My Dad, POTUS
In the spring of 1959, the Women’s National Press Club held a luncheon at the White House honoring children of U.S. Presidents.
Among the attendees were children of Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Photo: Mamie Eisenhower with a group of children of U.S Presidents at the White House. L to R: front row— Mrs. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt; Mrs. Helen Taft Manning, daughter of William Howard Taft; Mrs. Marion Cleveland Amen, daughter of Grover Cleveland; Mamie Eisenhower. Back row — John Eisenhower, son of Dwight Eisenhower; John Coolidge, son of Calvin Coolidge; James Roosevelt, son of Franklin D. Roosevelt; Mrs. Eleanor Wilson McAdoo, daughter of Woodrow Wilson; and Richard Folsom Cleveland, son of Grover Cleveland. April 30, 1959.
-from the Eisenhower Library
Presidential Memorabilia
This campaign artifact in the shape of a lock is engraved with the phrase, “The lock to the White House.” When the cover on the keyhole is pushed aside, it reveals William Howard Taft’s name.
William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt drifted from friendship to animosity throughout Taft’s term. Roosevelt felt that Taft did not live up to the progressive ideals that Roosevelt put forth during his presidency. Despite his pledge to not run for office, Roosevelt encouraged the growing Progressive Party to nominate him for President, which he accepted. Taft campaigned against both his former friend as well as Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson.
