Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Judson Lyons, born on a Georgia slave plantation, August 15th 1858. After emancipation, he taught himself to read and write. This civil rights activist was youngest delegate at the 1880 Republican National Convention. After graduating from Howard University Law School, Lyons became the state’s first African-American attorney. Lyons served on the Republican National Committee. At the 1896 GOP national convention, he backed William McKinley. The new president appointed him postmaster at Augusta, but had to back down in the face of fierce Democrat opposition. McKinley later named him Register of the U.S. Treasury. In this capacity, the signature of Judson Lyons appeared on all paper money. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Rep...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Gerald Solomon, born August 14th 1930. After serving in the Marine Corps, he prospered with clothing manufacturing and real estate and insurance. Town council and county board were the start of his political career. In 1972, Solomon first won election to the New York state house. At the 1976 Republican National Convention, this avowed conservative supported Ronald Reagan for president. In 1978, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He later contested Newt Gingrich for speaker. Chairing the rules committee closed out his ten terms. Gerald B.H. National Cemetery is named for "a passionate patriot, a heartfelt defender of liberty, an advocate of military strength and a man who put the needs of others first." Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I appreciate Republican foresight and compassion. August 14th 1912, William Howard Taft signed a bill establishing the United States Public Health Service. Formerly the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service, it was transformed into an agency with broader responsibilities and additional resources for research, disease prevention and education. This upgrade had been championed by the Surgeon General, Rupert Blue, whom the President had appointed earlier that year. 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. Here is an Instagram Video...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I highlight the GOP’s leadership in facilitating technological progress. August 13th 1912, President William Howard Taft signed An Act to Regulate Radio Communication. Until then, radio communication had been largely unregulated, leaving broadcasters battling for frequencies and vulnerable to malicious interference. Known as the Radio Act of 1912, it originated when the GOP-controlled Senate, months earlier, ratified the Berlin Radiotelegraph Convention – and drafted implementing legislation.  Broadcasters would be licensed by the federal government. At first, two wavelengths were set aside for stations making broadcasts intended for a general audience: one for  entertainment with another for market and weather reports. Within a decade, there being more than five hundred stations, a need arose for better regulation. Commerce Secretary Herbert...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I spotlight one of the greatest Republicans ever. An ardent abolitionist, Thaddeus Stevens co-founded the GOP and championed its legislative agenda during the Civil War and into Reconstruction. Representative Stevens died August 11th 1868. Two days later, African-American soldiers escorted his body to the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Friends of freedom in their thousands viewed the casket. It was placed on the same catafalque used for President Abraham Lincoln. a famous tribute at the funeral: "God give to Vermont another son; Lancaster, another citizen; Pennsylvania, another statesman; the country, another patriot; the poor, another friend; the freedmen, another advocate; the race, another benefactor; and the world, another man like Thaddeus Stevens." Amen His remains were then taken home to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for burial. He...