THIRD POST FROM MADAME TUSSAUDS

Another president in the President's Gallery.

This time it is Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.  

One of my favorite characters in history as he was a great conservationist and was instrumental in putting land aside for many of our national parks.  Also he was a hunter and a taxidermist from a very young age.  When he was in his teens he learned to identify the sounds of almost all of the birds in his surroundings of New York and Long Island.

You can learn more information about him here.

Above are likenesses of President Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy (Onassis).  I found a very interesting history of how they met here.  I spent almost two years in Newport, Rhode Island in the late 1970's, and had no idea that that is where they were married.  John F. Kennedy, known as Jack, was our 35th President.  I am not showing you the presidents in numerical order.  More info on him at this link.

Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy.  They were married for 52 years.  He was our 40th President and was born on February 6th, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois.  After graduating college in 1932 he found work as a radio sports announcer in Iowa.   More info here.

I enjoyed this mural along one of the corridors between exhibits, and other artwork along the way.

The following picture depicts John Adams, who was the 2nd President of the United States, and was the first president to live in The White House.  When he arrived in Washington DC, this famous landmark was still under construction and he temporarily lived at the Tunnicliffe's City Hotel.  He didn't move into The White House  until November 1st, 1800, but soon after was defeated in the 1800 election, and only lived there for four months.  He was a bit of a grumpy guts but married a good lady, Abigail.  You can read more at this link.

This is John Quincy Adams, our 6th President and the son of John Adams.  He was a statesman and a diplomat, a Senator and member of the House of Representatives.   He was married to a lady named Louisa who was English, from London, and up until this last election, was the only First Lady who was born outside of the United States.  A link with more info can be found here.

The following is Woodrow Wilson who was the 28th President of the United States.  He was born in Staunton, Virginia, not too far away, a little over a two hour car ride.  He was born on December 28th, 1856 and experienced the Civil War in his youth, as he was present in Georgia when Union troops entered his town.  His mother tended to wounded Confederate soldiers.  Also, as a 13 year old he stood next to General E. Lee when he, Lee, participated in a procession in Augusta. His link full of information can be found here.

Warren G. Harding was the 29th President of the United States.  Info here.  Harding came from a small town in Ohio, and before entering politics he owned The Marion Star, which is still in existence today.  He served only two years in office, from 1921 to 1923, when he died.  His Vice President, Calvin Cooledge, became the 30th President of the United States.

Next, Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th President.  Camp David is named after his grandson, David.  Many years ago my sister and I were staring through the railings at the side of The White House (this was when there were no barriers except for the tall iron railings).  What captured our attention was a white squirrel on the grounds, scurrying along with a mouthful of acorns, trying to find a spot to bury them I'm assuming.  We had never seen a white squirrel before and were discussing the fact.  The next thing we knew, a guard appeared at a fast pace through the trees, with a rather formidable looking rifle, no doubt to make sure we were behaving ourselves.  Our conversation must have been a bit boring.  "Well I never, have you ever seen a white squirrel before?" "No, never!" was my reply.
"Isn't he a lovely little thing?"  We were trying to take photos, not of the Oval Office but of the white squirrel.  My sister and I were so startled at the sight of the guard we nearly fell out of our shoes, and with a quick smile at the guard, knew it was time to move along.   I have been seeing white squirrels each time I visit the city over these many years, the great, great grand-squirrels of that one little white squirrel perhaps?  Why am I retelling this tale?  Because the following story reminded me.  Eisenhower banished the White House's squirrels because they were ruining his putting green.  In the spring of 1954 the American Public Golf Association installed an outdoor putting green just steps from the Oval Office, which we were unknowingly standing not too far from, it being blocked from view by a 'forest' of large bushes and trees.  Much to his dismay, Eisenhower, who was an avid golfer, noticed the squirrels were continuously digging up the putting green to bury their acorns.  "The next time you see one of those squirrels go near my putting green, take a gun and shoot it", this to his valet.  The Secret Service, however, wisely avoided the use of guns, and instead the groundskeepers trapped the squirrels and released them into Rock Creek Park.  Well, I can tell you now, they came back!

Gregg is standing next to Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.  It depicts a scene at the Appomatix Court House in Virginia, where Lee surrendered his army to Grant, a precursor to the end of the Civil War.  President Grant became our 18th President.  There are some very interesting facts about the two at this website.

There was a very old tree in our neighborhood and local legend, so I was told, said that Lee stood under its branches and addressed his troops.  It would be nice if the story had some truth to it but I have no clue if this is fact. Sadly the tree had to be cut down years ago. 

The following collage shows from left to right, William Howard Taft, No. 27, Ulysses S. Grant again, No. 18, James Buchanan, No. 15, and Rutherford B. Hayes, No.19.  You can click on their names to learn more.

The following are Presidents Richard Nixon, No. 37, Gerald Ford, No. 38, Lyndon Johnson, No. 36  and Jimmy Carter, No. 39.

President Barak Obama, our 44th President and First Lady Michelle Obama.  President Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.  First Lady Michelle was born in Chicago, Illinois.  They met while working for a Chicago law firm, where she was assigned to be his advisor.  They were married on October 3rd, 1992. There is more information here.

We visited before President Trump was added but I read that he has now joined the President's Gallery.

I hope you've enjoyed this post.  I have tried to get my facts correct, but if any historians out there see any discrepancies, I would be very grateful for any corrections.

I have one more post to share of the celebrity section of the wax museum, and that one will be my last post.