Category US Presidents

John F. Kennedy remained president for hardly a thousand days. He was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas, thus becoming the youngest president to die in office. Popularly known as JFK, Kennedy came from a politically active family. It was his father’s wish to make one of his sons the president and John was the one who fulfilled it.

Before joining politics, JFK served in the Navy. He fought the Japanese and was fatally wounded. After recovering, he became a Democratic Congressman from Boston. He later made it to the Senate. It was in 1960 that he ran for the presidential elections against Richard Nixon. Theirs was the first ever presidential debate that was broadcast on television.

Kennedy pledged during his campaign to get America moving again and he tried to fulfill his pledge. After becoming president, he launched a series of economic programmes; those were by far the best and sustainable plans implemented in the country after the Second World War. His vision of America extended to the field of national culture as well. He believed that arts had a central role to play in a vital society. He also called for a new civil rights legislation. The Peace Corps was created by Kennedy to help people in poor nations improve their lives. Kennedy gave a push to the U.S. space program as well.

Things were not always smooth for Kennedy. It was his administration that planned the invasion of Cuba in 1962. What followed is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis that nearly resulted in the breakout of a global thermonuclear conflict.

On November 22, 1963 Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline were riding in an open car as part of a motorcade in Dallas. Suddenly Kennedy was shot; he was rushed to the hospital but died. Kennedy had inspired many Americans and when he was killed the nation was deeply upset. The magical time Americans had called ‘Camelot’ came to a sudden end.

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Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th president of the U.S. He was a highly decorated General in the U.S. army and was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. He contested the elections in 1952 under the banner of the Republicans and won a sweeping victory.

As president, Eisenhower was a moderate conservative and continued the New Deal policies. On the external front, he secured a truce in Korea and worked incessantly during his two terms to ease the tensions of the Cold War; the signing of the truce brought peace along the border of South Korea.

Eisenhower continued Truman’s legacy and tried to improve the social and economic conditions in the country. In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation between blacks and whites in schools was illegal. This verdict was indeed a landmark in the history of America.

During his second term, Eisenhower even sent police to offer protection to the African-American children entering the schools. With popular support, he was elected for the second term in 1956.

Though he was a military man and recognized the necessity of maintaining adequate military strength, Eisenhower also warned that huge military expenditure could be detrimental to the economy.

After his retirement, he was sick for a prolonged period of time. He eventually succumbed to the illness and died on March 28, 1969.

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Before beginning his political career, Harry S. Truman served in the army. His career in politics began as a county court judge. He then became a senator and later went on to become the vice president during Roosevelt’s fourth term.

During his early days as vice president, he did not have any idea about the development of the atom bomb and the problems it was going to create. He also did not know about the unfolding difficulties with Soviet Russia. All of these later fell on his shoulder to deal with.

“I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me.” This was Truman’s response upon becoming the 33rd president of America. Things were not peaceful when Truman took office. The Second World War was not yet over; Germany was defeated but Japan was still fighting on. Perhaps, Truman made one of the toughest of America’s decisions; to use the atom bomb. The U.S bombed two Japanese cities, killing or wounding thousands of people and leaving its impact forever.

In 1947, when the Soviet Union threatened Turkey and Greece, Truman asked Congress to aid the two countries. This came to be known as the Truman Doctrine. He later came up with the Marshall Plan, a strategy for economic recovery in war-torn Western Europe. The plan was named after his Secretary of State, George Marshall. Truman’s international fame does not end here.

When the Russians blockaded the western sectors of Berlin in 1948, Truman created a massive airlift to reach supplies to Berliners until the Russians backed down. Matters on the home front too, got his attention. He continued with Roosevelt’s policies to ensure job security. He passed laws to end unfair treatment for African Americans at work and in the military. His administration successfully guided the U.S. economy through the post-war economic challenges.

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When Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as president, the country was in the depth of the Great Depression. But Roosevelt was a natural leader. He successfully regained the trust of the masses and helped them believe in themselves.

For a people that had fallen into the misery of an economic crisis, having faith in themselves was crucial and Roosevelt managed to do this. No wonder, he is the only president who served more than two terms, though in 1951 the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution set a limit of two terms to presidents.

