Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Julia Lathrop, born in Illinois, July 29th 1858. Her father, an attorney and friend of Abraham Lincoln, co-founded the state GOP. Her mother was a suffragist. She studied law after graduating from Vassar College. Lathrop moved to Chicago in 1890 and worked with other social reformers at Hull House. Eight years she served on the state board of charities. In 1913, President William Howard Taft appointed her Chief of the Children’s Bureau. This made her the first woman to head a federal agency. America's First Official Mother directed research on child labor, infant mortality, maternal mortality, juvenile delinquency, and other topics. She wrote: "Work for infant welfare is coming to be regarded as more than a philanthropy or an expression of good will. It is a profoundly important public concern which tests the public...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Philip Cannon, born in Delaware, June 28th 1850. His father was Republican Governor during the Civil War and brother, Comptroller of the Currency. Starting out with orchards and canneries, Cannon also prospered with a bank. The new state constitution having established the office of lieutenant governor, in 1900 he won the position. Later years focused on the state tax commission and the American Bankers Association. 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 about this article. Here is my Substack about this article. Mich...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I recount the tragic life of Alfred Stone, born in Massachusetts, June 28th 1813. He relocated to Columbus at age nineteen. The young merchant was elected to a U.S. House of Representatives vacancy but did not run for another term. As the Ohio GOP's first chairman, Stone signed a call for an organizational meeting in Pittsburgh that planned the 1856 Republican National Convention. He was delegate to that convention, in Philadelphia. Following year, Governor Salmon Chase appointed him state treasurer. Twice-elected, he remained at this post until 1862. President Abraham Lincoln named Stone a collector of internal revenue. In 1865, the alcoholic and gambling-addicted Stone was implicated in an illegal scheme to smuggle cotton from areas under rebel control. He committed suicide at the graves of his children. Back to Ba...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I praise Hattie Redmond, born to emancipated slaves. The family moved from Missouri to California, then Oregon by 1880. Her father volunteered for the Republican Lincoln Club. Thirty-nine years, she worked as a janitor at the federal court in Portland. Redmond volunteered for the Oregon Colored Women’s Council, a charitable organization with the motto Lifting as We Rise . In 1912, she became president of the Colored Women’s Equal Suffrage League. Beginning that year, she campaigned in many elections as member of the Colored Women’s Republican Club. April 1913, Redmond became the state's first African-American woman registered to vote. She died on June 27th 1952. 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 ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I revere the Great Emancipator. June 27th 1864, President Lincoln officially accepted nomination for a second term. He wrote a public letter to the Republican National Committee: "Your letter formally notifying me that I have been nominated by the convention you represent for the Presidency of the United States for four years from the 4th of March next, has been received. The nomination is gratefully accepted, as the resolutions of the convention, called the platform, are heartily approved. "I am especially gratified that the soldier and seaman were not forgotten by the convention, as they forever must and will be remembered by the grateful country for whose salvation they devote their lives." 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...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute William Knowland, born near San Francisco, June 26th 1908. His father was a congressman. Age twelve, he started volunteering for GOP candidates. Public service began in the state house at twenty-four and two years later the state senate. This young Republican served on the RNC executive committee. While an army major in 1945, Governor Earl Warren appointed him to a U.S. Senate vacancy. Knowland went on to defeat humorist Will Rogers for the remainder of the term and then for a full term. He won for a third term with 88% of the vote. Knowland was Senate Majority Leader from 1953 to 1955, and then Minority Leader. He was a foreign policy hardliner, often sparring with President Eisenhower, but mainstream on domestic policy. His guidance helped overcome Democrat opposition to the 1957 Civil Rights Act. Rather than seek another term, i...