By Patrick Eakin He will be remembered as the New York governor who promoted the building of the Erie Canal. He was also a candidate for President of the United States in 1812. Dewitt Clinton was born in Little Britain New York on March 2 1769.  His father, James, and his uncle, George, had been generals in the Continental Army during the Revolution. He studied at Princeton and was later admitted to what is now Columbia University. His class was the first to graduate following independence. While he was studying law his uncle George, the governor of New York,  was … Continue reading DeWitt Clinton 1812

Originally posted on They Ran For President:
Lewis Cass By Patrick Eakin He served as Secretary of War for President Andrew Jackson, and Secretary of State for President James Buchanan. In 1848, he received the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States. Lewis Cass was born the son of a skilled craftsman on October 9 1782 in Exeter New Hampshire. Jonathan Cass had planned and saved for his son’s education, and as a result Lewis was able to enroll at the Phillips Exeter academy. One of his schoolmates would be future Senator Daniel Webster. In 1799, Cass moved with his… Continue reading Lewis Cass

Horace Greeley The Liberal Republican Party Nominee, 1872 By Patrick Eakin As publisher of  “The New York Tribune” Horace Greeley became the best known newspaperman in America.  In 1872 the Liberal Republican Party nominated him for president of the United States. He also ran as the default nominee of the Democratic Party. He was born in Amherst New Hampshire, February 3 1811.  His father, Zaccheus, struggled to make a living farming the fifty acres that he had inherited from his father. His mother, Mary Woodburn, came from a modest farming family. Greeley’s maternal grandfather’s cousin, David Woodburn Dickey, was a … Continue reading Horace Greeley

John C. Breckinridge By Patrick Eakin John Cabell Breckinridge fought for the Southern secession, but before donning the uniform of a Confederate general he served as vice president of the United States.  In 1860 he was the Southern Democrat ‘s  candidate for president. He was Born near Lexington in Cabell’s Dale Kentucky on January 16, 1821.  His father, Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, had been a Kentucky state legislator and Kentucky’s Secretary of State.  His mother, Mary Clay Smith, was the daughter of Samuel Stanhope Smith, President of the College of New Jersey, now known as, Princeton.  His Grandfather, John Breckinridge, had … Continue reading John C Breckinridge a

Horatio Seymour By Patrick Eakin Horatio Seymour was the governor of New York during the anti-draft riots of 1863.   The Democrats nominated him for president of the United States in 1868. He was born in Pompey Hill, Onondaga County, New York on May 31, 1810.   His name, Horatio, honored his Uncle, Senator Horatio Seymour of Vermont who had served from 1821 to 1833.    His father, Richard, a New York state senator who served on the canal commission,  held part ownership in a mercantile store and was also a banker.  His mother, Mary, was the daughter of General Jonathan Forman.  General … Continue reading Horatio Seymour

General George B. McClellan By Patrick Eakin He graduated second in his class from the West Point military academy.  A railroad company hired him to be their president.  The President of the United States asked him to serve as the Union’s highest-ranking active general following the disastrous defeat at Bull Run.   He ran for president of the United States in 1864 as the nominee of the Democratic party.  Today, however, too many people only remember General George B. McClellan as the overly cautious commander who had to be replaced by President Lincoln. George Brinton McClellan was born in Philadelphia … Continue reading George McClellan

John Bell By Patrick Eakin In 1860 the Constitutional Union Party nominated John Bell for President of the United States.  With the Democrats divided North and South and many voters fearing the radical ideas of the Republican party Bell was presented as the reasonable alternative. He was born on February 15 1797 near Nashville Tennessee. His father, Captain Robert Bell, served in the Revolutionary war as an English language interpreter for the French soldiers serving under General Nathanial Green.  General Green was the only man, other than George Washington, to serve as a Continental General during the entire war for … Continue reading John Bell

Stephen A. Douglas By Patrick Eakin Stephen A. Douglas debated Abraham Lincoln in what has become one of the most memorable debates in American political history. In 1860 the Democrats nominated him for President of the United States He was born in Brandon Vermont on April 23 1813.  His father, Stephen, was a promising young country doctor and his mother, Sarah, was the daughter of Nathanial Fisk a five term member of the Vermont General assembly. When Douglas was only two months old his father suffered a fatal stroke or heart attack. The tragic loss was devastating for his mother … Continue reading Stephen Douglas

    John C. Fremont By Pat Eakin John C. Fremont gained his place in American history as “The path finder”.   He explored the American West, served as one of California’s first senators, and during the Civil War he served as a Union general in western Missouri.  In 1856 he was the first candidate of the new Republican Party, the party with an anti slavery platform. His mother, Anne, was the daughter of a socially prominent Virginian, and former member of the House of Burgess, Colonel Thomas Whiting.   When Colonel Whiting died, Anne was only six months old.  … Continue reading John C Fremont

Winfield Scott the Whig Party’s nominee in 1852 By Patrick Eakin General Winfield Scott served his nation as the commanding military officer during the war between Mexico and the United States.  When the Southern states declared their independence in 1861 he advised President Lincoln on how to defeat the rebellion with what became known as, The Anaconda Plan.  In 1852 he ran as the last Whig candidate for President of the United States. He was born near Petersburg Virginia on June 13 1786.  His father was a financially successful farmer and had served as a captain during the Revolution.  His … Continue reading Winfield Scott