Less than three.
Well. How about this? Calvin Coolidge, who was president from 1923 to 1929, was also a very quiet man. And one time, Coolidge purportedly replied, “You lose,” to a visitor who bet she could get at least three words out of him.
Oh, quite a few interesting tidbits have come out of the Oval Office. But more about that in a moment.
Let’s begin at the beginning. When the United States was formed, the founding “fathers” wrote up the guidelines for our country. It is also known as The Constitution of the United States.
It isn’t very long, really. The U.S. Constitution has 4,400 words. As such, it is the shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world. The original document was only four pages in length.
As most of us know, this cherished document contains some pretty key things when it comes to our country. It outlines the powers of Congress, our Legislative Branch. The President, the Executive Branch. And last but not least, the Judicial Branch. It also lays out the relationship between the states, the process of adding amendments, and so much more. And these days, there are 27 additional Amendments.
But I want to talk about quiet Calvin and the rest of them.
That Constitution puts the power of the Executive Branch in the hands of the President of the United States. The Big Chief. In case you wish to look it up, all of this can be found under Article II of the Constitution.
And so, since the birth of the United States, we’ve had 46 presidents. In some ways, all 46 of them have been somewhat alike. So far, they’ve all been men. And with the exception of one, they’ve all been white.
But besides being a bunch of older white men, each commander-in-chief has also been greatly unique.
I thought, perhaps, we could take a look.
Woof. Let’s start with good old George Washington (1789-1797). Apparently, he was an enthusiastic dog breeder, particularly of hunting hounds. He used to give them quirky names too. Like “Sweet Lips” and “Drunkard.”
Little Keebler Elf. James Madison (1809-1817) was the shortest president. He was only 5’4” and weighed barely over 100 pounds. I bet he baked Fudge Stripe Cookies in the White House kitchen.
Killer. I wonder how many of our presidents have killed another person. One for sure. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) once shot a man in a duel. Dead. The guy’s name was Charles Dickinson. He accused Andy of cheating on a horse race bet. And they’re off!
True American. Martin Van Buren (1837-1841) was the first president to be born an American. All the presidents before him were originally British subjects, having been born prior to 1776. Van Buren was the eighth president, I should add.
Prolific. John Tyler (1841-1845) must have liked getting busy. He fathered 15 children, the most of any president. President Daddy-O.
New Heights. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) stood as the tallest president at 6’4.” (Lyndon B. Johnson is listed at 6’3.5”, and Donald Trump is said to be 6’3”.)
One Ringy-Dingy. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) was the first president to have a telephone in the White House. I wonder if he pranked anyone.
You Go, Girl. That guy from Ohio, Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893): Harrison, was the first president to hire a female White House staffer.
Big Bucks. William McKinley’s (1897-1901) face appeared on the $500 bill. The big, big bill was discontinued in 1969.
Under The Table. While he was a student at Yale, George Bush (1989-1993) was a member of Skull and Bones. It is an elite secret student society. They scare me.
And last but not least, my favorite presidential fact comes from one of our impeached presidents.
Three Blind Ones, Maybe. Most of our presidents had a pet. But not Andrew Johnson (1865-1869). Instead, Johnson cared for a family of White House mice, which he called “the little fellows.” He would leave out water and food for them in his bedroom, right next to the fireplace. His little mouse family.
So there they are. The First Facts. We can only guess what more may come.
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It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company.
— George Washington
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Too often we… enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
— John F. Kennedy
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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
— Theodore Roosevelt
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Those first guys and their first facts.
