Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor James Rogers, the first African-American to be named National Teacher of the Year. He taught American history and black studies in Durham, North Carolina. At a White House ceremony — April 24, 1972 — he received a plaque from President Nixon's daughter, Julie. For the rest of his life, Rogers treasured a photo from that fine day. It is inscribed: To James Rogers, Jr. With happy memories of the Teacher of the Year ceremony and with best wishes always, Julie Nixon Eisenhower Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more information, see  www.grandoldpartisan.com .  Here is a  YouTube Video  about this article. Here is a  TikTok Video ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I admire the North Carolina Republican Party. March 27th 1867, one hundred forty-seven delegates convened at Raleigh in the Capitol House Chamber to establish the state GOP. The one hundred one whites represented three factions: Unionists, ex-Confederates who had repudiated the rebellion, and northern arrivals. Most of the forty-six blacks were former slaves. William Holden, a newspaper editor appointed Provisional Governor for the six months immediately following the Civil War, organized the event. As he stated: "Let our loyal people, and especially the colored people, trust no man who will not promptly say he is a Republican." Boldly proclaimed: "We do this day with proud satisfaction unfurl the brilliant and glorious banner of THE REPUBLICAN PARTY and earnestly appeal to every true and patriotic man in the State to rally in its support." ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Paul Revere Williams, born February 18th 1894. Educated at University of Southern California and Los Angeles School of Art and Design, he became the first Black person to head the American Institute of Architects. This maestro designed the homes of many Hollywood celebrities as well as prestigious government facilities and high-visibility commercial buildings. Williams was delegate for the GOP’s 1952 and 1960 national conventions. Impressed by his integrity, a Republican mayor appointed him to the City Planning Commission and a Republican governor named him to the State Redevelopment Agency. He is the only Republican to have been awarded the NAACP’s Springarn Medal for Outstanding Achievement. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the h...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I appreciate Republican respect for the Jewish people. This day of 1981, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation,  Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust :  "The Congress of the United States established the United States Holocaust Memorial Council to create a living memorial to the victims of the Nazi Holocaust. Its purpose: So mankind will never lose memory of that terrible moment in time when the awful spectre of death camps stained the history of our world. When America and its allies liberated those haunting places of terror and sick destructiveness, the world came to a vivid and tragic understanding of the evil it faced in those years of the Second World War. Each of those names – Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Dachau, Treblinka and so many others – became synonymous with horror. The millions of deaths, the gas chambers, the inhuman crematoria, and the t...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Pedro Perea, born near Albuquerque, April 22nd 1852. Graduating from Saint Louis University, he took up the family ranching and merchandising business. This tireless entrepreneur served three terms in the territorial legislature. His next position was president of a Santa Fe bank. Perea attended the GOP’s 1896 national convention. Two years later, he overcame Democrat racism to win a term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He finished9 his career as insurance commissioner. Republicans remembered him as "an uncompromising Republican, broad minded, careful and earnest in his desire to see New Mexico take her place in the front ranks of the sisterhood of states." Two cousins, Francisco Perea and José Francisco Chaves, also were New Mexico Republican Congressmen. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I celebrate Republican achievements in criminal justice. April 21st 1899, the Republican Governor of Illinois, John Tanner, signed "An act to regulate the treatment and control of dependent, neglected and delinquent children." Passed by a GOP-controlled legislature, the  Illinois Juvenile Court Act  established our nation's first juvenile court system. Starting in July, separate courts for children under sixteen focused on rehabilitation. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more information, see  www.grandoldpartisan.com .  Here is a  YouTube Video  about this article. Here is a  TikTok Video  about this article. ...