Presidential Trivia

[Ad Orientem]

In the spirit of the moment here are a few questions for history enthusiasts. See how many you can answer before looking them up or checking the comments. I will post the answers tomorrow.

* Who was the last president elected by the US House of Representatives?

* Excluding those who died in office, which presidents did not attend the inauguration of their successors?

* Two men ran against each other for the office of Vice President. The Republican won and the Democrat lost. Both would go on to become President of the United States. Who were they?

* Who was the last third party candidate to actually win one or more states in the Electoral College?

* Who was the only president to formally join a church while in office, being baptized, confirmed, and receiving Communion all in the same day?

[Xan]

Those are good!

[Ad Orientem]

[Kriegsspiel]

I'll give it a go:

* Who was the last president elected by the US House of Representatives?

None of them. Wait.. Washington? Shit, if it's either of those I want half-credit!

* Excluding those who died in office, which presidents did not attend the inauguration of their successors?

Adams and Jackson?

* Two men ran against each other for the office of Vice President. The Republican won and the Democrat lost. Both would go on to become President of the United States. Who were they?

Madison and Adams?

* Who was the last third party candidate to actually win one or more states in the Electoral College?

Ross Perot?

* Who was the only president to formally join a church while in office, being baptized, confirmed, and receiving Communion all in the same day?

W?


I think all my "answers" were upward-inflected Damn tough questions.

[Xan]

* Who was the last president elected by the US House of Representatives?

Jefferson famously was in 1800. I can't think of anybody it's happened to since, although it's certainly possible. Ooh... Was in Hayes's election in 1876 that ended Reconstruction and was terribly contentious?

* Excluding those who died in office, which presidents did not attend the inauguration of their successors?

No idea. Why wouldn't they... War, maybe? Or difficulty traveling?

* Two men ran against each other for the office of Vice President. The Republican won and the Democrat lost. Both would go on to become President of the United States. Who were they?

Has to be Lincoln or later, or it wouldn't be a Republican/Democrat thing. I'll guess... Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison?

* Who was the last third party candidate to actually win one or more states in the Electoral College?

It's got to be George Wallace back in the 60s or 70s. Which was it. He ran against Nixon, so it was 68 or 72. In 72 Nixon won almost every EV. So it must have been 68.

* Who was the only president to formally join a church while in office, being baptized, confirmed, and receiving Communion all in the same day?

I'm going to wild-guess Cleveland here, just because he was the only one to get married in office, and that's the kind of thing that could prompt someone to join a church.

[Ad Orientem]

***SPOILER***

Here are the answers. Do not read on if you planned to take a guess.

Q. Who was the last president elected by the US House of Representatives?
A. John Quincy Adams in 1824. There were four candidates with most of the votes both popular and electoral being split between the top three. Andrew Jackson won a plurality of both the popular vote and electoral votes but it was not the constitutionally required majority so the election was resolved in the House where Adams had the most supporters. Jackson was furious and denounced the election as corrupt. He came back and took his revenge four years later. The election of 1876 was hotly contested and thoroughly corrupt, but it was resolved by the electoral college after the Democrats agreed to accept the election of Hayes in exchange for the end of Reconstruction and the military occupation of the South.

Q. Excluding those who died in office, which presidents did not attend the inauguration of their successors?
A. John Adams in 1801: He and Thomas Jefferson were barely on speaking terms at the time. Andrew Johnson in 1869: General Grant detested Johnson and snubbed the outgoing president by refusing his invitation to the White House after the election and publicly declared he would not ride with Johnson in the same carriage to his inauguration. Johnson decided to just skip the whole thing and remained at his desk until noon and then walked out of the White House, climbed on his horse and quietly left town. Woodrow Wilson in 1921: Wilson had been crippled by a stroke in 1919 and was a virtual invalid. A letter, almost certainly written by his wife, was sent to President-elect Warren Harding asking that he be excused from the inaugural ceremonies. Mr. Harding was very gracious and understanding in his reply. Richard Nixon in August 1974: Nixon left the White House by helicopter about an hour before his resignation came into effect. Gerald Ford was sworn into office in the East Room of the White House.

Q. Two men ran against each other for the office of Vice President. The Republican won and the Democrat lost. Both would go on to become President of the United States. Who were they?
A. The election was 1920. The Republican VP candidate was Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge. The Democratic VP candidate was Woodrow Wilson's Assistant Navy Secretary, Franklin D Roosevelt.

Q. Who was the last third party candidate to actually win one or more states in the Electoral College?
A. Segregationist George Wallace in 1968 who carried Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. Nixon still won by a comfortable margin. Xan got this one right.

