Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Arthur Mellette, born near Indianapolis, June 23rd 1842. Outbreak of civil war, he enlisted with the 9th Indiana Infantry. Peace restored, he studied law and was elected county attorney. Next, this young Republican won two state house terms. Mellette relocated to Dakota Territory in search of a healthier climate for his ailing wife. As the territory's Republican National Committeeman, he supported Benjamin Harrison, a friend from way back, for the 1888 presidential nomination.  The incoming chief executive named him Governor of Dakota Territory. Upon statehood, he was elected Governor of South Dakota. Mellette County is named 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...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Barbara Vucanovich, born June 22nd 1921. Her father was an army general from New York and her mother, a Mexican-American from California. Age twenty-eight, she relocated to Nevada. Vucanovich volunteered for Paul Laxalt’s unsuccessful Senate campaign in 1964 and his successful 1974 campaign, then worked at his district office. She was delegate at two Republican National Conventions. In 1982, this "warm-hearted trailblazer" won first of seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. She helped write the Contract with America . GOP colleagues named her to a leadership position, conference secretary. 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.grandold...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I denounce Democrat devotion to slavery. June 22nd 1860, Democrat President James Buchanan vetoed the Homestead Act. This visionary legislation would have opened the Plains states to settlement by small farms. Page thirty-seven of  Back to Basics for the Republican Party  explains that Democrats wanted slave plantations there instead. Endorsing the Homestead Act was already in the Republicans' 1860 platform. Outbreak of civil war, most Democrats left Congress and became Confederates. Then, the GOP-controlled 37th Congress was able to pass it and President Lincoln signed it.  Galusha Grow, who wrote the Homestead Act, was by then Speaker of the House. 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 D...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Charles Porter, born in upstate New York, June 21st 1833. He studied at Albany Law School. During the Civil War, he served with the state’s 1st Cavalry regiment. Peace restored, Porter was city attorney for Norfolk, then district prosecutor. This conscientious Republican attended the Virginia constitutional convention. Upon readmission, he won two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Legislative achievements receiving his support included Yellowstone National Park and the [anti-] Ku Klux Klan 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 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 ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I denounce Democrat depravity. June 21st 1856, Republican Congressman Anson Burlingame excoriated Preston Brooks as "the vilest sort of coward". That odious Democrat Congressman had beaten nearly to death a Republican Senator, Charles Sumner. Brooks challenged Burlingame to a duel. Uh oh! Burlingame accepted. The vile and cowardly Brooks was too afraid to show up. 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. Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I appreciate Republican efforts to strengthen the country’s financial system. In 1863, the GOP-controlled 38th Congress passed the National Banking Act. This law replaced a patchwork of state banks with sturdier banks that issued currency backed by the federal government. The first bank in each city to convert to the new system was designated 'First National Bank' of that city. June 20th , the First National Bank of Philadelphia received the very first federal charter. That institution is now part of Wells Fargo. 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 i...