William Howard Taft was born in Cincinnati in 1857. His father Alphonso Taft was a lawyer, judge, member of President Grant’s cabinet, and minister to Vienna and St. Petersburg. William Taft was born plump and jovial and remained so his entire life.

Boys from his neighborhood feuded with boys from other neighborhoods, throwing rocks at each other and drawing blood. He enjoyed playing baseball, though they would sometimes be attacked while playing. He was nicknamed Big Lub. He covered second base and was good at bat, but a slow runner. He swam in the canal in summer and skated on it in winter.

Happy Independence Day! Last year for the Fourth of July, I wrote about Rutherford B. Hayes. Two years ago, on July 1st I wrote about John Tyler. This year, I’m writing about Theodore Roosevelt.

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. was born to a well-off family in New York in 1858. Called Teedie, he was a sickly child who suffered from asthma and was extremely nearsighted. He read constantly and wanted to be a naturalist (he smelled of formaldehyde until he left for college). His mother once ordered the maid to clean the dead mice out of his bureau and he mourned “The loss to Science!”

William McKinley Jr. was born in Ohio in 1843, the seventh of nine children. He grew up in a small town with only 300 inhabitants. His father produced pig iron. His Methodist mother was opposed to slavery and encouraged education.

As a small boy, Will drove the cows to and from pasture. In winter, his feet were so cold, he warmed them up by pressing his feet in the soil where the cows had lain to enjoy the “pure luxury” of their leftover warmth.

Lives of the Presidents by Julian De Vries was published in 1940, so it only covers the presidents up to FDR, with each president getting an average of 8 pages each. He provides no citations or bibliography, so it feels like an amateur effort. Of the 30 presidents he covers, only ten of the presidents get ten or more pages (the first 7 presidents, Lincoln, Grant, and FDR), giving the impression that the most important period of American history is the beginning. He devotes 29 pages to Andrew Jackson, 21 to Thomas Jefferson, and 18 to John Adams so they must be his favorites. Four of the presidents only get 3 pages each (Pierce, Buchanan, Teddy Roosevelt, and Harding) so they must be his least favorite. Why does Theodore Roosevelt only get two and a half pages while Andrew Jackson gets 29?

Benjamin Harrison was born in 1833 in his grandfather’s house in North Bend, Ohio, the second of ten children. His great grandfather Benjamin Harrison V was governor of Virginia and his grandfather William Henry Harrison was the ninth president of the United States. His father John Scott Harrison served in Congress, however, he was a farmer who was often in debt. His mother was a strict Presbyterian.

Benjamin worked on the farm as a child, and also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and reading. He attended a log cabin school built on his father’s property. When he was 14, his father sent him to Farmer’s College near Cincinnati where Presbyterian minister Professor Robert Hamilton Bishop became a powerful influence, keeping him up-to-date on contemporary political issues and instructing him in religion.

Happy President’s Day! Last year for president’s day, I did a post about Abraham Lincoln. Two years ago, I did a post about Thomas Jefferson. This year, it’s a less famous president, Grover Cleveland.

Grover Cleveland was the only Democrat to be elected president between the Civil War and World War I. His great great grandfather Aaron was friends with Benjamin Franklin. His great grandfather (also named Aaron) was an abolitionist way back in the 1790s. His father Robert was a Presbyterian minister and his mother owned a slave before her husband made her send her slave away.

Stephen Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell, New Jersey in 1837. He was the fifth of nine children. He was named in honor of his father’s predecessor who had founded the Caldwell church. He ended up dropping the Stephen from his name, although he was known as Big Steve to his friends.

Chester Alan Arthur was born in 1829 in Fairfield, Vermont (although he would later list his birth year as 1830 to make people think he was a year younger). His father William had been born in Ireland. William was a Baptist preacher, a school-teacher, a magazine editor, and co-founder of the New York Anti-Slavery Society.

Chet had four older sisters and a younger brother. He was named Chester after the physician who delivered him and he was named Alan after his Irish grandfather (his middle name is pronounced the Irish way).