Patch Goes for the Obscure on Presidents Day

I have a friend in Clovis, Calif., named Brittany, who is a lover of American history. More specifically, she is a lover of the obscurities of American history.

Never mind the fact that her cat is named Roosevelt; Brittany is oftentimes more fascinated by Millard Filmore than her feline’s namesake, FDR.

So in honor of my good friend on an opposite coast this Presidents Day, instead of lauding the courage of Washington and Lincoln, the leadership of Truman and Eisenhower, the revolution of Reagan or the boom years of Clinton, Patch will take a moment to tread down the road less travelled.

Here we present the five most obscure facts about the five most obscure American Presidents (and one "almost President")  of all time.

• Millard Filmore, in office July 9, 1850 through March 4, 1853, was the last member of the Whig party to serve as President. Despite being a native of New York State, he opposed Abraham Lincoln’s decision to engage in the Civil War.
• Benjamin Harrison, in office March 4, 1881 through March 4, 1887, defeated incumbent Democrat Grover Cleveland, and is best known for being the President who signed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which is the basis for all modern anti-trust legislation. He’s also the grandson of fellow poorly-known President William Henry Harrison, who died of pneumonia 32 days after taking office.
• Warren G. Harding’s time in office — March 4, 1921 through Aug. 2, 1923 — didn’t end well. He died in California while on his way back to Washington, D.C., from a trip to Alaska. Before becoming President, Harding was a newspaper publisher.
• Martin Van Buren, in office March 4, 1837 through March 4, 1841, was the first President who was not of British descent. His lineage was Dutch. He also was one of the original organizers of the modern Democrat party. Van Buren will forever be known to modern Americans as the President who inspired a fictional street gang, “The Van Buren Boys” on the TV comedy Seinfeld. The group’s gang sign consisted of flashing the number eight with one’s fingers, symbolizing Van Buren’s position as the nation’s eighth President.
• Finally, Thomas E. Dewey never became President, despite the historical newspaper headline gaffe which would have had Americans believe otherwise. The 47th governor of New York was known as a liberal Republican who mostly supported Democrat Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal social welfare programs. And yes, he did, indeed, lose his Presidential bid to President Harry S. Truman.