Discover Why Ohio is the “Mother of Presidents”
Filed under: All Ohio, Cincinnati, Marion, Mentor, Niles, North Bend, Point Pleasant, Spiegel Grove
Commanders in chief, dedicated public servants, fathers of our nation — United States Presidents have been known more for their public personas, politics and policies than simply as people.
In Ohio, home to eight United State Presidents, visitors have the opportunity to explore and experience the personal side of these office holders with all the quirks and foibles that make us all human.
William Henry Harrison, 9th President, 1841
Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President, 1869-1877
Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President, 1877-1881
James A. Garfield, 20th President, 1881
Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President, 1889-1893
William McKinley, 25th President, 1897-1901
William Howard Taft, 27th President, 1909-1913
Warren G. Harding, 29th President, 1921-1923
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison shook so many hands during his campaign that his hand was too sore to shake any at his inauguration. His wanton disregard for his health was even more evident during his 1-hour 40-minute inaugural address, which he delivered during a snowstorm. He died of pneumonia 31 days later.
Harrison’s tomb on Mt. Nebo in North Bend, just west of Cincinnati, contains Harrison’s remains. An obelisk of Bedford limestone, with a marble entranceway, rises sixty feet above the tomb. From the terrace, visitors have a spectacular view of the Ohio River Valley. [ top ] [ White House Bio ]
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was arrested during his presidency – for speeding in his horse carriage. He was fined $20 and had to walk back to the White House. This president was not only quick, but also quite nimble: he set the high jump record while attending West Point.
Grant’s birthplace in Point Pleasant along the Ohio River is a restored three-room cottage built in 1817. The cottage contains information and artifacts from Grant’s life.
Grant’s schoolhouse and boyhood home are in Georgetown . The 1829 schoolhouse was just one room when Grant attended. The boyhood home was the residence Grant occupied the longest during his itinerant life. Inside, the home is decorated in the style of the 1830s and 1840s and displays various family artifacts. [ top ] [ White House Bio ]
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes banned alcohol from the White House during his presidency to “set a good example” for the nation. Non-teetotaler guests called his wife “Lemonade Lucy,” because she never served a drink stronger than the sour summer treat.
After his presidency, Hayes and his wife retired to Spiegel Grove, a 31-room mansion in northwest Ohio. The house is outfitted with many of its original furnishings. A museum displaying artifacts from his Civil War and presidential careers is adjacent to the house, and Hayes’ burial site also is on the estate. The original gates from the White House guard the entrance to Spiegel Grove.
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Fremont [ top ] [ White House Bio ]
James A. Garfield
Truly a self-made man, James A. Garfield worked his way through several jobs before becoming president. He was a canal boat driver, a janitor, a preacher, a university president and a U.S. Congressman. He also was a renaissance man, coming up with a proof for the Pythagorean theorem, campaigning for president in both English and German and writing Greek with one hand while writing Latin with the other.
The Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor was recently restored. The stately home in the leafy Cleveland suburb was dubbed “Lawnfield” by reporters who camped out on its lawn during Garfield’s presidential campaign. Also at the site are a windmill, visitors’ center and museum.
The magnificent Garfield Monument, a 180-foot-tall monument in Cleveland is constructed of Ohio sandstone. The multi-story monument in Lake Vew Cemetery contains the remains of Garfield and his family, and is outfitted with Tiffany stained glass windows, mosaic tiles, an observation deck and bas-reliefs detailing scenes from Garfield’s life. [ top ] [ White House Bio ]
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was president when electric lights were installed in the White House. He and his family often ran up the bill, leaving the lights on all night. They were afraid to touch the light switches.
Though the site of Harrison’s birth burned down in 1858, a marker is erected at Harrison’s birthplace at the corner of Symmes and Washington avenues in North Bend. The site also was a home of Harrison’s grandfather, William Henry Harrison. [ top ] [ White House Bio ]
William McKinley
One of the nation’s most compassionate presidents, William McKinley, refused to campaign because he wanted to care for his ill wife. So he delivered his speeches from his front porch in Canton. Sadly, an assassin’s bullet cut his term short. As he was hit, McKinley begged that his shooter not be harmed.
The massive National McKinley Birthplace Memorial, Library and Museum in Niles built of white marble in Classical style, features a museum with artifacts from McKinley’s life, a library and a monumental statue of the president.
The William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum in Canton houses photographs, letters and other objects from McKinley’s life. The nearby McKinley National Memorial houses the remains of the McKinley family in a double-domed mausoleum made of multicolored granite and a bronze statue of the president. [ top ] [ White House Bio ]
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft enjoyed milk so much that he bought a cow named Mooly Wolly to graze the White House lawn. He also was an accomplished jurist and was the only ex-president to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
The William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati houses the birthplace and boyhood home of President Taft and is reconstructed to look as it did during his time there. Guided tours of the four refurbished ground-floor rooms are offered, and a museum inhabits the second floor. The Taft Education Center, adjacent to the birthplace, displays an orientation video and an animatronic figure of Taft’s son Charlie, which tells stories about the president and his family. [ top ] [ White House Bio ]
Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding had an Airedale terrier named Laddie Boy who brought him his newspaper every morning. But Harding’s love for his pooch didn’t end there: He had a birthday party for the dog, complete with a cake made of dog biscuits, and reserved a chair for Laddie Boy at cabinet meetings.
The Harding Home in Marion was built in 1891 and contains many of the original Victorian furnishings. The front porch is where Harding gave his speeches when he was running for president. The adjacent Press House now serves as the Harding Museum. The Harding Memorial contains the remains of the president and his wife, Florence. The tomb is a majestic circular monument made of white Georgia marble built in the neo-classical style. [ top ] [ White House Bio ]
