Student Reading 16.1: Eight Presidents!! All from Ohio! From 1841 to 1921, eight men from Ohio became President of the United States. Why Ohio? Ohio was a pretty important state. It was the fifth state to join the union after the original 13 colonies. The Civil War, fought from 1861 to 1865, 1
also removed the southern states from consideration for presidential candidates. Here are the names, the year their service began, and a little piece of trivia about (Warren G. Harding. Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection.) each of the Ohio Presidents: Warren G. Harding (began serving in 1921) was also a newspaper editor in Marion, Ohio. He was the first president to ride to his inauguration in an automobile and the first president to speak on the radio. This 29th President of the United States organized the Citizens Coronet band and claimed to have played every instrument but the slide trombone and the E-flat coronet. Harding's dog, an Airedale named "Laddie Boy," had his own chair at meetings. Other Harding pets in the White House included a bulldog named "Old Boy," along with several canaries. William Howard Taft (began serving in 1909) was the first president to have a presidential car. He also (William Howard Taft. Courtesy of 2
served as the Governor of the Philippines and appointed as United States Secretary of War. In addition to President John F. Kennedy, Taft is the only other president who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. After serving as the 27th United States President, he was the first and only president to become Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Taft had only one pet in the White House, a cow named "Pauline Wayne." Perhaps the most well-known legend about William Howard Taft relates to his size. A rather large man (332 pounds) Taft was rumored to have gotten stuck in the White House bathtub and later had an oversized tub installed just for his use. William Henry Harrison (served beginning in 1841), our ninth president, gave the longest inaugural speech of any United States President with a total of 8,445 words. Unfortunately, he was the first president to die in office. He gave his speech on a cold, rainy day and later (William Henry Harrison. Courtesy of developed pneumonia. After serving only one month, the shortest term of any president, Harrison died. 3
While campaigning for president, Harrison was the first to have a campaign slogan, "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too." During his campaign in 1840, he distributed walking sticks made of Buckeye wood. Sharing the White House with Harrison and his family was a goat and a cow. Rutherford B. Hayes (began serving in 1877) became the 19th President of the United States. As a child, he won elementary school contests in spelling. (Rutherford B. Hayes. Courtesy of His wife, Lucy, was the first First Lady to graduate from a college, Ohio Wesleyan in Delaware. Hayes was the first president to use a telephone in the White House, which was also home to their Siamese cats, several dogs, cows, horses, goats and canaries. Benjamin Harrison (began serving in 1889) attended Miami University in Ohio, becoming a lawyer, (Benjamin Harrison. Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection.) military leader, and Senator. He was the grandson of William Henry Harrison and 4
the first president to use electricity in the White House. The 23rd President of the United States and his family shared the White House with their dogs, "Whiskers," the goat, and an opossum. James A. Garfield (began serving in 1881) was considered a great orator. He could write in Latin with one hand while writing in Greek with the other hand. He was the last president born in a log cabin and was (James A. Garfield. Courtesy of assassinated in a Washington railroad station. As a young man, Garfield drove a canal boat team to earn money for an education. The 20th President of the United States and his family shared the White House with their horse, a dog, and fish. William McKinley (began serving in 1897) attended Allegheny College and was a teacher in a (William McKinley. Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection.) country school when the Civil War broke out. While 5
McKinley served as the 25th President of the United States, America became involved in the Spanish American War. He was the third President to be assassinated. McKinley always wore a red carnation in the lapel of his coat or suit and in his honor, the scarlet carnation was adopted as the state flower of Ohio. He shared the White House with a parrot and an Angora cat and her kittens. Ulysses S. Grant (began serving in 1869) was a military officer and an Ohio farmer. Not only did he bring along part of his Army staff, but most of the farm with him to the White House, including horses, pigs, roosters, two ponies, named "Reb" and "Billy Button," his Newfoundland dog, "Faithful," and a parrot. He was the first and only (Ulysses S. Grant. Courtesy of president to get a speeding ticket, charged $20 for speeding on his horse. He was our 18 th president. 6
Reading Comprehension Questions 1. Which of the Presidents from Ohio did you find the most interesting and why? 2. Which President had the most unusual pet, in your opinion? 3. What do you think would be the hardest part of the job as President of the United States? 7