by Mike Purdy | Oct 4, 2016 | Campaigns, Chester Arthur, Elections, Electoral College, James Garfield, John Adams, John F. Kennedy, Millard Fillmore, Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt, Vice-Presidents, William Henry Harrison, William McKinley
On September 27, 2016, I had a free-ranging 30 minute interview on Chicago-based WCGO radio (1590) on the presidents and vice-presidents, with comments about the tone of the current 2016 presidential campaign, including what president I thought would beat either...
by Mike Purdy | Jul 13, 2016 | Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Assassinations, Campaigns, Chester Arthur, Deaths, Elections, Franklin Roosevelt, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Harry Truman, James Garfield, John Adams, Millard Fillmore, Richard Nixon, Theodore Roosevelt, Vice-Presidents, William Henry Harrison, William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson, Zachary Taylor
“My country,” a frustrated John Adams once wrote about the vice presidency, “has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” He has not been alone throughout our...
by Mike Purdy | May 25, 2015 | Franklin Pierce, Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter, John Quincy Adams, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Post Presidencies, Presidential Greatness, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft
Our presidents have taken different paths during their post-presidential years, with some contributing significantly to the nation, while others took counterproductive actions. Some we would argue were excellent ex-presidents, while others caused significant problems...
by Mike Purdy | May 17, 2015 | Harry Truman, Millard Fillmore
While almost a full century separated the births of Harry Truman and Millard Fillmore, there is one unusual thing they both share in common, besides ascending to the presidency upon the death of their predecessor. Death of Predecessor: Fillmore became president on...
by Mike Purdy | Mar 16, 2015 | Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Assassinations, Calvin Coolidge, Chester Arthur, Deaths, Franklin Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, Harry Truman, James Garfield, John F. Kennedy, John Tyler, Lyndon B. Johnson, Millard Fillmore, Richard Nixon, Terms of Office, Theodore Roosevelt, Warren Harding, William Henry Harrison, William McKinley, Zachary Taylor
Lincoln by a landslide: The weary nation breathed a sigh of relief as the hostilities of the long and wrenching War Between the States closed that frightful chapter of history. But before the wounds began to heal, the bloodshed that had taken a generation of young...
by Mike Purdy | Dec 12, 2012 | Andrew Johnson, Calvin Coolidge, Chester Arthur, Gerald Ford, Harry Truman, John Tyler, Lyndon B. Johnson, Millard Fillmore, Theodore Roosevelt, Vice-Presidents
Nine times in the history of the republic, a vice-president has ascended to the office of president due to the death or resignation of the president. Here’s a list of these men:John TylerMillard FillmoreAndrew JohnsonChester ArthurTheodore RooseveltCalvin...