Mike Purdy, Author at Presidential History

Remembering Barbara Bush

by Mike Purdy | Apr 22, 2018 | George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Mothers, Wives and Mistresses

There is no job description for First Lady, nor is there a job description for being a political spouse. Nevertheless, Barbara Bush navigated being in the public eye for more than 50 years as the wife of prominent politician and one-term president, George H.W. Bush...

The Spell of Reagan’s Ranch

by Mike Purdy | Apr 16, 2018 | Homes, Presidential Sites, Ronald Reagan

“From the first day we saw it,” Ronald Reagan said, “Rancho del Cielo cast a spell over us. No place before or since has ever given Nancy and me the joy and serenity it does.” Reagan’s Beloved Retreat: Rancho del Cielo (Ranch in the Sky)...

When Shots Rang Out

by Mike Purdy | Apr 2, 2018 | Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Assassinations, Barack Obama, Books, Deaths, Franklin Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, Harry Truman, James Garfield, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Secret Service, Theodore Roosevelt, William McKinley

Many of us know that four presidents have been assassinated (Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, John F. Kennedy). But what is less known is there have been numerous attempted assassinations and threats against not just presidents, but presidential...

The Scene of the Crimes

by Mike Purdy | Mar 7, 2018 | Abraham Lincoln, Assassinations, Deaths, James Garfield, John F. Kennedy, Presidential Sites, William McKinley

Four American presidents have been assassinated. Today, with one exception, you can visit the scene of the crimes and find physical commemorations of the tragedies – in the form of a paint on a road, a theatre box, and an obscure historical marker. The site of...

Grant’s Race Against Time

by Mike Purdy | Jan 28, 2018 | Deaths, Presidential Sites, Ulysses Grant

After his presidency, Ulysses S. Grant – an international celebrity – took a two and a half year world tour where he was acclaimed by heads of state. Short of Cash: Back in the United States, he needed an income (the trip had deleted most of his savings)...