eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
For reference librarians, journalists, social media managers, history buffs, and more, a treasure trove of information about the U.S. presidency for each day of the year from the popular, award-winning White House journalist Paul Brandus. The Atlantic calls Brandus "one of the top Washington insiders you should follow on Twitter" (@WestWingReport).
For each of the 366 days of the year, Brandus offers little-known, fascinating facts; historical anecdotes; and pithy quotations from and about the 45 presidents of the United States—from George Washington to Donald Trump. This Day in Presidential History will surprise its readers with the inside information that Brandus has uncovered in his years on the White House beat.
Here are stories that span war and peace, sex and scandal, frivolity and tragedy—and everything in between, including
* the night Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth met at Ford's Theatre—17 months before Booth's crime,
* the advice Richard Nixon gave Donald Trump,
* the president who immediately went to bed after his swearing in,
* the only president to be censured by the U.S. Senate,
* the president who gambled away the White House china,
* the joyriding teens who crashed into the president's car—and lived to tell the tale,
* the secret swearing in,
* and much more.
Brandus's previous book, Under This Roof: A History of the White House and Presidency (Lyons Press, 2015), was one of Publishers Weekly's "25 Christmas Recommendations."
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781598889444 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Bernan Press |
| Publication date: | 12/22/2017 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 396 |
| File size: | 53 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Paul Brandus, a frequent speaker at presidential libraries and the author of the acclaimed Under This Roof: A History of the White House and Presidency (Lyons Press, 2015), is an award-winning independent member of the White House press corps. He founded West Wing Reports in 2009 (Twitter @WestWingReport) and reports for television and radio clients across the United States and overseas. He is also a contributing columnist for USA Today and a financial columnist for MarketWatch and Dow Jones. He previously spent five years as a journalist in Moscow and several years as a New York-based network television producer and writer. He lives in Reston, Virginia.
Interviews
In Conversation with Paul Brandus The social media innovator, author, columnist and longtime White House correspondent Paul Brandus talks about his new book, This Day in Presidential History (Bernan Press, 978-1-59888-943-7, 416 pages, $40.00, October). Question: Your acclaimed first book, Under This Roof, paired 21 rooms of the White House with a president who had a story associated with that room. This Day in Presidential History presents hundreds of presidential anecdotes and milestones for every day of the year. What were some of the surprises you found while researching this book? Answer: I’m always amazed at how many issues cross the president’s desk, and how they have to stay on top of them all. In a general sense, every issue, every piece of paper that makes it to the Oval Office reflects a tough, difficult decision that has to be made. If it were easier, it would be made by someone else at a lower level. Also, and even in the early days of the nation, the presidency was a difficult job—very stressful and often thankless. It’s certainly much more so today. Things happen so fast, often occurring out of the blue; the speed and complexity can be overwhelming. You see pictures of presidents on their first day on the job and their last—when they leave the mansion for the final time—and the difference is quite dramatic. Question: Your new book presents an appendix where historians rate and rank the presidents. Who is the U.S. president you most admire and why? Answer: Probably Harry Truman. He was a simple man who never forgot his roots; he brought to the presidency his Midwest decency, values, an incredible work ethic—and daily focus on doing not what was popular, but what was right. Some politicians focus on the former, but it’s the latter that ultimately counts. Question: President and war hero William H. Harrison famously served as president for only one month, dying of what was probably cholera 30 days after his inauguration—how should we remember him? Answer: We can thank him for the greatest campaign slogan ever: “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!” —And for reminding us to take better care of ourselves when we get sick! Question:President Andrew Jackson is the only U.S. president to be censured by the Senate. Why was he censured and were there any ramifications? Answer: Jackson was censured by the Senate—the only time this has ever happened—for his efforts to defund the Second Bank of the United States. Think today’s Federal Reserve, that’s sort of what it was. This was 1834, and Jackson was halfway through his second term as president. He ended his presidency successfully. Question:President Woodrow Wilson was the first U.S. president to travel abroad while in office: to participate in the Paris Peace Conference and argue for the League of Nations. You suggest that his efforts on behalf of his ideals damaged his health? Answer: Wilson helped negotiate the Versailles Treaty at the end of World War I. Two-thirds of the Senate has to approve a treaty, and Wilson fell far short. It was the first time the Senate had ever rejected a peace treaty and Wilson was crushed—and also livid. He decided to go over the heads of lawmakers and take his case directly to the American people. He embarked on a nationwide railroad tour to galvanize public support. But the president was in poor health. He had to cut the trip short and return to the White House—where he suffered a paralyzing and near-fatal stroke. His condition was so bad that it was hidden from everyone—lawmakers, journalists, the American people—in what was possibly the greatest cover-up in American history. Question:Presidents Richard Nixon and now Donald Trump have had fractious relations with the media. What presidents from the 19th century also had rocky relations with the press? Answer: Frankly, all had various issues to a certain degree. The press was perhaps even more partisan and nasty than it is today—people often don’t know that! Lincoln was trashed by the press on a regular basis—so you can imagine how far less competent presidents were portrayed! Question: What was the “secret swearing in”? When did the rest of the country find out about their new president? Answer: The disputed 1876 election between Ohio Gov. Rutherford Hayes (R) and New York Gov. Samuel Tilden (D) dragged on for four months—from November until March, which is when presidents were sworn in in those days. When it was finally decided that Hayes was the winner, the outgoing president, Ulysses S. Grant, had heard that angry Democrats might attempt a coup. He arranged to have a dinner party—with Hayes the guest of honor. Waiting in the Red Room was the chief justice of the Supreme Court—who swore Hayes in. Hayes went on to serve just one term—and did not attempt to seek re-election.