I rode TO the VAL
ley Forge and over the whole Canton
ment 4 Works OF the American Army
in the winter OF HTS and on my re-
turn to the Widow Moore's found Mr..
and Mrs. Rob. Morris. Spent the day
there fishing &C & lodged at the am
place,
ON Friday. August 8. the first Presi.
dent writes:
Went up to Trenton on a Fishing
Party with MIR. and Mrs. Robt. Morris
4 MIR. Cow. Morris. Dined and lodged
at Colo. Sam ogden's-in the evening
fished.
ON the day following the General re
cords: