Post by lenbrazil on Oct 16, 2005 23:47:45 GMT -4
Some interesting coincidences regarding US presidents who died in office.
This isn't really CT related but the discussion of the coincidences regarding Lincoln and JFK's assassinations [in the JFK Jr thread] inspired me to start this thread..
- Every president elected in a year ending with a zero since 1840 except Reagan [elected 1980] and Bush II [up till now] died in office. Reagan cruel as it sounds, one could say should have died in office: he was the only president to be injured in an assassination attempt and survive and was the oldest president [he was more that 7 years older than Buchanan or Ike] . The only other president to die in office was Zachary Taylor who died in 1850.
- Between 1800 and 1920 11 Democrats were elected president, none died in office. During the same period the same number of Whigs/Republicans were elected, six of them including the first three died in office. Of those first three 2 were succeeded by ex-Democrats. Between 1932 and 1960 three Democrats were elected President two died in office.
- Six of the 8 presidents to die in office, died six months or less after being inaugurated.
The present day Democratic Party had its roots in the party formed by Thomas Jefferson. The original name of this party was the Republicans but in the 1820's they changed their name to the Democratic Party. For sake of clarity I will refer to all of them as Democrats.
At the beginning of the 19th Century the Democrats were the dominant political party in America, so much so that they controlled the White House from 1801 - 1841 without interruption and their opponents the Federalists disbanded. The first non-Democratic president to break this cycle was William Henry Harrison [elected 1840] a Whig. He was the oldest man elected president [67] until surpassed by Reagan, he also gave the longest inaugural address ever [over 2 hours] on a very cold and windy day. Not surprisingly he took ill and became the first president to die in office. His was the shortest presidency [31 days]. He was succeeded by his vice-president John Tyler an erstwhile Democrat.
The next President to break the Democrats' hold on the White House was the Whig Zachary Taylor who took office in 1849. He died 16 months later [and thus became the second president to die in office and the third shortest serving president].
The next non-Democrat to become president was Republican Abe Lincoln [elected 1860] who of course was the first president to be assassinated. He died 42 days into his 2nd term. As with Harrison his successor was an erstwhile Democrat [Andrew Johnson].
When Ulysses S. Grant was succeeded by Rutherford B. Hayes on March 4, 1877 it was the first time in 76 years that a non Democratic president left the White House alive.
James A. Garfield [elected 1880] a Republican was assassinated in 1881, after 6 months in office.
William McKinley [re-elected 1900] a Republican was assassinated in 1901, almost 20 years to the day after Garfield, 6 month into his 2nd term.
Warren G. Harding [elected 1920] a Republican died in 1923 of illness.
FDR [re-elected 1940] died of illness in 1945 three month into his third term and became the first Democrat to die in office.
JFK [elected 1960] was shot in 1963 and became the first Democrat to be assassinated.
This isn't really CT related but the discussion of the coincidences regarding Lincoln and JFK's assassinations [in the JFK Jr thread] inspired me to start this thread..
- Every president elected in a year ending with a zero since 1840 except Reagan [elected 1980] and Bush II [up till now] died in office. Reagan cruel as it sounds, one could say should have died in office: he was the only president to be injured in an assassination attempt and survive and was the oldest president [he was more that 7 years older than Buchanan or Ike] . The only other president to die in office was Zachary Taylor who died in 1850.
- Between 1800 and 1920 11 Democrats were elected president, none died in office. During the same period the same number of Whigs/Republicans were elected, six of them including the first three died in office. Of those first three 2 were succeeded by ex-Democrats. Between 1932 and 1960 three Democrats were elected President two died in office.
- Six of the 8 presidents to die in office, died six months or less after being inaugurated.
The present day Democratic Party had its roots in the party formed by Thomas Jefferson. The original name of this party was the Republicans but in the 1820's they changed their name to the Democratic Party. For sake of clarity I will refer to all of them as Democrats.
At the beginning of the 19th Century the Democrats were the dominant political party in America, so much so that they controlled the White House from 1801 - 1841 without interruption and their opponents the Federalists disbanded. The first non-Democratic president to break this cycle was William Henry Harrison [elected 1840] a Whig. He was the oldest man elected president [67] until surpassed by Reagan, he also gave the longest inaugural address ever [over 2 hours] on a very cold and windy day. Not surprisingly he took ill and became the first president to die in office. His was the shortest presidency [31 days]. He was succeeded by his vice-president John Tyler an erstwhile Democrat.
The next President to break the Democrats' hold on the White House was the Whig Zachary Taylor who took office in 1849. He died 16 months later [and thus became the second president to die in office and the third shortest serving president].
The next non-Democrat to become president was Republican Abe Lincoln [elected 1860] who of course was the first president to be assassinated. He died 42 days into his 2nd term. As with Harrison his successor was an erstwhile Democrat [Andrew Johnson].
When Ulysses S. Grant was succeeded by Rutherford B. Hayes on March 4, 1877 it was the first time in 76 years that a non Democratic president left the White House alive.
James A. Garfield [elected 1880] a Republican was assassinated in 1881, after 6 months in office.
William McKinley [re-elected 1900] a Republican was assassinated in 1901, almost 20 years to the day after Garfield, 6 month into his 2nd term.
Warren G. Harding [elected 1920] a Republican died in 1923 of illness.
FDR [re-elected 1940] died of illness in 1945 three month into his third term and became the first Democrat to die in office.
JFK [elected 1960] was shot in 1963 and became the first Democrat to be assassinated.