Q. Who was the only president to formally join a church while in office, being baptized, confirmed, and receiving Communion all in the same day?
A. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike had been religiously indifferent most of his life. He wasn't an atheist. He actually considered atheism to be un-American. He just wasn't interested in religion very much and only rarely attended services with his wife. When he was elected president in 1952 he became concerned over the matter as he believed presidents should set a high moral standard and be a public role model. That meant he needed to start going to church. On February 1, 1953, just 12 says after taking office, Ike was quietly baptized confirmed and communed as a member of the Presbyterian Church in Washington DC. While I don't think anybody would call him a religious fanatic, Ike took the whole thing seriously and for the rest of his life was a regular churchgoer. But on nice summer days he was known to grumble that he'd rather be golfing.

[Kriegsspiel]

Yea, I looked it up right after I answered. If I hadn't changed Johnson to Jackson I would have at least gotten something half-right

[Ad Orientem]

New questions...

* Most presidents were sworn into office in January or March. But four took the oath in April. Who were they?
* Which president has the record for the shortest post-presidency.
* Which president has the record for the longest post-presidency.
* Two presidents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery. One is Jack Kennedy. Who is the other?

[Xan]

Fun!

* Most presidents were sworn into office in January or March. But four took the oath in April. Who were they?

Must be ones who took over after a death or resignation. Not LBJ, that was famously in November. I think that leaves Tyler, Andrew Johnson, Arthur, TR, Coolidge, Truman, and Ford.

Definitely Tyler (after WH Harrison's March inauguration) and definitely Johnson (after Lincoln's April assassination). I don't remember just when Nixon resigned, but it could have been April... So I'll add Ford. FDR had certainly died before August when Truman dropped the bomb. I'll add Truman. The last is a complete guess from the remaining three: Arthur.

Which president has the record for the shortest post-presidency.

Wilson didn't die in office but he was in such bad shape I'll have to guess him.

Which president has the record for the longest post-presidency.

TR was the youngest, ran for president an extra time, maybe he had a long life post-president?

Two presidents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery. One is Jack Kennedy. Who is the other?

It didn't exist until after the war. Lincoln is probably buried somewhere else, unless they moved him. Eisenhower?

[yankees60]

New questions...

* Most presidents were sworn into office in January or March. But four took the oath in April. Who were they?
* Which president has the record for the shortest post-presidency.
* Which president has the record for the longest post-presidency.
* Two presidents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery. One is Jack Kennedy. Who is the other?

I am going to guess Jimmy Carter since it is now 40 years and counting...

Vinny

[Xan]

New questions...

* Most presidents were sworn into office in January or March. But four took the oath in April. Who were they?
* Which president has the record for the shortest post-presidency.
* Which president has the record for the longest post-presidency.
* Two presidents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery. One is Jack Kennedy. Who is the other?

I am going to guess Jimmy Carter since it is now 40 years and counting...

Vinny

You might be right, Vinny. It seems like TR being around for, say, WWII would be something we would know about.

[Kriegsspiel]

New questions...

I will answer your questions... with questions.

* Most presidents were sworn into office in January or March. But four took the oath in April. Who were they?

Adams, Van Buren, Coolidge, & FDR?

* Which president has the record for the shortest post-presidency.

Wilson?

* Which president has the record for the longest post-presidency.

Carter?

* Two presidents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery. One is Jack Kennedy. Who is the other?

HW Bush?

[Ad Orientem]

***SPOLIER***

Answers to most recent question...


* Most presidents were sworn into office in January or March. But four took the oath in April. Who were they?
** Washington 1789, Tyler 1841, Johnson 1865, Truman 1945.

* Which president has the record for the shortest post-presidency.
** James K Polk 3 months and 11 days.

* Which president has the record for the longest post-presidency.
** Jimmy Carter who keeps breaking the record every day he wakes up.

* Two presidents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery. One is Jack Kennedy. Who is the other?
** William H. Taft.

[Kriegsspiel]

Wilson didn't die in office but he was in such bad shape I'll have to guess him.

Hah, not only was it NOT him, but he outlasted his successor (Harding).

[Xan]

Wilson didn't die in office but he was in such bad shape I'll have to guess him.

Hah, not only was it NOT him, but he outlasted his successor (Harding).

Weird!

[Ad Orientem]

Q. Excluding those who died in office, which presidents did not attend the inauguration of their successors?
A. John Adams in 1801: He and Thomas Jefferson were barely on speaking terms at the time. Andrew Johnson in 1869: General Grant detested Johnson and snubbed the outgoing president by refusing his invitation to the White House after the election and publicly declared he would not ride with Johnson in the same carriage to his inauguration. Johnson decided to just skip the whole thing and remained at his desk until noon and then walked out of the White House, climbed on his horse and quietly left town. Woodrow Wilson in 1921: Wilson had been crippled by a stroke in 1919 and was a virtual invalid. A letter, almost certainly written by his wife, was sent to President-elect Warren Harding asking that he be excused from the inaugural ceremonies. Mr. Harding was very gracious and understanding in his reply. Richard Nixon in August 1974: Nixon left the White House by helicopter about an hour before his resignation came into effect. Gerald Ford was sworn into office in the East Room of the White House.

