Presidential Vignettes: Stories about Those Who Have Held the Highest Office in the Land - Paperback

by Jonathan L. Stolz (Author)

Presidential Vignettes unravels the multifaceted lives and political undertakings of those who were elected to the nation's highest office.

Originally published in the Virginia Gazette in Williamsburg, Virginia, the compendium of seventy-three stories details both acclaimed and unsung experiences of many of the forty-five men who have occupied the White House since the start of the republic.

Readers will discover how presidents' parents, illnesses, occupation and close friends became an underpinning for their activities when governing the country.

Outside the political arena, chief executives harbored a creative spirit. Four were accomplished artists. Nearly half authored books before, during and after their time in the Oval Office. A handful tackled poetry as a channel for their inner sentiment and thinking. While some were serious horticulturists, all left their mark on the gardens and grounds surrounding the Executive Mansion.

Practically every commander in chief was a fan of one sport or another, and a number were accomplished athletes themselves. Nearly one third had musical talents - a few even had aspirations of professional fame. Although every president attended a theater production at some point during their tenure, their level of interest spanned from lifelong enthusiasts to those uninspired by stage performances.

On the job, chief executives dealt with the press, settled labor disputes and embraced the power of the veto and pardon. They had encounters with pirates, popes, monarchs and celebrities. Some presidents used humor as a means of dealing with the burden of the office while others resorted to alcohol to quell the stress. For the more recent leaders, the pay and perks of the position offset many of the vexations.

In retirement and away from the spotlight, they became writers, farmers and statesmen - others sunk into debt, several remarried and one was a traitor. Presidential gravesites are found in small villages, large cities and family estates; they serve as visible links between the present and those bygone leaders who determined the nation's direction in prior generations.

The potpourri of narratives in Presidential Vignettes illuminates the strengths, shortcomings and character of those who have risen to lead our nation. The anthology is an entertaining and informative read that also serves as a reminder, as author Carl Sagan remarked, that "you have to know the past to understand the present."