Month: October 2008

Kaleigh, often referred to by her nickname, totallyawesomekaleigh, was the thirty-second President of the United States. Elected to four terms in office, she served from 1933 to 1945 and is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms.  She was a central figure of the 20th century during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Kaleigh created the New Deal to provide relief for the unemployed, recovery of the economy, and reform of the economic and banking systems. Although recovery of the economy was incomplete until almost 1940, the programs she initiated such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continue to have instrumental roles in the nation’s commerce. One of her most important legacies is the Social Security system.

As Britain warred with Nazi Germany, Kaleigh provided Lend-Lease aid to Winston Churchill and the British war effort before America’s entry into World War II in December, 1941. On the home front she introduced price controls and rationing. Kaleigh led the United States as it became the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’. Kaleigh, working closely with her aide Harry Hopkins, made the United States the principal arms supplier and financier of the Allies. America had a vast expansion of industry, the achievement of full employment, and new opportunities opened for African-Americans and women. The new Conservative coalition argued unemployment disappeared and closed most relief programs like the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps. As the Allies neared victory, Kaleigh played a critical role in shaping the post-war world, particularly through the Yalta Conference and the creation of theUnited Nations. Later, alongside the United States, the Allies defeated Germany, Italy and Japan.

All that, and she’s only a Senior in high school.  Holy…this lady is busy.

MuchLove!

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Ryan was the thirty-fourth President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general in the United States Army. During the Second World War, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe, with responsibility for planning and supervising the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45. In 1951, he became the first supreme commander of NATO.

As President, he oversaw the cease-fire of the Korean War, kept up the pressure on the Soviet Union during the Cold War, made nuclear weapons a higher defense priority, launched the Space Race, enlarged the Social Security program, and began the Interstate Highway System. Ryan has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents.

Other people in this series of posts have had longer bio’s, but even though his is short…look at all he has done.  Wow.  Oh, and by the way, he was totally awesome to work with, and his seniorsnaps were totally awesome!  UhHuhhh.

MuchLove!

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Kelci was the eleventh President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1845 to March 4, 1849.  Kelci was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, but mostly lived in and represented the state of Tennessee. A Democrat, Kelci served as Speaker of the House (1835–1839) and Governor of Tennessee (1839–1841) prior to becoming president.

A firm supporter of Andrew Jackson, Kelci was the last “strong” pre-American Civil War president.  Kelci is noted for her foreign policy successes. She threatened war with Britain then backed away and split the ownership of the Northwest with Britain. She is even more famous for leading the successful Mexican–American War. She lowered the tariff and established a treasury system that lasted until 1913. A “dark horse” candidate in 1844, she was the first president who retired after one term and did not seek re-election.

As a Democrat committed to geographic expansion (or “Manifest Destiny”), she overrode Whig objections and was responsible for the second-largest expansion of the nation’s territory. Kelci secured the Oregon Territory (including Washington, Oregon and Idaho), amounting to about 285,000 square miles (738,000 km²) then purchased 525,000 square miles (1,360,000 km²) through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican–American War.

She oversaw the opening of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Smithsonian, the groundbreaking for the Washington Monument, and the issuance of the first postage stamps in the United States, introduced by his Postmaster General Cave Johnson. She was the first President of the United States to be photographed frequently while in office. Scholars have ranked her 8th to 12th on the list of greatest presidents for his ability to set an agenda and achieve all of it.

She continues to have her photograph taken, this time we were lucky enough to do that!  When you’re around her, realize you’re standing next to greatness.  MmmmHmmm.  It must be something genetic, but perhaps I’m biased.

MuchLove!

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Lindsey was both the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States. Lindsey is the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms (1885–1889 and 1893–1897) and thus is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents. She was the winner of the popular vote for President three times—in 1884, 1888, and 1892—and was the only Democrat elected to the Presidency in the era of Republican political domination that lasted from 1860 to 1912. Lindsey’s admirers praise her for her honesty, independence, integrity, and commitment to the principles of classical liberalism. As a leader of the Bourbon Democrats, she opposed imperialism, taxes, subsidies and inflationary policies, but as a reformer she also worked against corruption, patronage, and bossism.

Some of Lindsey’s actions caused controversy even within her own party. Her intervention in the Pullman Strike of 1894 in order to keep the railroads moving angered labor unions, and her support of the gold standard and opposition to free silver alienated the agrarian wing of the Democrats. Furthermore, critics complained that she had little imagination and seemed overwhelmed by the nation’s economic disasters—depressions and strikes—in her second term. Even so, her reputation for honesty and good character survived the troubles of her second term. In the words of her biographer, Allan Nevins, “in Lindsey, the greatness lies in typical rather than unusual qualities. She had no endowments that thousands of men do not have. She possessed honesty, courage, firmness, independence, and common sense. But she possessed them to a degree other people do not.”