I think the answer to this question is going to need updating in the near future.

[Ad Orientem]

NEW QUESTION

* Six presidents have experienced a period where there were no living ex-presidents. Who were they?

[Kriegsspiel]

Well, I know I got at least ONE right:

Washington
Polk
Andrew Johnson
Cleveland
Theodore Roosevelt
Coolidge
LBJ

[yankees60]

Well, I know I got at least ONE right:

Washington
Polk
Andrew Johnson
Cleveland
Theodore Roosevelt
Coolidge
LBJ

Through linking it up with an unfortunate personal experience I do know that Truman died in December 1972 which would make Johnson an incorrect answer.

Vinny

[Xan]

NEW QUESTION

* Six presidents have experienced a period where there were no living ex-presidents. Who were they?

Certainly Washington.

Seems like the others would have to be those whose predecessors died in office. I believe that would be Tyler, Johnson, Arthur, T Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, LBJ. I need to pick 5 of those to fill out my list of 6.

LBJ: This would have required a pretty quick death by Eisenhower, and I think Truman might have still been around too. So I'm thinking no.

Truman: I think this is likely, mostly because FDR was president for so long.

Coolidge: We learned earlier in this thread that Wilson outlasted Harding, but I think not by much. So he would have died during the Coolidge administration, leaving Coolidge with no living ex-presidents.

T Roosevelt: McKinley was elected in 1896 and 1900. Before him was... oof, I don't think I remember. Some old guy. This is a possibility.

Arthur: Garfield was elected in 1880; was he re-elected in 1884? Especially if he was, then this is a possibility.

Johnson: I would think at least Buchanan was still alive during his administration.

Tyler: Seems unlikely.

Definitely Washington, Truman, Coolidge.

Ah, it isn't NECESSARILY those whose predecessors died in office. Their predecessor could have died during their administration. Did Johnson die during the Nixon administration? I think maybe he did. Let's add Nixon.

And hey, if Truman's on the list, then FDR probably would be too. So let's add him.

We need one more, probably a two-term president, whose predecessor was old. You know, TR might still fit the bill. Or Grant. Or Andrew Jackson?

Picking TR would make the list very 20th-century heavy. I would have expected the opposite, just based on life expectancies. So this may all be recency bias on my part.

Okay, final list:

Washington, Jackson, Coolidge, FDR, Truman, Nixon.

[Xan]

Well, I know I got at least ONE right:

Washington
Polk
Andrew Johnson
Cleveland
Theodore Roosevelt
Coolidge
LBJ

Through linking it up with an unfortunate personal experience I do know that Truman died in December 1972 which would make Johnson an incorrect answer.

Vinny

What was the unfortunate personal experience? Did you hit and kill Truman with your car or something??

[yankees60]

Well, I know I got at least ONE right:

Washington
Polk
Andrew Johnson
Cleveland
Theodore Roosevelt
Coolidge
LBJ

Through linking it up with an unfortunate personal experience I do know that Truman died in December 1972 which would make Johnson an incorrect answer.

Vinny

What was the unfortunate personal experience? Did you hit and kill Truman with your car or something??

I had been arrested and put in jail, where I spent the night. The next day had been declared an official national day of mourning for Truman's death, which meant the courts were shut down somewhat.

That also meant I could not be arraigned that day and, mostly likely, let out unless I had a lawyer to represent me.

Luckily our guitar player got his father's lawyer to show up and I got out that morning. Otherwise, I would have had to have spend another day and night in jail until the next day when the courts were fully open.

I will always remember that Truman's death almost cost me having to spend another 24 hours in jail.

I think I've talked about this here. But this was a case that while I was 100% innocent the vice squad person / police representatives totally lied at every point in the legal process. Fortunately for me, the judge believed my honest and truthful answer.

But while the event happened in May 1972 I did not go to court until May 1975 which meant for 2 1/2 years I had being accused of a felony hanging over my head.

Vinny

[Ad Orientem]

***SPOILER***

1. Washington: The obvious one.
2. John Adams: Washington died in 1798 during Adams term.
3. U.S. Grant: Franklin Pierce died in 1869, Millard Fillmore in 1874, and Andrew Johnson in 1875.
4. Theodore Roosevelt: Grover Cleveland passed in 1908.
5. Herbert Hoover: William H. Taft died in 1930 and Calvin Coolidge died in February of 1933 just weeks before Hoover left office.
6. Richard Nixon: Eisenhower died in 1969, Truman in 1972 and LBJ in 1973.

Given modern life expectancies and the excellent medical care afforded ex-presidents, it's hard to believe we will see the phenomenon again.

[Kriegsspiel]

Well... all the NAMES I wrote appeared in the answer*!


*Except for Adams.

[Ad Orientem]

Well... all the NAMES I wrote appeared in the answer*!


*Except for Adams.