I Wish I Knew That: U.S. Presidents: Cool Stuff You Need to Know (14 page)

PRESIDENTIAL FIRST

Warren Harding was the first president to visit the state of Alaska.

FUN FACT

Harding kept plenty of alcohol in the White House for his late-night poker games—even though he voted for Prohibition (which outlawed the sale of alcohol) when he was a senator.

A Mysterious Death

When the word got out that many of these dishonest men were about to be brought to trial, one fled the country, two committed suicide, and Harding, on a trip out west, got sick from what seemed to be food poisoning and died of heart failure in San Francisco. People immediately started to suspect that he had been murdered, although it could never be proved.

30th President ~ 1923–1929

CALVIN COOLIDGE

Silent Cal

‘’Any man who does not like dogs and want them about does not deserve to be in the White House.”

Born

July 4, 1872 Plymouth Notch, Vermont

Political Party

Republican

Vice President

Charles Gates Dawes

First Lady

Grace

Children

John and Calvin

Pets

Rebecca and Reuben, raccoons; dogs: Palo Alto, King Cole, Blackberry, Rough, Ruby, Boston Beans

Taking the Oath

Vice President Calvin Coolidge was visiting his father in Vermont when President Harding died in San Francisco. The news reached them at night and Coolidge’s father, who was a justice of the peace, administered the oath of office to his son, who immediately went back to bed.

A Calm Leader

A quiet, witty, redheaded New Englander, Coolidge was the kind of calm and wholesome president the country needed after Harding’s escapades. Trained as a lawyer and a former governor of Massachusetts, “Silent Cal” was famous for not talking. Once a high society lady seated next to him said, “You must talk to me, Mr. Coolidge. I made a bet today that I could get more than two words out of you.” Coolidge replied: “You lose.”

Boom Times in America

During Coolidge’s terms in office, the country was going through good times, often called the Roaring Twenties. Coolidge believed the government should not interfere with the strong economy. He gave tax cuts to the rich and did little to help farmers who were going out of business. People put more and more of their money into the stock market, even if they were risking too much of it. Coolidge didn’t try to stop the risk-taking; he believed it wasn’t the president’s job to try to control the stock market.

PRESIDENTIAL FIRST

Calvin Coolidge was the first president to be sworn in on the radio in 1925.

FUN FACT

Calvin Coolidge’s real name is John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. He dropped the name John after he graduated from college.

A Happy White House

The Coolidges held lots of parties in the White House. As quiet and reserved as President Coolidge was, his wife, Grace, was talkative and bubbly. She called herself the “national hugger.” Trained in sign language and lip reading to communicate with the deaf, she was a personal friend of Helen Keller.

Coolidge slept more than any president, about ten hours a day, including afternoon naps. But many think he was also asleep at the switch and believe his passive approach to being president set the stage for the economic disaster that followed his time in office. He decided not to run for re-election, simply saying, “I do not choose to run for president in 1928.”

31st President ~ 1929–1933

HERBERT HOOVER

Chief

“Children are our most valuable natural resource.”

Born

August 10, 1874 West Branch, Iowa

Political Party

Republican

Vice President

Charles Curtis

First Lady

Lou

Children

Herbert and Allan

Pets

Patrick, an Irish wolfhound; Sonnie and Big Ben, fox terriers; Yukon, an Eskimo dog; two alligators that wandered around the White House

A Happy and Sad Childhood

When Herbert Hoover was born, his father, the village blacksmith, had such high hopes for him that he marched through town announcing, “We have another General Grant in our house!”

“Bert” Hoover grew up in Iowa, where he learned how to trap rabbits and catch fish. When he was six, his father died and his mother died four years later. Orphaned, Bert was separated from his brother and sister and sent to live with an uncle in Oregon.

A Rich Geologist

Hoover went to Stanford, a new college in California, and studied geology and mining. Before long, he was a self-made millionaire, traveling all over the world. He helped evacuate Americans from Europe before World War I broke out and took charge of food rationing in the United States during the war.

Difficult Times

Hoover was very popular when he ran for president and won easily. But a few months later, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. Banks failed, businesses were ruined, people lost their jobs, and everyone blamed Hoover. After a while he gave banks and businesses loans, but refused to give money directly to unemployed and homeless people, which made him seem uncaring about the suffering caused by the depression.

PRESIDENTIAL FIRST

Herbert Hoover was the first president born west of the Mississippi River.

FUN FACT

When President Hoover and his wife wanted privacy, they would speak Chinese to each other so the White House staff couldn’t understand them.

None of what he tried to do improved the economy and by the time his term was ending, 14 million people were without work. Many lived in shacks and tent villages called “Hoovervilles” in extreme poverty. Hitchhikers held signs that read: “If you don’t give me a ride, I’ll vote for Hoover.” He was not re-elected.

Helping Others

Although history says Hoover was not a good president, he was a great humanitarian. After World War II, he helped get food to war-torn Europe. For 25 years he ran the Boys Clubs of America, because he always had special concern for “the boys of the city streets.”

32nd President ~ 1933–1945

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

FDR

“When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”

Born

January 30, 1882 Hyde Park, New York

Political Party

Democrat

Vice Presidents

John N. Garner Henry A. Wallace Harry S. Truman

First Lady

Anna Eleanor

Children

Anna, James, Elliott, Franklin, John, and a son who died young

Pets

Fala, a Scottish terrier, and other dogs

The Great Depression

When Franklin Roosevelt became president in the middle of the Great Depression, millions of Americans were out of work, poor, and homeless. And there was no end in sight to their misery and suffering. In his first speech, FDR gave hope. “This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive, and will prosper,” he said. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

He charged into the job, starting many programs that gave people a “new deal” and put them to work. Believing that the federal government should help the needy, he provided aid to the unemployed, farmers, businessmen, and bankers. Social Security payments were created to help sick, elderly, and disabled Americans. His wife, Eleanor, worked tirelessly to help the poor and inspired many Americans to do the same. After four years, the economy seemed to be improving, and he won re-election.

A New Challenge

In Roosevelt’s second term, a new war broke out in Europe when Hitler’s Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Even though the U.S. stayed out Europe when Hitler’s Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Even though the U.S. stayed out of the war at first, American factories made weapons and war supplies to help England, France, and other friends fighting Germany. Without entering the war, the U.S. was able to support the war effort—and put more Americans back to work.

PRESIDENTIAL FIRST

President Franklin Roosevelt was the first president to ride in an airplane.

Pearl Harbor

When Japanese planes attacked American ships anchored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, the United States entered World War II and fought it for the next four years. FDR was a true commander in chief, studying battle plans, appointing field commanders, and, using the radio to talk to Americans, keeping the nation solidly behind the war. His radio broadcasts gave Americans confidence and hope during the darkest days of the war.