Ohio prides itself as being the ‘Mother of Presidents,’ boasting no fewer than eight chief executives. Seven were born in the ‘Buckeye State:’ Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft and Warren G. Harding. The eighth, William Henry Harrison, may have technically been born in Virginia (who claims him as their native son), but he had served both as US Congressman and Senator from Ohio before ascending to the presidency (Guerrieri, 2018). No other state can claim as many presidents, not even ‘Old Virginia’ has dominion. What is it in the Ohio water that breeds this many leaders?
Perhaps a better question is of quality over quantity. Certainly not all of Ohio’s presidents have been successful. Garfield and Mckinley would both tragically be assassinated while in office, victims of their own failures in turbulent times. Warren Harding, plagued by ‘Teapot Dome’ and various extramarital affairs, would die under mysterious circumstances while in office (Monks, 2019). Ulysses Grant successfully led the Union to victory during the Civil War, but his Presidency would be overshadowed by scandal after scandal, leading him to admit in his farewell address, “Mistakes have been made, as all can see and I admit, but I leave comparisons to history, claiming only that I have acted in every instance from a conscientious desire to do what was right, constitutional, within the law, and for the very best interests of the whole people. Failures have been errors of judgment, not of intent.” (Daugherty, 2020)
Of all the Ohio Presidents, Benjamin Harrison, grandson of William Henry and proud graduate of Miami University. quietly led America to several successes. Consider his accomplishments: the expansion of the US Navy, the creation of the first Pan-American Union, and the passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act (Friedel & Sidey, H. 2006). His success should not be measured by legislation alone. Unfairly nicknamed ‘Kid Glove’ Harrison, Benjamin non-confrontationally worked to improve the lives of Indians, homesteaders, and veterans.
Proving the maxim ‘what is right isn’t always popular, and what is popular isn’t always right,’ Benjamin Harrison lost the popular vote by 100,000 to Grover Cleveland but still won in the Electoral College 233 to 168 (Friedel & Sidey, H. 2006). His ‘front porch’ campaigns, so named for his speeches delivered from his home in Indianapolis, would not be enough to propel him to a second term in 1892. While not the most dynamic or charismatic of our leaders, ‘Little Ben’ should be given credit for helping to heal our nation long after Reconstruction had been abandoned.
No comments:
Post a Comment