Interesting presidential trivia

[Randall]

http://www.heptune.com/preslist.html#birthplaces

 

 

Presidents killed by the incompetence of their doctors

 

George Washington - bled to death by his doctors as treatment for "inflammatory quinsy"

James Garfield - whose doctors contaminated his bullet wound so that he died of infection.

Edited January 18, 2009 by Randall

[MikesVikes]

Garfield had little time to savor his triumph. He was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, disgruntled by failed efforts to secure a federal post, on July 2, 1881, at 9:30 a.m., less than four months after taking office. The President had been walking through the Sixth Street Station of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad (a predecessor of the Pennsylvania Railroad) Washington, D.C., on his way to his alma mater, Williams College, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech, accompanied by Secretary of State James G. Blaine, Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln (son of Abraham Lincoln[8])

 

At the time of his death, Garfield was survived by his mother. He is one of only three presidents to have predeceased their mothers. The others were James K. Polk and John F. Kennedy.

 

link

Edited January 18, 2009 by MikesVikes

[BeeR]

Pres Tyler (who was a VP that came into office when Harrison died) never bothered to select a VP.

[Big John]

Pres Tyler (who was a VP that came into office when Harrison died) never bothered to select a VP.

In fact, Coolidge was the 5th VP to take over the Office of the President midterm and was the first of those to select a VP.

[Czarina]

I believe I heard this morning on the radio that Harrison's inaugural speech was the longest ever, at 2 hours. He stood out in the freezing cold for 2 hours speaking, fell ill soon after and was dead within a month from pneumonia. Ouch.

[darin3]

I believe I heard this morning on the radio that Harrison's inaugural speech was the longest ever, at 2 hours. He stood out in the freezing cold for 2 hours speaking, fell ill soon after and was dead within a month from pneumonia. Ouch.

Yeah, I heard it was a killer speech though.

[Randall]

I believe I heard this morning on the radio that Harrison's inaugural speech was the longest ever, at 2 hours. He stood out in the freezing cold for 2 hours speaking, fell ill soon after and was dead within a month from pneumonia. Ouch.

 

 

He wasn't dressed warmly. From Wiki-

 

When Harrison came to Washington, he focused on showing that he was still the steadfast hero of Tippecanoe. He took the oath of office on March 4, 1841, an extremely cold and wet day. Nevertheless, he faced the weather with neither his overcoat nor hat, and delivered the longest inaugural address in American history. At 8,444 words, it took nearly two hours to read (even after his friend and fellow Whig, Daniel Webster, had edited it for length). He then rode through the streets in the inaugural parade.

 

On March 26, Harrison became ill with a cold. The presumptive story, which has become common knowledge despite some doubts about its veracity, is that the inauguration day exposure was the cause of his illness. However, it was more than three weeks after the inauguration before Harrison showed the first signs of ill health and modern studies have shown that exposure to adverse weather conditions does not cause respiratory illnesses. The cold worsened, rapidly turning to pneumonia and pleurisy.[49] According to the prevailing medical misconception of that time, microorganisms being then unknown, it was believed that his illness was directly caused by the bad weather, when, in fact, he was likely a victim of the common cold virus, exacerbated by the drastic pressures of his changed circumstances. He sought to rest in the White House, but could not find a quiet room because of the steady crowd of office seekers; in addition, his extremely busy social schedule made any rest time scarce.

 

Harrison's doctors tried cures, applying opium, castor oil, Virginia snakeweed, and even actual snakes. But the treatments only made Harrison worse, and he became delirious. He died nine days after becoming ill,[50] at 12:30 a.m., on April 4, 1841, of right lower lobe pneumonia, jaundice, and overwhelming septicemia, becoming the first American president to die in office. His last words were to his doctor, but assumed to be to John Tyler, "Sir, I wish you to understand the true principles of the government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more." Harrison served the shortest term of any American president: only 30 days, 12 hours and 32 minutes.

 

Harrison's funeral took place in the Wesley Chapel in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1841. He was a founding member of Christ Church, Cincinnati. He was buried in North Bend, Ohio, at what is now the William Henry Harrison Tomb State Memorial.

[edit]

[BeeR]

No president has ever been an only child. Well I think. Not sure about the new guy.