Nation will observe Presidents Day

President’s Day, to be observed on Monday, Feb. 15th this year, popularly celebrates the presidents of the United States. Officially, by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968, it is George Washington’s birthday. But through the years the third Monday in February has evolved from a celebration honoring George Washington into a recognition of all U.S. presidents.

President Joseph Biden is the 46th president of the United States, but only 45 men have been elected to the office. Grover Cleveland is the reason for this curiosity. His two terms were not consecutive. Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th U.S. President.

Washington is the well-known first president – “First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” Abraham Lincoln, 16th president, is credited with “saving the Union.” Both these men were born in February. Washington on the 22nd and Lincoln on the 12th. Back in the days when “country schools” dotted the countryside, both days were celebrated.

Washington was one of 12 generals to serve as commander in chief. Two were generals in the War of 1812. “The Hero of New Orleans” – Andrew Jackson – became our seventh president and William Henry Harrison “Old Tippecanoe” was the ninth.

“Old Rough and Ready,” Zachary Taylor, a hero of the Mexican-American War, was the 12th president. Franklin Pierce, a general because of whom he knew not what he knew, was not a military success. His presidency, the 14th, is considered by historians to be one of the worst in our history.

Six presidents saw service as generals during the Civil War. Andrew Johnson, the 17th president, was a general solely because he was appointed the military governor of the State of Tennessee. He became president after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. His presidency is deemed by historians as another of our history’s worst.

Rutherford B. Hayes, wounded five times during the Civil War, became our 19th president. The 20th president, James A Garfield also served with distinction during the war but was shot shortly after his election by a crazed office seeker. He lived for 2 1⁄2 months following the assassination attempt. He was succeeded by the vice-president, Chester A. Arthur, who became the 21st president. Arthur was also an appointed general during the Civil War, a quartermaster general in charge of housing and provisioning troops.

Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president of the United States, served on the battlefields of the Civil War. His presidency was sandwiched between the two of Cleveland. The most famous Civil War general to attain the presidency was Ulysses S. Grant, “Unconditional Surrender Grant” served as the 18th President. “The Hero of Appomattox” is accredited with bringing the Civil War to a close.

President 34, from Kansas, Dwight David Eisenhower was the commanding general of the Allied Powers in Europe during World War II. A five-star general, Eisenhower was popular across the United States.

Presidents have been related. In recent times, George Bush served as our 41st president and his son, George W. Bush became the 43rd president. Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president, was the grandson of William Henry Harrison the 9th president. The sixth president, John Quincy Adams, was the son of our second president, John Adams. The 26th president, Teddy Roosevelt was a distant cousin of Franklin Delano Roosevelt but the uncle of Franklin’s wife, Eleanor.

FDR was the 32nd President and served during the depression of the “Dirty Thirty’s” and during much of WWII. FDR addressed the nation in “Fireside Chats.” Years later, Donald Trump, our 45th president, would use Facebook and Twitter.

Four U.S. presidents have received the Nobel Peace Prize. The most recent was Barack Obama our 44th President. The other recipients were Jimmy Carter our 39th president, Woodrow Wilson the 28th president and the 26th president, Teddy Roosevelt.

Of the eight Founding Fathers of our country, five became president. George Washington, “The Father of His Country” was the first President and John Adams the second. The writer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, served as our third President while James Madison was the fourth and James Monroe the fifth.

Our eighth president, Martin Van Buren was the first president to be born in the United States of America. All the preceding presidents had been born British subjects.

Both Pierce (14th president) and Andrew Johnson (17th president) are noted by historians as having two of the worst presidencies in our history. But James Buchanan, our 15th president, is often considered the most inept of our presidents. He did nothing to stop the increasing division of the country which lead to the Civil War. Nor did he do anything about the succession of Southern States which immediately preceded the Civil War.

Four presidents have been involved in impeachment proceedings. Andrew Johnson (17th president) was acquitted by one vote. Richard Nixon (37th president) resigned before the proceedings began. Bill Clinton (42nd president) and Donald Trump (45th president) went through the impeachment proceedings but were not convicted.

Four presidents have been killed while in office. Abraham Lincoln (16th president), James A. Garfield (20th president), William McKinley (25th president), and John F Kennedy (35th president). Upon their deaths, Andrew Johnson became the 17th president, Chester Arthur the 21st president, Theodore Roosevelt the 26th president and Lyndon Baines Johnson the 36th president.

Four presidents have died of natural causes while serving our country. William Henry Harrison (9th president) served only 31 days before dying of pneumonia. His was the shortest presidency.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (32nd president) died of a cerebral hemorrhage during his fourth term as president. FDR’s presidency was the longest in our history. Zachary Taylor (12th president) died of gastroenteritis and Warren G. Harding (29th president) died of a heart attack.

After those deaths, John Tyler became the 10th president, Harry S. Truman the 33rd president, Millard Fillmore the 13th president and “Silent Cal,” Calvin Coolidge became the 30th president of the United States.

One president, Gerald Ford, was never elected. He was appointed vice president by our 37th president, Richard M. Nixon, when vice president Spiro Agnew resigned in disgrace for federal income tax evasion. Less than a year later, Nixon became the only president to resign. His resignation came in the wake of the Watergate Affair. Gerald Ford then became the unelected 38th president of the United States.

Our third president, Thomas Jefferson is known for expanding the United States with the huge Louisiana Purchase. But our 11th president, James Polk also greatly increased the size of the U.S. by successfully leading the country through the Mexican American War. California and areas in the Southwest were added to the United States. Texas was also annexed during his term of office.

The 27th president, William Howard Taft, has the distinction of being the only person to have served as both president of the United States and chief justice of the U. S. Supreme Court.

Herbert Hoover became the 31st president in time for the Great Crash on Wall Street in 1929. His economic policies did not reverse the ensuing depression and he was soundly trounced in the 1932 election by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Twenty-six presidents had been lawyers before their political careers. Others had been teachers, businessmen, farmers or planters but only one has been an actor. Ronald Reagan, the popular two-term 40th president of the United States had been an actor before becoming the governor of California. His skill as an orator earned him the nickname “The Great Communicator.”

For those who prefer something more organized than a random look at our presidents, here they are in order from first to 46th; George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Q. Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William H. Harrison, John Tyler, James Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barrack Obama, Donald Trump, Joseph Biden.