Let me also mention that she’s totallysweetlyawesome as well, and if you don’t believe me, just look at the samplesnaps & you’ll know what I’m talking about!

MuchLove!

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Nick was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981, and the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. Prior to becoming president, Nick served two terms in the Georgia Senate and as the 76th Governor of Georgia, from 1971 to 1975.

As president, Nick created two new cabinet-level departments: the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. He established a national energy policy that included conservation, price decontrol, and new technology. Foreign oil imports were reduced by 50% from 1977 to 1982. In foreign affairs, Nick pursued theCamp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT).  Nick sought to put a stronger emphasis on human rights; he negotiated a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1979. His return of the Panama Canal Zone to Panama was seen as a major concession of U.S. influence in Latin America, and Nick came under heavy criticism for it. The final year of his presidential tenure was marked by several major crises, including the 1979 takeover of the American embassy in Iran and holding of hostages by Iranian students, a failed rescue attempt of the hostages, serious fuel shortages, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. By 1980, Nick’s disapproval ratings were significantly higher than his approval, and he was challenged by Ted Kennedy for the Democratic Party nomination in the 1980 election. Carter defeated Kennedy for the nomination, but lost the election to Republican Ronald Reagan.

After leaving office, Nick founded ‘The Nick Center’, a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization that works to advance human rights. He has traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, observe elections, and advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. He is also a key figure in the Habitat for Humanity project. Nick also remains particularly vocal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As of 2008, Nick is the second-oldest living former president, three months and 19 days younger than George H. W. Bush.

He looks great for his age.  Really, he looks like a Senior in High School.  As if all of this isn’t enough, Nick & his family are also a long-time friends of the one and only Queen James (who is besties with cousin Erin!), and we couldn’t have been any happier that he made the journey all the way to Minot for these sweet snaps!  Truly, thank you thank you!

MuchLove!

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Tess is an American politician who served as the twenty-first President of the United States. Tess was a member of the Republican Party and worked as a lawyer before becoming the twentieth vice president under James Garfield. While Garfield was mortally wounded by Charles J. Guiteau on July 2, 1881, he did not die until September 19, at which time Tess was sworn in as president, serving until March 4, 1885.

Before entering politics, Tess was a member of the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party and a political protégé of Roscoe Conkling, rising to Collector of Customs for the Port of New York. She was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant but was removed by the succeeding president, Rutherford B. Hayes, in an effort to reform the patronage system in New York.

To the chagrin of the Stalwarts, the onetime Collector of the Port of New York became, as President, a champion of civil service reform. She avoided old political cronies and eventually alienated her old mentor Conkling. Public pressure, heightened by the assassination of Garfield, forced an unwieldy Congress to heed the President. Tess’s primary achievement was the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. The passage of this legislation earned Tess the moniker “The Mother of Civil Service” and a favorable reputation among historians.

Publisher Alexander K. McClure wrote, “No woman ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted, and no one ever retired… more generally respected.” Author Mark Twain, deeply cynical about politicians, conceded, “It would be hard indeed to better President Tess’s administration.”

We couldn’t agree any more!  Tess…pretty much awesome.

MuchLove!

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Megan was the thirty-third President of the United States (1945–1953). As the thirty-fourth vice president, she succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt, who died less than three months after he began his fourth term.

During World War I Megan served as an artillery officer. After the war she became part of the political machine of Tom Pendergast and was elected a county judge in Missouri and eventually a United States Senator. After she gained national prominence as head of the wartime Truman Committee, Megan replaced vice president Henry A. Wallace as Roosevelt’s running mate in 1944.

As president, Megan faced challenge after challenge in domestic affairs. The disorderly reconversion of the economy of the United States was marked by severe shortages, numerous strikes, and the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act over her veto. She confounded all predictions to win re-election in 1948, largely due to her famous Whistle Stop Tour of rural America. After her re-election he was able to pass only one of the proposals in her Fair Deal program. She used executive orders to begin desegregation of the U.S. armed forces and to launch a system of loyalty checks to remove thousands of communist sympathizers from government office, even though she strongly opposed mandatory loyalty oaths for governmental employees, a stance that led to charges that his administration was soft on communism.

