Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Elizabeth Cady Stanton, born in upstate New York, November 12th 1815. Her father was a Federalist congressman, her cousin a prominent abolitionist. She received a good education and married another prominent abolitionist. They had seven children. In 1848, Stanton attended the Seneca Women’s Rights Convention and authored its Declaration of Sentiments . Temperance was another of her causes. Stanton delivered a speech at a rally for presidential nominee Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, she and Susan B. Anthony organized the Women’s Loyal National League in support of a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. Back to Basics for the Republican Party   explains that it was in a letter to Stanton that Anthony boasted of having voted for "the Republican ticket – straight". The two leader...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I spotlight Republican respect for the nation’s military veterans. March 1921, the GOP-controlled 67th Congress passed a resolution for interring an unknown fallen soldier in a war memorial. November 11th , President Warren Harding dedicated the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery: "Hundreds of mothers are wondering today, finding a touch of solace in the possibility that the nation bows in grief over the body of one she bore to live and die, if need be, for the Republic." "We do not know the eminence of his birth, but we do know the glory of his death. He died for his country, and greater devotion hath no man than this. He died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in his heart and hope on his lips that his country should triumph and its civilization survive." Back to Basics for the Republican Party ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Hugh Scott, born November 11th 1900. He moved to Philadelphia after studying law at University of Virginia. This young Republican volunteered for many political campaigns. Fifteen years he was a district attorney. In 1940, Scott won first of two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. His military service during WWII was aboard a battleship. While in Congress another six terms, he chaired the Republican National Committee and managed Dwight Eisenhower’s 1952 presidential campaign. In 1958, Scott won election to the U.S. Senate. He championed GOP achievements such as the 1957, 1960 and 1964 Civil Rights Acts. His colleagues named him Minority Leader, succeeding Everett Dirksen. He was delegate at three Republican National Conventions. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the bo...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Clarence Pendleton, born November 10th 1930. He grew up in the nation’s capital, graduating from Dunbar High School and Howard University. After three years in the army, Howard hired him to coach athletics. In 1972, a Republican governor named him coordinator of the Model Cities program at San Diego. Pendleton also headed the city’s National Urban League chapter. He warned against African-American dependence on government and supported Ronald Reagan for president. President Reagan appointed Pendleton chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. Democrats despised him for sharing Martin Luther King's belief that people should “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Recognizing that blacks are equal to whites, Pendleton denounced affirmative actions as a "bankrupt policy." Self-proc...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Thomas Scanlan, born in Ireland, November 10th 1832. He resided in New York before moving to Houston at twenty-one and becoming a merchant. During the Civil War, his business prospered selling cotton across the Mexican border. Peace restored, Scanlan joined the Republican Party. A military governor named him city councilman in 1868 and mayor in 1870. He went on to be elected for two more terms. His administration emphasized infrastructure development. Various paving, drainage and construction projects were supervised personally. This conscientious mayor angered Democrats by hiring Black policemen. Later years, he invested in railroads, streetcars, and water and gas utilities. President Ulysses Grant named him postmaster. His estate financed the landmark Scanlan Building. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quo...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I  commemorate the Federal Aid Highway Act. President Warren Harding signed it on November 9th 1921. The bill had been introduced by Colorado Republican Senator Lawrence Phipps and passed by the GOP-controlled 67th Congress. States received 50-50 matching funds from the federal government, and were tasked with maintainance. Highways had a standard quality, with at least two lanes each way. And so began a nationwide system. Three decades later, the Eisenhower administration expanded this program on a vast scale. 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 an Instagram...