The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

President Washington and Others

by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Editor/Publisher

23 February 2000

As time goes on, it seems we hear less and less about the admirable people in our midst, especially when it comes to some of our great leaders.

With President George Washington's birthday being this week, (February 22nd), I have been hearing some stories on the radio that tell of his tremendous moral character and his strength and knowledge as a leader.

With election just around the corner in Illinois, I think it is important that we study our great leaders of the past and consider what made America choose them. We should also consider if our values are in line with what we wish our leaders were.

Peter Marshall, Jr. who has published many books including "From Sea To Shining Sea," told about our great President George Washington. He was a tremendous leader and one that should be revered highly, he said.

Although he can find no evidence that the tale about the chopping down of the cherry tree was true, there was plenty of evidence to tell that this man was a man of his word and of integrity.

And, although he didn't wear his religion on his sleeve, he made statements in his speeches that emphasized the need for God if America was to remain a great nation.

There was absolutely no facts to support the rumors that have floated about that he was unfaithful to Martha.

In one of the books I have been reading about our Presidents, a surprising pattern shows up in many of the presidents of the U.S. Over half of the presidents were middle children including Washington, which might be reassuring to those born in the middle.

When the only child and the oldest children are thought to have more advantages by, it is actually the middle children who succeeded as President. In fact, in all the history of the U.S., there has never been a President that was born an only child

The theory of one writer is the fact that many middle children that were presidents were found to have received extra parental attention because of special talents or frail health.

It was also thought that middle children Presidents were forced to learn early to get along with both older and younger siblings in order to over come obstacles, a good trait for a president.

Washington, along with several other Presidents, such as Jefferson, Lincoln, Hayes, and Truman, all had close relationships with their sisters, a thought that, I like to think, helped them in understanding people, families, and situations much better. It also showed the respect that they had for women.

It isn't just President Clinton, but Presidents often turn to their spouses for advice and feedback on everything from politics to affairs of state.

Did you know that most presidents were just average students. Only three were Phi Beta Kappas: John Quincy Adams, Chester Arthur and Theodore Roosevelt.

William Taft was second in his class at Yale while Ulysses Grant was at the bottom of his class at West Point, but these two men were exceptions rather than the rule.

It seems that most presidents fall under the category as "most friendly" in their classes, although Lyndon Johnson was president of his class. He only took the job because no one else wanted it. John Kennedy was voted "most likely to succeed."

Of course, being most friendly is important when running for office. Most presidents have been considered to be "good minglers" which make good vote-getters.

Most were long-winded and good in front of a crowd, except Thomas Jefferson who was a poor speaker and always sent a written state of the union address to Congress.

Under Ronald Reagan's picture in his high school yearbook runs a slogan "Life is just one grand sweet song, so start the music."

Most presidents were persistent, but not stupid.

Many were great animal lovers, especially Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, and John Kennedy.

Most presidents had strong likes and dislikes when it came to food, some fanatics.

This might be of interest. Most presidents entered the working world at a very young age. Jimmy Carter hawked peanuts at the age of nine.

You would not only find presidents hard workers, but you would find most to work late with their helpers working along with them.

It seems that the favorite pastime for most presidents was reading with outdoor activities coming in a close second.

Most presidents have been aggressive, but some have accepted the job reluctantly such as Harry Truman.

Many presidents were what some term "mama's boys" including Franklin Roosevelt, and Benjamin Harrison, and James Polk.

The comment said by Abraham Lincoln was felt by lots of our U.S. Presidents: "A person is as happy as he sets his mind to be."

Most presidents were born in rural areas. Maybe we should consider that when voting. President Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York and William Howard Taft in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Almost two thirds of the presidents' fathers were self-employed and most were farmers. Only one father was a doctor, and surprisingly there was only a few lawyers.

Many presidents had fathers who were over forty-five when the president-to-be was born. The majority of the presidents mothers were 24 or younger!

The majority of U.S. Presidents were early risers. A tremendous amount of energy allowed them little sleep.

Jimmy Carter once said, "I can get up at nine and be rested or I can get up at 6 and be president."

This goes along with the advice of our millionaire columnist Percy Ross's who said if you want to succeed you need to arrive at work early and stay late.

It is interesting that Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon believed in love at first sight and proposed marriage after only two dates. Harry Truman, on the other hand, knew his wife for twenty years before asking her to marry him, although he said he always had an affection for Bess.

It seems as if picking a president should be a little more serious than finding the middle child, but it might be interesting to find the one we do pick, is a middle child, too..