Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I spotlight a poignant letter from a Republican President to his Vice President. It was dated June 3rd 1899: "Mrs. McKinley joins me in affectionate birthday greetings with the hope that your journey was without discomfort and that your summer home will bring you health. Mrs. McKinley sends love to Mrs. Hobart. William McKinley" Though never having met before the election campaign, McKinley and Garret Hobart became close friends. And, their wives socialized together. A reporter observed that for the first time "the Vice President was recognized as somebody, as a part of the Administration." Hobart suffered from coronary problems. He did not live to see another birthday. 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 o...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor George Stewart, born in Delaware, June 2nd 1890. His initial business was landscape construction. He won a U.S. House of Representatives term and was delegate to the 1936 Republican National Convention. After four years with the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia, Stewart worked for the Corps of Engineers. President Eisenhower named him Architect of the Capitol, and he remained on the job sixteen years. Achievements included overseeing construction of the Capitol Extension and of the Rayburn House Office Building. 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...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Flavius Beal, born in Maine, June 2nd 1841. He was a Union army sergeant during the Civil War. Peace restored, hard work brought him up from railroad baggage handler to hotel manager. In 1892, this self-made man won the first of eight one-year terms as mayor of Bangor. Among his achievements were promoting the economy with cultural festivals and constructing an impressive city hall. The shield and scrolls of the Battleship Maine are displayed nearby due to his initiative. Beal also served two terms in the state house and was delegate to the 1900 Republican National Convention. He was known to be "an honest mayor, a warm friend, an approachable and courteous citizen" as well as "one of the city’s most colorful characters." Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Wirt Yerger, born in Jackson, June 1st 1930. It was this dynamic young conservative who revived the Mississippi GOP, which had been nearly inactive since the end of Reconstruction. In 1956, he united Young Republicans, Eisenhower supporters and businesspeople. This coalition won control of the state committee and elected him chairman.  Yerger recognized his victory as "the ultimate break with the old-line, racist Southern Democrats who didn't know whether they wanted to be liberal or conservative, but were vocally committed to keeping long-held, highly corrupted power."  Under his leadership, Mississippi Republicans strenuously denounced Democrats for advocating white supremacy.  Yerger attended three Republican National Conventions and chaired the Southern Association of Republican State Chairmen. In 2009, the MSGOP named him "chairman ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Edward Valentine, born in Iowa, June 1st 1843. He apprenticed to be a printer. During the Civil War, he was an officer with the 67th Illinois Infantry then the 7th Iowa Cavalry. Peace restored, Valentine relocated to Omaha and studied law. President Grant named him a land office register. He won election to the bench. In 1878, he won first of three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Following this were three years as U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms. 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...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I commemorate the National Negro Committee. Plans for this civil rights organization were made on the one hundredth anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. It was formally established May 31st 1909, at Henry Street Settlement House in Manhattan. Attendees included Republican luminaries Mary Ovington, Ida Wells Barnett and Mary Church Terrell. "The systematic persecution of law-abiding citizens and their disfranchisement on account of their race alone is a crime." Its second annual meeting re-organized as the National Organization for the Advancement of Colored People. 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 .  H...