Weekend QoD: Sunday, October 26

[wintergreen48]

Presidential Politics

Finishing up the politically oriented Weekend QoD for October, let’s play with the Presidents. Same old, same old: please answer the questions in spoiler form, this will be open until noon on Tuesday.

Note: There are no tricks in here: when I say ‘President,’ I mean what everyone thinks it means: a person who has served as President of the United States under the Constitution, beginning with George Washington and carrying through to the present incumbent, GW Bush. None of this ‘American Presidents’ (e.g., Jefferson Davis, Sam Houston, etc.) or ‘Continental Presidents’ (John Hanson, etc.) nonsense.


1. Everyone knows that Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on 7/4/1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and President James Monroe died on 7/24/1831, the 55th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But on 7/4/1828, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving and only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, participated in another landmark event that he remarked was just as important as the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Carroll’s political career is somewhat unusual, in that, as a member of the One True Faith, he was not permitted to vote, enter politics or practice law (ironic, given that Maryland was originally founded as a haven for Catholics, who made the mistake of letting the Protestants come in and take over), but he managed to overcome those obstacles; some suggest that the First Amendment was actually a gesture of gratitude to Carroll, who provided much financial support to the revolutionary cause.

2. Everyone knows that Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on 7/4/1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and President James Monroe died on 7/24/1831, the 55th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But only one President was born on July 4.

3. Except for George Washington, every President has taken office when at least one former President was still alive, but several Presidents (besides Washington) served at least a part of their time when there were no former Presidents (i.e., any former President who was alive when the guy took office died during his term of office). The last ‘only living (present or former) President is tied for the record for previous Presidents dying during his term of office, with three of his four immediate predecessors dying during his term of office (the fourth of his four immediate predecessors died in office).

4. The US Constitution provides that ‘No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.’ Some Presidents were born before the Constitution was adopted, most were born afterward.

5. Do you realize that 2008 is the FIRST Presidential election since 1972 in which the Republican national ticket did not include ‘George Bush’ or ‘BobDole’? Wowsers. Well, as it happens, George W. Bush is the 43rd President, but if you count them down, only 41 people before him have served as President. (this is NOT a math question)

6. There are two instances in US history of a former President living to see his own son inaugurated as President, but there is only one instance of a former President dying before his grandson was inaugurated President.

7. There are two situations in which a person could claim one President as a grandfather and another President as a great-grandfather. The first situation would involve the father-son combinations mentioned in Q #6 (i.e., the grandchildren of John Quincy Adams and the grandchildren of George W. Bush would all have a grandfather who was President--JQ Adams or GW Bush-- and would all have a great-grandfather who was President-- John Adams or GHW Bush). The other situation would involve the child of one President marrying the grandchild of another President, in which case their children would be the grandchildren of one President and the great-grandchildren of another President. Well, I guess there are a few other possible situations, but those would involve incest and we won’t go there.

8. The US expanded to include states beyond the Mississippi River pretty early on (1821), but the inauguration of the first President to be born west of the Mississippi did not occur until lots later.

9. Virginia is the ‘Mother of Presidents,’ being the birthplace of eight Presidents, beginning with George Washington (and including four of the first five Presidents). It's been a while since the last one, though.

10. Another state is the home state of seven Presidents, all of whom were members of the same political party, one of whom was the grandson of a Virginia-born President, the last of them was elected to follow the last Virginia-born President, and there was a stretch during which 8 out of 11 Presidential elections were won by guys from this state (well, two of them involved a guy losing the popular vote but winning the electoral vote).




1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:

2. The President who was born on July 4 was:

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was:

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was:
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…)

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is:

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were:

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were:

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was:

9. The last Virginia-born President was:

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is:

[VAdame]

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:
Nope

2. The President who was born on July 4 was:
Calvin Coolidge

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was:
Richard Nixon

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was:
Zachary Taylor
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…)
John Tyler. Tricky? Wasn't "elected" -- became President up the death of William Henry Harrison?

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is:
Grover Cleveland is counted as 22nd & 24th as he had 2 non-consecutive terms.

