Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Elaine Chao, born in Taiwan, March 26th 1953. As she recalled: "When my mother, sisters and I arrived on the shores of America when I was 8 years old, the boat on which we came, a freighter, passed the Statue of Liberty. And as I looked up at the Statue of Liberty I thought at that time what a wonderful country!" Graduating from Harvard Business School, Chao worked for Bank of America and Citicorp. Political involvement began with a White House Fellowship during the Reagan administration. The President named her to the Federal Maritime Commission. President George H. Bush appointed her Deputy Secretary of Transportation, followed by Director of the Peace Corps. In 1993, she married Senator Mitch McConnell. The couple had been introduced by a mutual friend, Julia Chang Bloch, the first Asian-American Ambassador. Chao was Secretary of L...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Norman Willey, born in upstate New York, March 25th 1838. After college, he moved to California and mined for gold. Relocating to Idaho during the Civil War, the young Republican was elected county treasurer and school superintendent. He also operated a saw mill and studied law. In 1872, Willey won first of several terms on the territorial council. His newspaper reporting on mining issues brought him to prominence. Upon statehood, residents elected him Lieutenant Governor. After three months in office, the legislature elected his running mate a Senator, making him Governor. His administration established various agencies and promoted infrastructure development. Later in life, he worked as a mine superintendent. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know a...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute James O’Donnell, born March 25th 1840. He apprenticed at a newspaper in Jackson, Michigan. Outbreak of civil war, the young patriot enlisted with the state’s 1st Volunteer Infantry. He fought at First Bull Run and many other battles. Returning home, O’Donnell published his own newspaper and served as mayor. He cast an electoral vote for the Grant/Wilson presidential ticket. In 1884, O'Donnell won first of four congressional terms. He introduced the bill establishing rural free postal delivery. Dedication to improving the agricultural sector led to renown as father of Michigan’s beet-sugar industry. 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,...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I appreciate the National Gallery of Art. It was a gift to the American people from President Hoover’s Treasury Secretary. Andrew Mellon had for years been collecting paintings and sculptures by the old masters. He anticipated, correctly, that this initiative would attract art donations from other sources. March 24th 1937, Congress accepted Mellon’s donated works as well his financing of a museum to house them. Four years later, this neo-classical building opened, on the Mall. National Gallery of Art is remembered as "the greatest gift ever known to have been made to any government by any individual." 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,...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute John Wesley Powell, born in New York, March 24th 1834. His farming family moved to Ohio, then Wisconsin, then Illinois. He studied at three colleges and conducted scientific surveys throughout Middle America. Outbreak of civil war, the abolitionist enlisted in the 20th Illinois Infantry, then transferred to the 2nd Illinois Artillery. A bullet wound at Shiloh took his right arm. Remaining in the army, Major Powell fought at Vicksburg and Atlanta. He was among mourners who met President Lincoln's funerary train in Chicago. Peace restored, he taught geology at Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State University. Powell also curated the state natural history museum. In 1867 and 1868, the tireless professor and his students explored the Rocky Mountains. They collected "a vast amount of material, ranging from rocks to butterflies....