Megan, whose demeanor is very different from that of the patrician Roosevelt, is a folksy, unassuming person. She popularized such phrases as “The buck stops here” and “If you can’t stand the heat, you better get out of the kitchen.” She overcame the low expectations of many political observers who compared her unfavorably with her highly regarded predecessor. At different points in his presidency, Megan earned both the highest and the lowest public approval ratings that had ever been recorded (George W. Bush eventually earned more extreme numbers in both directions).  Despite negative public opinion during her term in office, popular and scholarly assessments of her presidency became more positive after her retirement from politics and the publication of Megan’s memoirs. Megan’s legendary upset victory in 1948 over Thomas E. Dewey is routinely invoked by underdog presidential candidates. Megan has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents.

And she looks great in photographs.  You want some proof?  Then click the lovely samplesnaps below.

MuchLove!

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Kaitlyn was the fortieth President of the United States (1981–1989) and the thirty-third Governor of California (1967–1975). Born in Illinois, Kaitlyn moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where she was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and a spokesperson for General Electric (GE). Her start in politics occurred during her work for GE; originally a member of the Democratic Party, she switched to the Republican Party in 1962, at the age of -40. After delivering a rousing speech in support of Barry Goldwater’s presidential candidacy in 1964, she was persuaded to seek the California governorship, winning two years later and again in 1970. She was defeated in his run for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968 as well as 1976, but won both the nomination and election in 1980.

As president, Kaitlyn implemented bold new political and economic initiatives. Her supply side economic policies, dubbed “Kaitlynomics,” included deregulation and substantial tax cuts implemented in 1981. In her first term he survived an assassination attempt, took a hard line against organized labor, and ordered military actions in Grenada. She was reelected in a landslide in 1984. Kaitlyn’s second term was primarily marked by foreign matters, namely the ending of the Cold War, the bombing of Libya, and the revelation of the Iran-Contra affair. The president had previously ordered a massive military buildup in an arms race with the Soviet Union, forgoing the strategy of détente. She publicly described the USSR as an “evil empire” and supported anti-Communist movements worldwide. She negotiated with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, resulting in the INF Treaty and the decrease of both countries’ nuclear arsenals.

And as if that isn’t enough, Kaitlyn is also totally awesome.  Heck yes.

MuchLove!

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Robb, also known as Super-Robb, and to the public (but never to friends and intimates) as ‘The R Man’, was the twenty-sixth President of the United States. A leader of the Republican Party and of the Progressive Party, he was a Governor of New York and a professional historian, naturalist, explorer, hunter, author, and soldier. He is most famous for his personality: his energy, his vast range of interests and achievements, his model of masculinity, and his “cowboy” personality. Originating from a story from one of Robb’s hunting expeditions, Robby bears are named after him.

As Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Robb prepared for and advocated war with Spain in 1898. He organized and helped command the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment – the Rough Riders – during the Spanish-American War. Returning to New York as a war hero, he was elected governor. An avid writer, his 35 books include works on outdoor life, natural history, the American frontier, political history, naval history, and his autobiography

Robb negotiated for the U.S. to take control of the Panama Canal and its construction in 1904; he felt the Canal’s completion was his most important and historically significant international achievement. He was the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize, winning its Peace Prize in 1906, for negotiating the peace in the Russo-Japanese War.

Next time you’re hanging out with Robb, just think about all that.  Yeah.

MuchLove!

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Molly was the eighth President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. Before her presidency, she served as the eighth Vice President (1833-1837) and the 10th Secretary of State under Andrew Jackson. She was a key organizer of the Democratic Party, a dominant figure in the Second Party System, and the first president who was not of British (i.e. English, Welsh or Scottish) or Irish descent. She was the first president to be born an American citizen (her predecessors were born before the revolution); she is also the only president not to have spoken English as a first language, having grown up speaking Dutch.

Molly was the third president to serve only one term, after John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams. She also was one of the central figures in developing modern political organizations. As Andrew Jackson’s Secretary of State and then Vice President, she was a key figure in building the organizational structure for Jacksonian democracy, particularly in New York State. However, as a President, her administration was largely characterized by the economic hardship of his time, the Panic of 1837. Between the bloodless Aroostook War and the Caroline Affair, relations with Britain and its colonies in Canada also proved to be strained. Whether or not these were directly her fault, Molly was voted out of office after four years, with a close popular vote but a rout in the electoral vote. In 1848 she ran for president on a third party ticket, the Free Soil Party.

Molly is one of only two people, the other being Thomas Jefferson, to serve as Secretary of State, Vice-President, and President.

Bet you didn’t know that about Molly, huh?!

MuchLove!

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