Grand Old Partisan

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: ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Joseph Corbin, born near Columbus, March 26th 1833. His parents had been slaves in Virginia. He studied at Ohio University, worked at a bank, learned several languages, taught school and wrote articles for mathematical journals. This multi-talented scholar also published a newspaper,  The Colored Citizen. In 1872, Corbin moved to Little Rock to report for another newspaper,  The Arkansas Republican . That year, the GOP nominated him, successfully, for superintendent of public instruction. At end of his term, he founded an institution of higher learning for African-Americans, now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. President Ulysses Grant appointed him chief clerk at the Little Rock post office. 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 histo...

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,...