Roosevelt set up government agencies that created jobs for the unemployed. He made sure that there were legal provisions that ensured that people got fair pay.

He set up ‘Social Security’, a reform policy that imposed heavier taxes on the wealthy. It also called for new controls over banks and public utilities, and an enormous work relief program for the unemployed. The tax raised from the wealthy was used to pay for these programmes. Roosevelt called this the New Deal, a way to help Americans work their way out of the Depression.

Though he had supporters, Roosevelt had detractors as well. Many were of the opinion that the government should not interfere in business practices. But the number of people who loved his policies surpassed his critics; Roosevelt was elected three more times, in 1936, 1940 and 1944 respectively.

Roosevelt felt the U.S. should go to the aid of the British during the Second World War. Contrary to Roosevelt’s idea, most people were of the opinion that the U.S. should stay out of the war. However, when the German U-boats attacked American ships and Japan attacked Pearl Harbour in1941, the U.S. was forced to enter the war. Roosevelt thus became a wartime president.

Roosevelt devoted much thought to the planning of a United Nations. He believed that it was necessary to settle international conflicts peacefully. As the war drew to a close, Roosevelt’s health deteriorated. He died on April 12, 1945, of a cerebral haemorrhage.

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Herbert Hoover was already a celebrated international figure when he became the 31st President of America. He is remembered as a great humanitarian.

Hoover was in London when Germany declared war on France. The American Consul General asked his help to bring the stranded tourists back home. The committee under his leadership helped 1,20,000 Americans return to the U.S. in a span of six weeks. His efficiency in managing the difficult situations during the war made him popular. And when it came to the presidential elections, victory was not hard to achieve. But things were not so good when he took charge as president.

In his first year as president, the U.S. economy failed; businesses closed as a result of which, millions of people lost their jobs. It was called the Great Depression and it was the worst economic crisis the country had ever seen. Though the failure of the economy was not his fault, people blamed Hoover’s leadership. Though he contested for the next election he failed miserably.

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Calvin Coolidge was the 30th president. In 1923 President Harding died while on a trip to Alaska. Harding’s administration had been full of corruption and scandal. Fortunately, Coolidge had not been a part of the corruption and immediately cleaned house. He fired corrupt and inept officials and hired new reliable staffers.

His first message to Congress in December 1923 called for isolation in foreign policy, tax cuts, economy, and limited aid to farmers. Coolidge soon became popular due to his policies. In 1924, the voters chose him for another four years.

Calvin Coolidge’s quiet, but honest personality seemed to be just what the country needed at the time. By cleaning up the scandals and showing support for businesses, the economy thrived. This period of prosperity became known as the “Roaring Twenties”. In his second term, he ran under the slogan “Keep Cool with Coolidge”.

As president, Coolidge was for small government. He also wanted to keep the country somewhat isolated and did not want to join the League of Nations that was formed after World War I. He was for tax cuts, lower government spending, and less aid to struggling farmers.

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It is interesting how Harding came to power. As senator, he was a responsible man and hardly had any enemies. This was because he never voiced his opinions regarding any issue. In 1920, when the Republican Party could not decide on the candidate for president, Senator Harding was selected as a surprising compromise. He won the elections as well. However, Warren G. Harding’s tenure did not end with a clean chit.

Harding’s cabinet hosted an array of outstanding leaders and tough politicians. He was a poor judge of character; to his disappointment, his officers did not repay him with integrity as he expected. What he got in return was scandal after scandal. A lot of his officers were involved in taking bribes. Matters came to a head when the Teapot Dome Scandal broke.

One of Harding’s advisors took a bribe in return for allowing an oil company to drill on in Teapot Dome, Wyoming. This land had been set aside for the U.S. Navy. This event became known as the Teapot Dome Scandal. The scam almost ended his political career.

He was advised to stay away from Washington for a while. While returning, he suffered a severe abdominal pain and died soon either of a heart attack or a stroke. His wife Flossie destroyed many of Harding’s personal papers and his letters after his death, hoping to avoid even more gossip and scandal.