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were:
William Henry & Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were:
Julie Nixon & David Eisenhower

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was:
Hoobert Heever, er, Herbert Hoover

9. The last Virginia-born President was:
Woodrow Wilson

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is:
Ohio

[Weyoun]

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was: no idea

2. The President who was born on July 4 was: Coolidge

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was: Nixon

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was: William Henry Harrison
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…) John Tyler
(Hoping that Tyler was born after 1787, and I think he was. Van Buren was the first president born post-Declaration).

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is: Cleveland is counted twice

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were: the Harrisons

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were: David Eisenhower and Julie Nixon

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was: Hoover

9. The last Virginia-born President was: Wilson

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is: Ohio

[T_Bone0806]

Presidential Trivia I know a little of..

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:

2. The President who was born on July 4 was:

Spoiler

Calvin Coolidge

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was:

Spoiler

Richard Nixon

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was:
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…)

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is:

Spoiler

Grover Cleveland is counted twice, having been elected before and after Benjy Harrison.

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were:

Spoiler

William Henry and Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were:

Spoiler

David Eisenhower and Julie Nixon

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was:

9. The last Virginia-born President was:

Spoiler

Woodrow Wilson

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is:

Spoiler

Ohio

[kroxquo]

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:

2. The President who was born on July 4 was: Calvin Coolidge

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was: Richard Nixon

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was: William Henry Harrison - One of my relatives woo hoo!
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…) Martin Van Buren

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is: Grover Cleveland was both 22 and 24

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were: William Henry and Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were: Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was: Herbert Hoover

9. The last Virginia-born President was: Woodrow Wilson

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is: Ohio

[NellyLunatic1980]

Woohoo! Wheelhouse category!

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:

Spoiler

completing the very first U.S. railroad

2. The President who was born on July 4 was:

Spoiler

Calvin Coolidge

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was:

Spoiler

Richard Nixon

(as I recall,

Spoiler

Johnson

,

Spoiler

Truman

, and

Spoiler

Eisenhower

all died during his term)

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was:

Spoiler

Zachary Taylor

b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was:

Spoiler

John Tyler

, who actually served before the name above

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is:

Spoiler

because Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and counts as President twice

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were:

Spoiler

William Harrison and Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were:

Spoiler

Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was:

Spoiler

Herbert Hoover (in Iowa)

9. The last Virginia-born President was: oddly enough, it was

Spoiler

Woodrow Wilson

, who is normally associated with the state of

Spoiler

New Jersey

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is:

Spoiler

Ohio

[frogman042]

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:
WAG: Sending the first telegraph message?

2. The President who was born on July 4 was:
WAG: Woodrow Wilson

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was:
Harry S Truman?

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was:
Andrew Johnson?? (was he 20 years older then Lincoln)?

b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…)
Lincoln? (was Kentucky not officially a state at that time?)

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is:
Grover Clevland gets two numbers since he lost his reelection bid but was subsequently re-elected so he served 2 non-back-to-back terms earning him 2 numbers - I beleive he lost the electorial (but not the popular) vote to Benjeman Harrison (who is an answer to the next question)

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were:
William Henry Harrison and Benjemin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were:
One of Nixons daughters married the grandson of Eisenhower (do I have to remember their first names - I don't think it was Tricia Nixon, but her sister Julie, and I think it was David Eisenhower)

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was:
Cooledge?

9. The last Virginia-born President was:
Woodrow Wilson?

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is:
New York?

---Jay

[jarnon]

Spoiler

1.
2.
3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was: Nixon
4.
5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is: Cleveland had 2 non-consecutive terms
6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were: Harrison
7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were: Nixon & Eisnehower
8.
9.
10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is: Ohio

[TheConfessor]

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:
He was ordained a priest

2. The President who was born on July 4 was:
Calvin Coolidge

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was:
Richard Nixon

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was: John Tyler
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…)
James K. Polk

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is:
Cleveland served two non-continuous terms and is designated #22 and #24.

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were:
William H. Harrison and Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were:
David Eisenhower and Julie Nixon

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was:
Herbert Hoover

9. The last Virginia-born President was:
Woodrow Wilson

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is:
Ohio

[a1mamacat]

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:

2. The President who was born on July 4 was:

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was: Reagan?

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was:
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…)

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is: elected during a leap year

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were: the Adams guys

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were:Oh, one I think I know. The Nixon daughter and the Eisenhower grandson (actual first names escape me)

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was:

9. The last Virginia-born President was:

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is:Texas (based on the won but lost thingie)

[tanstaafl2]

Presidential Politics

Finishing up the politically oriented Weekend QoD for October, let’s play with the Presidents. Same old, same old: please answer the questions in spoiler form, this will be open until noon on Tuesday.

