Edwin M. Stanton, nicknamed “Mars,” was Attorney General under President James Buchanan and Secretary of War under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, 1862-1868.  After a disastrous outcome in the Battle of Bull Run, Stanton was openly critical of Lincoln, referring to the “imbecility of this administration.”  In response to Henry Dawe’s congratulations to Lincoln for getting a man of Stanton’s abilities in his cabinet, Lincoln remarked that they might have to put bricks in Stanton’s pockets just to hold him down.  However, he would prefer rocks in his pockets than “rocks in his hat.”

Stanton became the new Secretary of War after Lincoln ousted the corrupt Simon Cameron, appointing him Minister to Russia.  Stanton gave up a lucrative law practice to take the appointment and proved himself to be an effective cabinet officer.

It was Stanton who led the efforts to impeach and remove President Andrew Johnson from office after Lincoln’s assassination.  Opposed to Johnson’s lenient reconstruction policies, he worked to implement the Republican’s plans for reconstruction in the south.  Johnson suspended Stanton, then fired him in 1868.  Stanton, however, refused to leave office and remained in the War Department until the Senate voted against the President’s removal.
 
Stanton’s longtime wish to be a Supreme Court Justice seemed fulfilled when President Grant appointed him and the Senate confirmed him on the same day.  However, he died four days later in Washington. D.C. It was Stanton who had said of Lincoln’s death, “Now he is one for the ages.”

George Washington was promoted to lieutenant colonel at the age of 22 for his efforts in the Virginia militia at the onset of the French and Indian War.  Within only a year after that, his exploits to defend the Virginia frontier earned him the rank of commander in chief of the Virginia militia.  Once confident that the Virginia territory was safe from French attack, Washington left the army in 1758, but with increasing antagonism from the British, he became a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress and in 1775 was the unanimous choice as commander in chief of the Continental forces.

Washington took command of an undisciplined army urgently in need of  supplies. In late 1776, critically short of men and supplies, Washington almost despaired.  He had lost New York City to the British, enlistment was almost up for many of the troops, and large numbers were deserting.  Civilian morale was waning and Congress had withdrawn from Philadelphia in fear of a British attack.  But with the arrival of French support, Washington honed the army into a legitimate fighting force which ultimately defeated the British under Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, securing American victory in October, 1781.

Washington was unanimously elected as America’s first president in 1792.  By early 1797 when Washington left office after refusing a third term, the country’s financial system was well established, the Indian threat east of the Mississippi had been eliminated, and our territorial and political interests were intact.  

Washington spent his last years in retirement at Mount Vernon but died after a brief struggle with acute laryngitis on December 14, 1799.  At his funeral, Henry Lee said of him, “He was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

George Washington was born February 22, 1732.  His parents were Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. His father died when George was eleven and left him a great deal of property, including slaves.
   
How could a man committed to freedom own slaves?  The slave trade was introduced to Virginia in 1619.  When George Washington came on the scene the question of the morality of slavery wasn’t even discussed.  In 1765, when our founding fathers began to examine our relationship with Britain the view of slavery began to change.

Why didn’t George Washington free his slaves?  The Virginia legislature passed laws that made it difficult to do so.  If you set a slave free, you had to pay in order to export them from the country.  Concerning slavery, Washington said in a letter to Robert Morris on "I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do to see a plan adopted for the abolition of it…"  Later he wrote, "I wish from my soul that the legislature of this State could see the policy of a gradual abolition of slavery."

Washington’s last will and testament shows the passion he had for freeing slaves.  He wrote that upon his and his wife’s death his slaves would be freed.  Of one particular slave named William Lee he left an annuity of $30 a year plus clothing and victuals and the option of being free if he wanted it.  William Lee was injured and unable to walk.
 
George Washington died December 14, 1799 at age sixty-seven. He had developed pneumonia and laryngitis while riding in the snow and rain. He died with his Doctor and personal secretary at his side. His last words were “'tis well.”

Although not well known today, Charles Francis Adams was one of the most important figures in the history of the United States.  He was the son of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of our country, and grandson of John Adams, the third president.  

His own political career was as interesting and varied as it was historical.  Charles was raised in unusual circumstances during his youth.  At the age of two, he lived in Russia while his father was Minister there, at which time Charles learned several languages.   His father then served as Minister to Great Britain, allowing Charles to attend English public schools.  Returning home, Charles attended Harvard College and later worked in the law offices of Daniel Webster.  Although he did pass the bar examination, he never had many clients.  During his political career, he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representative and later to the State Senate.  Subsequently, Charles Francis was elected to the U.S. Congress.  And, in time, he was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as Minister to Great Britain, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps, and served there during the American Civil War.  The upper classes in England felt animosity toward the United States and verbally sided with the Confederates in their rebellion, despite England’s supposed neutrality.  Charles’ diplomacy eased the conflict between the European countries and America at the time of the Civil War.  

Charles Francis Adams contributed a great deal to international relations during a very volatile time for our country.  He was part of the grand history being made in the earlier years of our independence and was associated with many of the greatest political names of that century.

Jim Thorpe was born in 1888 to very modest beginnings. He was born half American Indian and was raised in the “Sac and Fox” tradition. He was bestowed the name Wa-Tho-Huk which is translated as “Bright Path”. It was under this name that he later went on to achieve greatness.

Jim started attending Carlisle Industrial School in 1904. It was at Carlisle where he met Glenn “Pop” Warner. Running track at the time, “Pop” Warner blended Thorpe into the football program there. In 1912 Jim Thorpe attended the Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. He captured the gold in the pentathlon and the decathlon. While on the medal podium receiving his medals, King Gustav V regarded him as “the greatest athlete in the world”. His medals were later stripped from him by the Olympic committee when it was learned that he was paid to play sports at the same time as the Games.

Thorpe later went on to become one of the most versatile athletes in the world. He competed in Basketball, Baseball, and Football professionally. He also formed the American Professional Football Association which later developed into what is now the National Football League (N.F.L). In 1950 he was regarded by The Associated Press as the greatest American Football Player of the first half of the 20th century. He was also acclaimed as the Greatest Overall Male Athlete.

At the time of his death in 1953, Jim Thorpe was still plagued by the removal of his Olympic medals. It was not until 30 years later that these medals were permanently restored. The Associated Press later honored him in 1999 by ranking him as the 3rd greatest athlete of the 20th century.