Though there were many scandals during his tenure, Harding embraced technology and was sensitive to the plights of minorities and women. He also hosted the Washington Naval Disarmament Conference in 1921. This conference succeeded in getting the world’s major powers to agree to stop the race in production of large naval vessels.

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Woodrow Wilson was nominated for president at the 1912 Democratic Convention. His presidential campaign was known as the New Freedom, and revolved around banking reforms, business reforms and tariff reductions. Though he received only 42 per cent of the popular vote, he received an overwhelming electoral vote that assured his victory.

Woodrow Wilson was first noted by the Democrats due to his growing national reputation. He first ran for the governor of New Jersey. Before beginning a career in politics, he worked as a professor and practiced law.

Wilson did a good job with the Congress; he helped bring about shorter work days, and made it possible for farmers to get loans. He was against child labour and kept children from working in dangerous jobs. However, his hope to keep America out of the First World War did not bear fruit.

The war got worse. After a policy of neutrality at the outbreak of World War I, Wilson led America into war. Wilson stated American war aims known as the Fourteen Points. It was a plan to end secret agreements between nations; it would also establish a general association of nations that would make way for mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to all states alike.

Wilson fought for the creation of the League of Nations. It was an organization of countries that would find peaceful solutions to conflicts. The League later led to the formation of the United Nations.

Wilson suffered a severe stroke in October 1919 and was incapacitated for the remainder of his presidency.

Wilson retired from public office in 1921 and died in 1924. Scholars have generally ranked Wilson as one of the most effective U.S. presidents.

William Howard Taft succeeded to the office of president from Theodore Roosevelt. A few years after his tenure, he became the tenth Chief Justice of the United States, making him the only former president to become Chief Justice. Taft is the only person to have served in both of these offices. Taft was a president who disliked politics. In fact, he once said, “Politics, when I am in it, makes me sick.” He was never good at pleasing his voters with words.

Taft’s presidency is linked to Roosevelt; Theodore Roosevelt and Taft were good friends and they admired each other’s talent. During Roosevelt’s tenure, he made Taft his Secretary of War. And when Roosevelt decided not to run again in 1908, he asked his supporters to choose Taft. It was his wife who convinced Taft to accept the nomination.

Taft disappointed Roosevelt’s expectations. His policies differed from that of his political guru. Things took a turn when he fired Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot was the head of the Bureau of Forestry and an ardent conservationist who was a friend of Roosevelt. With this incident, the Republicans withdrew their support. When Roosevelt came back from a safari in Africa, they urged him to publicly oppose his political successor. Though Roosevelt was initially against this idea, what followed was a merciless conflict between two friends at the end of which, the Republicans lost to the Democrats.

Taft taught law after retiring from office. Years later, he was named chief justice of the Supreme Court by President Harding. It was a dream-come-true moment for him. Taft held this position until just before his death in 1930. To Taft, this appointment was his greatest honour. He once wrote, ‘I don’t remember that I ever was president.’

When Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as the president in 1901, he was just 43, thus becoming the youngest president of the country till then.

Before joining politics, he was a war hero. His performance on the battlefield paved the way for his political career. He certainly brought new excitement and power to the office. He led the Congress and the American public towards progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy, Roosevelt expanded the powers of the presidency and the federal government in support of the public interest. His policies were successful in dealing with the conflicts between big business and labour forces. He used his power as the president to force businesses to follow rules of fairness in dealing with workers.

Roosevelt played a seminal role in shaping America as a superpower in world politics, particularly in Europe and Asia. It was Roosevelt who secured the route and began construction of the Panama Canal. He won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1906 for mediating an end to the Russo-Japanese War.

President Roosevelt also cared about the environment. During his tenure, large areas were added to the national forests in the West. He also reserved lands for public use, and fostered great irrigation projects.

Roosevelt was popular amongst his people and won the office for a second time too. Though he enjoyed being the president, he felt that too many terms would eventually give way to dictatorship. Therefore, he did not run for president the third time.

In 1912, the political circumstances forced him to run for president once again, representing the newly-formed Progressive Party. A fanatic shot him while campaigning in Milwaukee. But he recovered soon. He did not win the election, however.

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