Winston Churchill was a forced to be reckoned with. With bulldog like features, Churchill was pugnacious and not easily ignored. A solider and statesman, he is perhaps best known as a speaker. In an earlier article (“Churchill 101”) I described Churchill’s oratorical prowess like this: Winston Churchill marshaled words like a general marshals men. He [...]
Tip O’Neill was a burly Irishman . . . and a powerful political figure in the 1980s. Though he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives, O’Neill’s political philosophy was “All politics is local.” It’s highly doubtful that O’Neill had Oliver Ellsworth in mind when he developed his philosophy, but he could have. Ellsworth [...]
Every now and again in our history, a candidate for high office emerges who is an “also ran”—one who runs and runs but never crosses the finish line. In the late 1800s and early 1900s it was William Jennings Bryan, who ran for the presidency three times . . . and lost. In the 1950s [...]
After throwing off one tyrant king the great fear among many in the new nation of the United States of America, especially after ratification of the new Constitution with its vague language concerning the office of president, was that America would fall back under a monarchy. The fear was so great that Vice President John [...]
History isn’t always kind to those who have done the most to move and shape it. It’s not that history is cruel to these individuals as much as it is neglectful. This is certainly true of John Langdon—one of the major shapers of America’s early history, but one very few have ever heard of. James [...]
