Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Ralph Plumb, born March 29th 1816. At first a gardener, he prospered as a merchant.  This anti-slavery activist won election to the Ohio state house and studied law. During the Civil War, Colonel Plumb served as quartermaster for another Republican, General James Garfield. Peace restored, investing in the coal and railroad industries led him to Illinois. He founded the town Streator and was its first mayor. In 1884, Plumb won first of two congressional terms. Later years focused on banking. 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 ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor William Moore, born in Alabama, March 28th 1830. Leaving school at age twelve, the farm boy clerked at a Nashville dry goods store. After three years in New York City, he settled at Memphis. His business would become one of the South's largest wholesalers. Outbreak of civil war, Moore rejected secession. His area soon occupied by Union forces, he emerged as a civic leader. In 1880, this enterprising Republican won a congressional term. He declined another nomination but did serve later in the state house. His fortune endowed the William Moore College of Technology. 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, se...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I laud Christian Herter, born in Paris to American expats, March 28th 1895. University studies took him to Harvard and Columbia. After a diplomatic post in Germany, Herter attended the 1919 peace conference. He then worked for Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, assisting with postwar economic relief. Herter served twelve years in the Massachusetts legislature. In 1942, this distinguished Republican won first of five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He opposed the New Deal but did support the Marshall Plan. He later won the governorship and was re-elected. President Eisenhower appointed Herter the Under Secretary of State and then Secretary of State. In 1962, President Kennedy, reaching across the aisle, named him U.S. Trade Representative, a newly created position. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil right...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Harrison Gray Otis Blake, born March 17th 1818. He moved from Vermont to Ohio and studied law. Political activity began in the state house, then the state senate. His residence was a haven along the Underground Railroad. In 1858, Blake won election to Congress. He delivered memorable speeches against slavery. Receiving his vote were the DC Emancipation Act, the Homestead Act, the Territories Emancipation Act, the Pacific Railways Act and the Land Grant Colleges Act. During the Civil War, rather than run for a third term, this patriotic Republican enlisted as Colonel of the 166th Ohio Infantry. His regiment helped defend Washington, DC from rebel attack. Peace restored, Blake focused on banking and merchandising. Grateful neighbors elected him mayor of Medina. He declined appointment as governor of Idaho Territory. Back to Basics for the Republ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute John Farnsworth, born in Quebec, March 27th 1820. After studying at the University of Michigan, the young attorney relocated to Chicago. He joined the Illinois GOP at its formation and in 1856 won first of two congressional terms. Outbreak of civil war, Farnsworth recruited the 17th Illinois Infantry and a Republican governor commissioned him colonel of the 8th Illinois Cavalry. His regiment battled through Virginia and Maryland. In 1862, he won first of five more terms. Farnsworth was present at the death of his friend, Abraham Lincoln. He supported Republican Reconstruction efforts to bring a "new birth of freedom" to the postwar South. Receiving his vote were the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments as well as the 1866 Civil Rights Act. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: ...