Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I applaud Republican commitment to national unity. October 12th 1915, Theodore Roosevelt addressed the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization. He stressed the importance of ensuring that immigrants consider themselves to be Americans, first and only: "There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. A hyphenated American is not an American at all. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities. Those hyphenated Americans who terrorize American politicians by threats of the foreign vote are engaged in treason to the American Republic. We should meet this situation by on the one hand seeing that these immigrants get all ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Henry Waldron, born in upstate New York, October 11th 1819. After studying civil engineering, he relocated to Michigan. The enterprising young man settled at Hillsdale and promoted construction of a railroad connecting the town to Detroit. He also proved to be a successful banker. Waldron entered politics as Whig state representative. The party fading, in 1854 he joined the Republican Party and won first of three congressional terms. During the Civil War, he recruited more than one thousand volunteers for the 18th Michigan Infantry Regiment. In 1871, Waldron returned to Congress for another three terms. Receiving his vote were the [anti-] Ku Klux Klan Act, Yellowstone National Park and the 1875 Civil Rights Act. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute John Robert Thomas, born October 11th 1846. Outbreak of civil war, he enlisted in the Union Army and rose to captain. The regiment battled through Georgia and the Carolinas. Peace restored, Thomas moved to Illinois and was county prosecutor . In 1878, he won first of five congressional terms. His service on the naval affairs committee contributed to building innovative steel ships. Receiving his vote were the Antitrust Act, the Land-Grant Colleges Act and the Forest Reserve Act. President William McKinley named him federal judge for Oklahoma territory. He served on a commission that codified state laws. Age sixty-eight, prison inmates trying to escape killed the venerable Republican. a Sooner eulogy: "one of the best known and best loved men who ever lived in Oklahoma" Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Huan Nguyen. The teenager arrived in the United States after the fall of Saigon. As he recalled: "I was one of those refugees, apprehensive about an uncertain future, yet feeling extremely grateful that I was here at all. The images that I remember vividly when I arrived at Camp Asan, Guam, now Asan Beach Park, were of American sailors and Marines toiling in the hot sun, setting up tents and chow hall, distributing water and hot food, helping and caring for the people with dignity and respect. I thought to myself how lucky I am to be in a place like America. Those sailors inspired me to later serve in the United States Navy." Nguyen studied electrical engineering at Oklahoma State University and Southern Methodist University, manufacturing engineering at Purdue University and information technology at Carnegie Mellon University. He r...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Sophia Holmes, born in Washington DC around 1830. She was a free African-American whose birthdate was not recorded. Her husband, an emancipated slave, was killed during the Civil War. James Wilson, a Republican Senator, and James Blaine, a Republican Representative, took action in support of Holmes and her two children. On their recommendation, the Treasury Department hired her as a janitor. Within weeks, she uncovered a plot to steal $200,000 in newly printed currency. In gratitude, the U.S. Treasurer appointed her to the official position of messenger, at three times her previous salary. Holmes was the federal government’s first African-American civilian employee. She remained at the Treasury Department thirty-two years. Death came on October 10th 1900. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote t...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Myron Herrick, born in Ohio, October 9th 1854. The talented attorney started out working for a bank, rising to be its president. He co-founded prominent corporations including Union Carbide and Quaker Oats. Political activity began on the Cleveland city council. This protege of Republican titans William McKinley and Mark Hanna served on the Republican National Committee. Herrick cast an electoral vote for Benjamin Harrison. In 1903, he was elected Governor. President Taft appointed him Ambassador to France. While again Ambassador there during the Coolidge administration, Herrick welcomed Charles Lindbergh after his transatlantic flight. Paris named a street for him. 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 wor...