Gilpin observer., 1920-12-23
IN WHITE HOUSE
Biographical Data Concerning
Chief Executives.
Most Of the Men Honored With Hiph.
est Position Were EmphaticalIy
"of the PeopIe"-virginiA
Leads In Number.

The following composite record of
facts about Presidents may have in
terest, remarks writer in the New
New York Evening Press:
Of the twenty-seven Presidents of the
United States fifteen were Of Eng
lish ancestry, six of Scotch-Irish line
age, three Of Scotch, two of Dutch and
one Welsh.
In their early lives fourteen were
lawyers, five were teachers. three were
professional soldiers. Fillmore and
johnson were tailors, Roosevelt was
a public official and Abraham Lincoln
farm hand.
In the time of their elections many
of them had changed their vocations
at that time nineteen were lawyers
three statesmen, two soldiers, one
farmer. one planter one a surveyor
and four were Presidents by succession.
That most of our Presidents spent
their childhood days on farms and
plantations is proved by the fact that
of their fathers six were planters and
nine were farmers. The other twelve
fathers were: Three clergymen, three
merchants, two lawyers, one states
man. one iron manufacturer, one sex
ton and constable and one tanner
Harvard and William and Mary rank
highest as alma matters of Presidents.
with three each. Princeton graduated
two; West Point, Miami, Union, VIII
liams, Kenyon, Dickinson, Bowdoin,
Hampton Sidney, Yale and the Uni
versity of North Carolina one each.
Nine of the Presidents were not college
graduates.
Seven Presidents-tO-be first saw the
light of day in Virginia, six in Ohio.
two In Massachusetts, three in North
Carolina, one each in Vermont, New
Hampshire, Kentucky and New Jersey
Three Presidents were born in New
York city.
When elected, however, five were
legal residents of Virginia, five of
Ohio, four of New York, three of
Tennessee, two of Massachusetts, and
Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsyl-
vania, New Jersey and New Hamp-
shire each sent one President to Wash
ingtOn.
Six Presidents married widows,
James Buchanan was the only bach
elOr who served as President, while
President Wilson is the only one who
married twice.
William II. Harrison had the larg-
est family, six sons and four daugh-
ters. Hayes came next with seven
sons and one daughter. The total
number of children of the twenty
seven Presidents of the United States
is sixty sons and forty-fivc daughters,
Only six Presidents were childless.
Eight Episcopalians served as Presi-
dent, seven Presbyterians, four Unita-
rians, two members of the Dutch Re-
formed and one Disciple and one lib
eraf.
The Republican party elected four
teen Of its candidates to the presiden-
tial chair, the Democrats eight, while
the Wings elected three and the Fed
erallst party two. Ten of the Presi-
dents served more than four years.
William Henry Harrison's service was
shortest. as he had been In office only
one month at the time of his death.
Only five Presidents have served two
full terms, four of them being among
the first seven Presidents elected.
John Adams lived the longest of all the
Presidents. dying at ninety. Garfield
died youngest. at forty-nine. Wash
ingtOn was the only President inaugu-
rated In New York. for the capital
was established at Philadelphia during
his first administration.
The sixth President, John Quincy
Adams, was the son of the second Pres
ident, John Adams, and the twenty
third President. Benjamin Harrison,
was the grandson of the ninth Presi-
dent. william Henry Harrison. The
Harrison family were direct descend.
ants of the Indian Pocahontas and
John Rolfe, the early jamestown set.
tier.
Eighteen of the Presidents were al
some time during their lives soldiers
In active service. Adams and Jefrer.
son signed the Declaration of Inde-
pendence and Washington and Madison
signed the original Constitution of the
y'pttad Sfntnc