The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1937-01-16

VINO TeSl0e part Oh tine year II
at tho Inauguration. The others,
because Of advanced age and, pos.
slbly, political feelings, win not
attend.
The average ago Of the presi-
Dental WIDOWS Is 20 years. Three
have paascd their 18th birthday.
Only osie. Mrs. Coolidge, Is under
90. She " 50 years old.
All live In comfortable retire.
ment, three receiving 5000 q
year government pensions Mrs.
Roosevelt, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs.
Coolidge. The last pension was
voted this week by congress. Mrs.
Thomas r. Marshall, widow Of
the vice president, gets 5000
pension. All also have the priv
ilege Of franking their mail.
THE SIX WOMEN CONSTI-
TUTE AN INTERESTING
GROUP.
Presidential Widows
MRS. BENJAMIN HARRISON
spent two years In the White
House, but not as the First Lady.
She was the niece Of Mrs. Har-
rison, and herself Q widow, Mrs.
Mary Scott Lord Dimmick. She
went to the White House to act
as hostess during the illness CT
her aunt. Her marriage to the
widowed ex-President came later.
Born In 1853, MRS. Harrison Is
now 70, and the Oldest Of the
group. She Is more spry than
some who are younger, however.
She attended the Republican Ma
tional Convention In Cleveland last
June, was introduced to the
crowd. and made o brief speech.
MRS. GROVER CLEVELAND
PRESTON Is both q widow and
wife. President Cleveland died
In 1908. eleven years after they
had left the White House. Five
years later Mrs. Preston married
q Princeton professor Of archaic
ology, Thomas Jax Preston, who
Il still living.
Mrs. Preston came to the White
House at the age Of "a as Fran.
ces Folsom, In the second year
Of Cleveland's first term. The
daughter Of Cleveland's former
law partner, she married the
President In the White House in
1855. He was then 40.
At the expiration Of the sec.
ond term In 1897, the Clevelnnds
settled ut Princeton, N. j., be-
came warm friends Of the
young professor Of history,
Woodrow Wilson, and Of the
bachelor Professor Preston.
When Cleveland died ct the
age Of ", Mrs. Cleveland was
"A. She b now 52.
She has Republican Represen.
tive Ham" Fish to thank for
the fact that she receives no
pension. When the measure pro-
vtding an annuity for Mrs. Pres
ton came up in the House, Fish
amended It TO include o like pro.
vision for Mrs. Benjamin Karri-
son. This provoked vigorous oh.
lection, on the ground that Mrs.
Harrison had never been q First
Lady. She married Harrison two
years after he had left the White
House. In the ensuing fracas
the bill was defeated and no Of.
fort has been made to revive It.
Mrs. Roosevelt I
MRS. THEODORE ROOSE-
WELT outdoes Mrs. Harrison In
her opposition to the party Of
Franklin d. Roosevelt. Last
summer, though still lame with a
fractured hip, she warmly re-
ceived Governor Landon at her
Oyster Bay estate, and issued
statement vigorously denouncing
"the President and those such as
Messrs. 'Tugwell and Frankfurter
who with him have shaped the
New Deal policies"
Born in 1851, she became Theo.
dore Roosevelt's second wife. She
IL the step-mother OF Alice Roose-
welt Longworth, the mother Of
Theodore, Jr., Kermit, Ethel,
Archie. and the late Quentin.
In the face Of the New Deal,
the T. r. family stick together.
At the celebration Of her 18th
birthday last August, Mrs. Roose-
welt had with her four Of her
children, none Of the r. d. Roose-
velts. Step-daughter Alice says
of her, when I want 10 let off
steam, ] call mp mother at
Oyster Bay and talk 70 her.
Mrs. Roosevelt. without hesita-
ton, declined the invitation x
come to the 1887 inaugural.
MRS. WILLIAM HOWARD
TAFT, on the other hand. thought
she might like to see the parade.