In this post, I touch on the election (or reelection) of U.S. presidents who guided the country through two bloody, destructive global wars. November 5, 1912: Woodrow Wilson beats two ex presidents in a landslide victory Democrat Woodrow Wilson is elected the 28th president of the United States, with Thomas R. Marshall as vice president. In a landslide Democratic victory, Wilson secured 435 electoral votes against the eight won by Republican incumbent William Howard Taft and the 88 snagged by Progressive Party candidate Theodore Roosevelt. It remains the only election in American history where two former presidents were defeated by another candidate. During his two terms in office, Wilson oversaw U.S. entry into World War I; proposed the Fourteen Points, a statement of principles that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end the global war; and championed the League of Nations, an international organization formed to prevent future armed conflict. Because of opposi...

On this day in 1800, President John Adams (1735-1826) ordered the federal government to pack up, leave Philadelphia, and set up shop in the nation’s new capital -- Washington, D.C. After Congress adjourned its last meeting in Philadelphia on May 15, Adams told his cabinet to make sure Congress and all federal offices were up and running in their new headquarters by June 15, 1800. Philadelphia served as the nation’s capital from 1790 until June 10, 1800. Official archives and documents were transferred from Philadelphia to the new capital via ship over inland waterways. President and Mrs. Adams did not move in to the president’s mansion, which sat unfinished, until November of that year. Settling in to the White House was no walk in the park for the new first lady. In December, Abigail Adams wrote to a friend that she had to line-dry their clothes in what eventually was dubbed the East Room. John Adams was the first president to live in the White House. It was President Theodore...

On this day in 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States. His inaugural address included what arguably became his most famous words: "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He had defeated Republican candidate Herbert Hoover, whom many blamed for the Great Depression, handily. It would be the first of an unprecedented four terms in office for the charismatic Roosevelt. (He died before he could complete his fourth.) No president before him served more than two terms, and none would do so afterward following passage of the 22nd amendment to the Constitution. With his wide-ranging spate of "New Deal" legislation, Roosevelt guided the country through the worst economic downturn in the country's history. His leadership also helped the United States and the Allies achieve victory over the Axis powers in World War II. Franklin Roosevelt was the fifth cousin of Theodore Roo...

On this day in 1904, President Woodrow Wilson departed Washington, D.C, on the first European trip ever taken by a U.S. president. After several days at sea aboard the S.S. George Washington, Wilson arrived at Brest, France. He then traveled by land to Versailles, where he led the American delegation to the peace conference seeking an official end to World War I. Despite Republican opposite to the trip, Wilson worked indefatigably to hash out an agreement that would lead to a lasting peace in Europe. During the stay, Wilson also pushed for the establishment of the League of Nations, an international organization designed to promote world peace by avoiding wars and settling international disputes. At Versailles, Wilson’s hopes for a “just and stable peace” were opposed by the other victorious Allies, and the final treaty, which called for stringent war reparations from the former Central Powers, was met with intense disapproval in Germany. Regardless, President Woodrow Wilson was aw...

Today's quote comes from Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), who served as the 26th President of the United States. Not only was he an accomplished politician, but also a staunch conservationist, historian, and author. Most people may know that it was this venerable Rough Rider who uttered the famous line, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Here's a quote that's not as well known but, in my view, equally resonant: "Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." - Theodore Roosevelt  The exuberant Roosevelt not only published three books in his lifetime, but was an avid reader of history, poetry, and other subjects about which he was passionate. As I've noted in prior posts, I myself am passionate about writing and reading, just as Roosevelt was. When I sit down and put words down on paper, the hours just fly by. I feel completely in my element. I know that writing is my calling, and there'...