He led the nation forward on Civil Rights but failed on Vietnam.Īccidental Presidents adds immeasurably to our understanding of the power and limits of the American presidency in critical times. Johnson was named to deliver Texas electorally. Truman surprised everybody when he succeeded the great FDR and proved an able and accomplished president. Calvin Coolidge silently cooled down the Harding scandals and preserved the White House for the Republican Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression.

Chester Arthur, the embodiment of the spoils system, was so reviled as James Garfield’s successor that he had to defend himself against plotting Garfield’s assassination but he reformed the civil service. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded our greatest president, sided with remnants of the Confederacy in Reconstruction. He immediately sacked the entire cabinet and delayed an inevitable Civil War by standing with Henry Clay’s compromise of 1850. Millard Fillmore succeeded esteemed General Zachary Taylor. He was kicked out of his party and became the first president threatened with impeachment. Heroes are often defined as ordinary characters who get pushed into extraordinary circumstances, and through courage and a dash. John Tyler succeeded William Henry Harrison who died 30 days into his term. Only TR, Truman, Coolidge, and LBJ were re-elected. Only Theodore Roosevelt would have been elected in his own right. This New York Times bestselling deep dive into the terms of eight former.

In one way or another they vastly changed our history. Buy a cheap copy of Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who. Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). Click here to purchase Budget of The U.S.

It demonstrates how the character of the man in that powerful seat affects the nation and world.Įight men have succeeded to the presidency when the incumbent died in office. Click here to purchase Economic Report of The President 2023. Accidental Presidents looks at eight men who came to the office without being elected to it. The strength and prestige of the American presidency has waxed and waned since George Washington.

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