James Abram Garfield (named after a brother who died in infancy) was born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parents felt the death of the first James was punishment from God for not being religious, so they became Disciples (Campbellites). His father died a couple years later after catching a chill while fighting a fire.

His mother sold some land and took in sewing to make money. His 12-year-old brother Thomas worked the fields of their farm. His sisters Mary and Mehitabel (Hittie) did house work. James  was too young to be especially close to his older siblings. When neighborhood boys made fun of him for being poor and not having a dad, he was said to have “the skin of a rabbit” because he was so sensitive.

Continue reading →

Rutherford Birchard Hayes was born in Ohio in 1822 a couple months after his father died of typhus. Two of his siblings died before he was born and when he was two, his brother drowned while ice skating. As a result, his mother became very protective of her two remaining children.

Rud (as he was called) was 7 before she allowed him to play with other children and 9 before she let him play sports. He was very close with his older sister Fanny who was a tomboy and superb rifle shot. They loved hunting, fishing, rowing, sailing, swimming, skating, riding, and reading. They would share irreverent jokes and puns their pious mother didn’t approve of. (Throughout his life, he never officially joined a church, although he attended services regularly.) George Washington was his hero and he would memorize patriotic speeches of famous Americans.

Continue reading →

Grant wasn’t brilliant, especially handsome, or charming. He was an alcoholic and he wasn’t good at public speaking. He made mistakes, especially when it came to trusting businessmen. What made him successful was his honesty, his tenacity, and his reliance on others. He remained calm in battle. Once, while writing a dispatch, a shell landed near him. He only looked up briefly before he returned to writing.

Continue reading →

Andrew Johnson was born in a log cabin in 1808 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Despite being the state capitol, Raleigh was still a small town at the time. His parents were illiterate. His older sister died as a child. His father, Jacob Johnson, died soon after heroically saving three men who were in a capsized boat.

His mother, Mary (Polly) Johnson, was left to care for two boys by herself. She was a seamstress and laundress. Because Andrew had black hair and a darker complexion than his older brother William (who had freckles and light hair), there were rumors that Andrew’s biological father was a lawyer his mom did laundry for. Poor white women at the time did the same work as enslaved black women and were likewise at the mercy of the men in whose houses they worked, so the rumors are at least plausible.

Continue reading →

In the 1950s and 60s, H.L. Hunt was the richest man in the world. He hosted a conservative radio program called Life Line which told the world about the evils of JFK, RFK, MLK, and labor unions. He wanted to promote his radio show at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and spent millions of dollars on roller coasters and other investments, however his contract was cancelled and he lost all the money. Vice President LBJ told him the decision had been made by a “higher authority”, which Hunt took to mean President JFK. On the plane ride back to Dallas, Hunt told John Curington, the author of this book, “I’ve about got a bellyful of those Kennedy boys. They both need to go.”

Continue reading →

Abraham Lincoln spoke in a high-pitched voice and had disproportionately large hands and a long neck. Walt Whitman wrote that Lincoln’s face was “so awful ugly it becomes beautiful.”

Lincoln didn’t speak a lot. His law partner said “He was the most shut-mouthed man that ever existed.” He was careful not to express certainty, once stating, “I am almost ready to say this is probably true.” He sought out the opinions of his opponents and looked at questions from every side. He had a keen sense of humor. He never officially joined a church, but he became deeply religious after becoming president.

Continue reading →

James Buchanan was born in a log cabin in Pennsylvania in 1791, the second of 11 children, not far from the Mason Dixon line. His father, also named James Buchanan, owned a general store which was successful enough for him to buy a substantial farm, then a store on main street in Mercersburg, and he eventually became one of the richest men in the area. As the oldest son, the younger James Buchanan was the favorite among his siblings, and was particularly close to his mother.

At 16, Buchanan went to college at Dickinson, but since his mother had already educated him in the classics, he found college too easy. He began his lifelong habit of smoking cigars (in later years, he would chew the ends of unlit cigars). He was the smartest student and also the most arrogant, flouting school rules. He got expelled for disorderly conduct.

Continue reading →