19th Century American Presidents Quiz

Answer: False

President Cleveland was the only U.S. President to serve two non-consecutive terms. He was elected in 1884, was defeated in 1888, then re-elected in 1892.

Answer: Whig

After the Civil War, the remnants of this party were basically absorbed into the Republican Party.

Answer: William Rufus King

King never assumed his duties as Vice President. He was ill with tuberculosis and was recovering in Cuba when he was sworn into office. He returned to his home in Alabama and soon thereafter died.

Answer: True

President Buchanan and Vice President Rufus King were former roommates.

Answer: Millard Fillmore

John Clayton of Delaware was Secretary of State, Thomas Ewing of Ohio was Secretary of the Interior, George Crawford of Georgia was Secretary of War, but Millard Fillmore was Vice President and later succeeded to the Presidency upon Zachary Taylor's death.

Answer: Ulysses Grant

Interesting to note, that Ulysses S. Grant was born without a name, and remained so for nearly a month before his mother named him Hiram. Ulysses is his middle name. He stopped using Hiram and it was later dropped altogether, and he added the S. so he could still have a middle initial.

Answer: William Wheeler

William Wheeler was nominated for Vice President. Roscoe Conkling, of New York, Benjamin Bristow of Kentucky, and early front-runner James Blaine of Maine all were nominated and voted on 5 ballots before a "stop Blaine" campaign put Hayes on top.

Answer: Millard Fillmore

Millard Fillmore succeeded to the Presidency upon the death of Zachary Taylor. There was no constitutional provision for selecting a successor to the Vice Presidency at this time, therefore the line of ascendency would have fallen to the House Speaker would anything have befallen President Fillmore. Abraham Lincoln had 2 Vice Presidents in Hannibal Hamlin and Andrew Johnson, Garfield's VP was Chester Arthur, and Henry Clay was never President.

Answer: James Monroe

Vice President Tomkins later in his life sank into alcoholism as a result of litigation stemming from war debts and often presided over the Senate while drunk.

Answer: False

The electoral count was 73 votes for Jefferson, 73 votes for Aaron Burr, and 65 votes for John Adams, thus giving none of the candidates a majority. The election was sent to the House of Representatives to be decided. It took 36 ballots to finally decide who was to be President. This led to the enactment of the 12th Amendment to the Constitution.

Answer: Port of New York Collector

Chester Arthur taught school in Vermont and New York before practicing law. He was later appointed as Port Collector and was then downsized by a committee formed by President Hayes to investigate corruption charges. He refused a deal with Hayes to be sent to Paris as Consul, and thus re-entered the private sector by resuming his law career. Three years later he was elected Vice President.

Answer: False

Zachary Taylor died of a stomach infection. It was caused likely by food contamination due to poor sanitary conditions at the time, especially during the hot summer months.

Answer: Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison was elected by a majority vote in the electoral college but lost the popular vote.

Answer: Grover Cleveland

Cleveland knew his wife since the day she was born. He doted on her throughout her childhood. Upon Frances' father's death when she was 11 years old, Cleveland was named executor of his estate and kept close contact with her. While she was a student in college, their feelings became romantic, and he proposed via letter. The President at aged 49 married Frances Folsom, aged 21.

Answer: William McKinley

William McKinley was elected in 1896, the re-elected in 1900. He was assassinated in 1901, and Theodore Roosevelt then succeeded to the Presidency.