Cooperative Living July 2022 - 20

THROWBACK
Noting Virginia's Eight Presidents
on July 4th
by Priscilla Knight, Contributing Writer
Old Dominion was the cradle of the early presidency
E
ight U.S. presidents hailed fromVirginia, more
than any other colony or state. Historians do not
call them perfect men, but these presidents helped
to form a new nation. OnJuly 4th, Independence Day,
note these native sons:
1. George Washington. After winning the
American RevolutionaryWar as commanding
general ofthe Continental Army and serving
as president general ofthe Constitutional
Convention in 1787, Americans elected
Washington as the first president (1789-1797).
He lived inWestmoreland, Stafford and Fairfax counties.
Interesting Tidbit: Washington owned and operated a commercial
whiskey distillery on his Mount Vernon estate.
2. Thomas Jefferson. The third president
(1801-1809) lived in Albemarle County and
Richmond. The principal drafter ofthe 1776
Declaration ofIndependence doubled the size
ofthe nation with the Louisiana Purchase in
1803. He founded the University of Virginia and became
its first rector at age 75.
Interesting Tidbit: Jefferson and second president John Adams
died July 4, 1826, the 50th Independence Day.
3. James Madison. The " Father ofthe
Constitution " and Bill ofRights author served
as the fourth president (1809-1817). Madison
lived in KingGeorge and Orange counties.
During theWar of1812, his wife, Dolley, saved
GeorgeWashington's portrait before the British burned
the White House.
Interesting Tidbit: Madison died in 1836 at 85. He outlived all
U.S. Constitution signers.
4. James Monroe. After serving simultaneously
as secretary ofstate and secretary ofwar under
Madison, the fifth president (1817-1825),
ushered in the " Era ofGood Feelings. " His
Monroe Doctrine called for no more European
colonization in the Americas. He lived inWestmoreland
and Loudoun counties.
Interesting Tidbit: Like Adams and Jefferson, Monroe died
on July 4, but in 1831.
18 ● Cooperative Living ●
July 2022
5. William Henry Harrison. The ninth president,
born at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City
County, was grandfather ofthe 23rd president,
BenjaminHarrison. He gained fame during the
1811 Battle ofTippecanoe and theWar of1812.
Illness killedHarrison one month after he gave history's longest
inauguration speech in 1841.
Interesting Tidbit: President Martin Van Buren's campaigners ridiculed
Harrison by claiming he drank hard cider in his log cabin. Whig Party
campaigners seized the insult and successfully spun it for " Old Tip. "
6. John Tyler. The 10th president (1841-1845),
dubbed " His Accidency, " brought experience as U.S.
representative and senator, and Virginia delegate
and governor. The Charles City County native lived
at Sherwood Forest Plantation until he died while
serving in the Confederate House ofRepresentatives in 1862.
Interesting Tidbit: Tyler's wife was the first spouse to die in the White
House. The 54-year-old president then married 24-year-old Julia Gardiner
in 1844. Their grandson, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, lives in Virginia.
7. Zachary Taylor. " Old Rough and Ready, " a U.S.
Army general, served as the 12th president from
1849 until his death in 1850. The Orange County
native told Southern leaders he would hang anyone
who rebelled against the Union. His son later fought
as a Confederate Army general.
Interesting Tidbit: According to the Virginia is for Lovers website, the
Whig Party nominated Taylor without his knowledge. Party leaders sent
him notice, but Taylor refused to pay the postage.
8. Woodrow Wilson. The Staunton native,
Princeton University president, NewJersey
governor and first president with a Ph.D., became
the 28th head ofstate (1913-1921). The U.S. never
joined his planned League ofNations, butWilson's
idea sprouted into the United Nations afterWorldWar II.
Interesting Tidbit: In 1915, Wilson married Edith Bolling Galt, a Wythe
County native who played a major role after his stroke in October 1919
because of her influence, gatekeeping, and access to classified
information. Maybe Virginia actually produced nine presidents. 
Learn more by visiting thepresidents'Virginia homes
andat whitehouse.gov.
co-opliving.com
http://www.whitehouse.gov http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living July 2022

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