Note: There are no tricks in here: when I say ‘President,’ I mean what everyone thinks it means: a person who has served as President of the United States under the Constitution, beginning with George Washington and carrying through to the present incumbent, GW Bush. None of this ‘American Presidents’ (e.g., Jefferson Davis, Sam Houston, etc.) or ‘Continental Presidents’ (John Hanson, etc.) nonsense.

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:
Not a clue

2. The President who was born on July 4 was:
Calvin Coolidge

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was:
Well if I read this correctly it must be someone who followed a president who died in office. Don't think it was LBJ or Truman and Coolidge is already an answer. Teddy Roosevelt?

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was:
Don't know. John Quincy Adams?
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…)
Andrew Jackson?

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is:
The two separated terms served by Grover Cleveland

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were:
William Henry and Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were:
David Eisenhower and Julie Nixon

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was:
Harry Truman?

9. The last Virginia-born President was:
William McKinley?

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is:
Ohio

[andrewjackson]

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:

Spoiler

Rang the Liberty Bell?

2. The President who was born on July 4 was:

Spoiler

Hoover?

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was:

Spoiler

Richard Nixon

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was:

Spoiler

William Henry Harrison

b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…)

Spoiler

Martin Van Buren

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is:

Spoiler

Grover Cleveland gets counted twice since he served non-consecutive terms.

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were:

Spoiler

William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were:

Spoiler

Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was:

Spoiler

Hoover

9. The last Virginia-born President was:

Spoiler

Wilson?

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is:

Spoiler

Ohio

[KillerTomato]

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was: A threesome with President JQ Adams and VP Calhoun.

2. The President who was born on July 4 was: U.S. Grant

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was: Gotta be Tricky Dick Nixon (I'm pretty sure Truman, Johnson and Eisenhower all died when he was Prez)

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was: I'm gonna WAG Zack Taylor...he was pretty old when he took office.
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…)....whereas Millard Fillmore wasn't all that old when he took over from Taylor, so I'll guess him.

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is: They count Grover Cleveland twice.

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were: William Henry and Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were: Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was: Hoobert Heever. Or Herbert Hoover. One of those.

9. The last Virginia-born President was: I'm going with Zack Taylor again.

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is: Ohio

[plasticene]

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:

2. The President who was born on July 4 was: Herbert Hoover.

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was: Richard Nixon

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was: William Henry Harrison (based on the hint below)
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…) John Tyler.

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is: Grover Cleveland's two disconnected terms are counted separately. (The 22nd and 24th, I think.)

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were: William Henry and Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were: Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was: Truman?

9. The last Virginia-born President was: Buchanan?
10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is: Ohio?

[JBillyGirl]

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was: I can't wait to find out!

2. The President who was born on July 4 was: Calvin Coolidge?

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was: Hmmm... Richard Nixon?

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was: WAG Martin Van Buren
b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…) WAG Millard Fillmore

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is: Grover Cleveland's two terms are counted separately

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were: William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were: Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was: WAG William McKinley?

9. The last Virginia-born President was: WAG John Tyler

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is: Ohio?

[AnnieCamaro]

Spoiler

1. The special action that Charles Carroll took on 7/4/1828 was:
I do not know.

2. The President who was born on July 4 was:
Mr. President Calvin Coolidge

3. The last ‘only living (present or former) President was:
Mr. President Richard Nixon?

4. a. The last person to be elected President who was ‘a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution’ was:
I do not know.

b. The first person to serve as President who was ‘a natural born Citizen’ of the United States was: (there’s something a little tricky here…)

5. The reason why the 42nd person to serve as President is counted as the 43rd President is:
Mr. President Grover Cleveland already was counted twice, because there was a space between his first and second terms.

6. The Presidents who where grandfather and grandson were:
Mr. Presidents William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison

7. The child of a President and the grandchild of a President who got themselves hitched were:
Miss Julie Nixon and Mr. David Eisenhower

8. The first President to be born west of the Mississippi was:
Mr. President Herbert Hoover

9. The last Virginia-born President was:
Mr. President Woodrow Wilson

10. The state that is the home state of seven Presidents is:
Ohio