Vacation and Presidencies
It’s that time of year when folks start to think about vacations. The Presidencies crew recently enjoyed some time in the mountains to get away from the heat. Likewise, US presidents over the years typically enjoyed some time away from the nation’s capital during the hot and muggy summer months, starting with George Washington.
With the earliest presidents, most of their summer travel was a return back home, and while they may hope for some R&R, there was also a practical reason. It was difficult to manage their personal affairs from afar, so they had to return home to see about any business/financial matters that may require their attention.
Given how far their home in Illinois was and the reality of leading a nation at war, President Lincoln wasn’t able to get far out of DC. However, he and his family did enjoy time during the summer on the grounds of the Soldiers’ Home. He was neither the first nor the last to enjoy this getaway, however - his predecessor James Buchanan had gone there to get away from downtown Washington, and successors Rutherford B Hayes and Chester A Arthur would also spend time on the grounds of the Soldiers’ Home.
Gray Gables on Cape Cod was Grover Cleveland’s getaway during his second term and was where he went to recover from his secret surgery (which you can learn more about on my guest appearance earlier this year on the Poor Historians Podcast!). Sadly, it’s one of the Summer White Houses that you will not be able to see for yourself in person as it was destroyed in a fire in 1973.
FDR’s Little White House in Warm Springs, GA was not just a retreat during the summer. President Roosevelt enjoyed going there at different points in the year, and he would make 16 trips there during the course of his presidency. It was a place special to his heart not just for his own personal recuperation but also for the treatment provided at the resort on the ground to polio patients. It seems rather fitting that this idyllic setting that meant so much to him would be the place where Roosevelt passed away to eternal rest in 1945.
Hopefully you’ve got some R&R planned for the summer, whether it’s travel to some distant locale or just a stay-cation with some of your favorite folks (and fur babies). Safe travels to anyone hitting the road/airways/rail lines/high seas this summer season, and I hope you’ll download some episodes of Presidencies to listen to on your journey!
Latest Episodes
Since the last newsletter, five episodes have launched for your listening pleasure!
We’ve advanced two more episodes in the Madison presidency series (nine more episodes of his presidency if my current plan holds…) which discuss the end of the Creek War and the impact that the first abdication of Napoleon in 1814 had both on American diplomatic efforts in Europe and on the war against the British in North America.
I also released a new episode of the special series discussing notable presidential elections, and this one was arguably the most impactful: the election of 1860. For this discussion, I was joined by friend of the podcast Alycia from Civics & Coffee.
The two-part episode on George Clinton features the life and career of the Revolutionary War general, seven-time Governor of New York, and fourth Vice President of the United States who would end up sharing his name centuries later with a much funkier George Clinton.
Madison Presidency Series:
Presidential Election Series: S011 - The Center Cannot Hold: 1860
Vice Presidencies Series:
Love of Reading
Not as many reads completed in my podcast research this month, but there was one notable book to mention.
A World Restored: Metternich, Castlereagh, and the Problems of Peace, 1812-22 by Henry Kissinger
As I wanted to read a book to understand more about the Congresses of Europe that happened following the Napoleonic Wars as well as those two key European diplomatic leaders - British Foreign Secretary Lord Castlereagh and Austrian Foreign Minister Prince Metternich, I thought it might be interesting to read a take on them written by someone who later went on to become an American Secretary of State. While I did get some insight from it, I have to admit that Kissinger had a number of times in the book where he just repeated the same thing but phrased it in a new way. The first time I read it, it was great, but by the fifth or sixth time, it felt like overkill. While I’m glad I read it, I’m also in search of a more modern book about this period of European history and/or these two key figures. If anyone has any recommendations, please send them my way!
Guest Appearances
Just one to note this month, but I hope you’ll check out this conversation that I had with Tyler about what seems to be a lesser known political movie from the 1990s that features an all-star cast and is worth a watch if you haven’t seen it already (it was my first time watching it as prep for the conversation)!
Writers’ Loom: Primary Colors
June Birthdays
Only one birthday boy this month from all of the folks that we’ve covered in the special series to date! This month, it’s Madison’s first Secretary of War. While he may not have had the smoothest Cabinet tenure ever, I hope you’ll take some time to give his episode a listen if you haven’t already.
June 10: William Eustis (1753)
And finally…
My apologies that the newsletter is coming out later in the month than I had originally intended. Life sometimes has a way of getting in the way of even the best of intentions, but I hope that all of the episodes released recently make up for it. There’s lots more to come from Presidencies this summer, so stay tuned!
If you’d like to support the podcast, there are numerous ways to do so including through Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee. To all who have shown their support thus far over the years, I cannot thank you enough!
Leaving a rating and review is also a great way to show your support, and thanks to all who have taken a minute to do so!
Please feel free to reach out to me via email at presidenciespodcast@gmail.com or connecting on the various social media outlets Presidencies can be found on.
Until next time, stay safe and healthy, be kind to one another, and take care, dear friends!