Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor James Clarkson, born May 17th 1842. Age twelve, he relocated with his family from Indiana to Iowa. Youth focused on the printing trade and farming. He assisted some five hundred African-Americans escaping from slavery. Twice during the Civil War his enlistment was rejected for medical reasons. Peace restored, Clarkson co-founded the Des Moines National Bank. He was "an earnest promoter of the growth and prosperity of the town." It became a railroad hub on his initiative. President Ulysses Grant appointed him local postmaster. President Benjamin Harrison named him First Assistant Postmaster General. He later offered him the ambassadorship to Russia or China. Clarkson was delegate to six Republican National Conventions. He chaired the RNC in 1891 and 1892. President Theodore Roosevelt named him surveyor for the Port of New York. Back to Basics for ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor George Bates, born in Salem, Massachusetts on February 25th 1891. The young Republican was state representative, then mayor. In 1936, Bates won first of seven congressional terms. Lend-lease funding to the British military and food aid for British civilians early during WWII received his support. He died in an airliner crash near Washington DC in 1949. QUOTE – "He labored hard for the city of man without forfeiting his place in the city of God." "a man of expansive human sympathy, completely devoted to the public welfare, truly a great American" A son, William Bates, succeeded him and served nineteen years. Receiving his vote were the GOP’s 1957, 1960 and 1964 Civil Rights Acts. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republi...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Horacio Rivero, born in Puerto Rico, May 16th 1910. Graduating third in his class at the U.S. Naval Academy, he served aboard two cruisers and three battleships. He later studied electrical engineering at MIT. During the Second World War, Rivero served as gunnery officer in the Pacific. He saved his ship damaged by a typhoon. He commanded a destroyer during the Korean War. President Dwight Eisenhower promoted him to Rear Admiral. Throughout most of the 1960s, he was Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Rivero retired as Four-Star Admiral. He merited praise for being "an inspiration to everyone." President Richard Nixon appointed him Ambassador to Spain. 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 appreciate Republican resolve. May 14th 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower and one hundred thousand others welcomed home the Vice President and his wife on their return from an eight-country South American tour. Richard and Pat Nixon had nearly been murdered in Caracas. They were well received before their final stop in Venezuela. Communist agitators attacked Nixon's motorcade and tried to kill him. They shattered his car windows and tried to overturn the vehicle. Secret Service agents drew their weapons, but the calm and cool Vice President ordered them not to fire. Venezuelan soldiers eventually arrived. In response, U.S. naval ships and troops had been ordered to the region, but military action proved not to be necessary. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I highlight the Women’s Loyal National League, the country’s first political organization for women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony had called for it in a newspaper editorial, an  Appeal to the Women of the Republic . They recognized a role for women in supporting the Union cause during the Civil War. May 14th 1863, activists gathered in New York City. Morning session was at a church, with afternoon session at the Cooper Institute. Lucy Stone, another Republican icon, presided. Attendees passed an important resolution: "There can never be true peace in this republic until the civil and political rights of all citizens of African descent and all Women are practically established." Funds were raised by selling metallic pins featuring the words "In Emancipation is National Unity" and the image of a slave breaking h...