The Living Theater's premiere of "Many Loves" by William Carlos Williams. A historic momento of theater and the program from that historic evening..

A rare program from the premiere of Many Loves at The Living Theater on December 27, 1958



The inside of one of the many pages within, but I would guess the most important in which it shows the cast and other information. The date on the program is on its top.




The founders of The Living Theater Judith Malina and Julian Beck.
William Carlos Williams around the time of the performance in 1958
The two powerhouses today that are The Living Theater


On December 27, 1958, William Carlos Williams most famous play had its official premiere at The Living Theater in New York.
It was a small theater, but one dedicated to the unusual and the more controversial plays, attitudes, poems, art, and concepts of life itself. It was a place where much of the concept of modern theater started.

Williams was approached to have his play done at the theater for which he was most excited. William's at the time had not been quite a well known name in the world of theater or poetry. He was a unique artist in an age where his art was not yet recognized. So the opportunity to have his show there was a wonderful event for both Williams and The Living Theater.

The play dealt with gay issues that were not then well received by many audiences or theaters in the late 1950's.
It was the first performance and led to that play being performed all over the world and to a degree giving a new life and recognition to Williams. Who was living in Rutherford, New Jersey, in a plain middle classed home. He had never come out of the shadows of many of his contemporaries, but by the 1960's, he was one of the most well known and respected of poets and writers.



Here is some historical information from the Living Theater. Which is very alive and kicking. Still focusing on new and lesser known venues for an eager public.



From the website for the Living Theater

www.livingtheatre.org


Founded in 1947 as an imaginative alternative to the commercial theater by Judith Malina, the German-born student of Erwin Piscator, and Julian Beck, an abstract expressionist painter of the New York School, The Living Theatre has staged nearly a hundred productions performed in eight languages in 28 countries on five continents - a unique body of work that has influenced theater the world over.

During the 1950's and early 1960's in New York, The Living Theatre pioneered the unconventional staging of poetic drama - the plays of American writers like Gertrude Stein, William Carlos Williams, Paul Goodman, Kenneth Rexroth and John Ashbery, as well as European writers rarely produced in America, including Cocteau, Lorca, Brecht and Pirandello. Best remembered among these productions, which marked the start of the Off-Broadway movement, were Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, Tonight We Improvise, Many Loves, The Connection and The Brig.

Following the death of Julian Beck in 1985, cofounder Judith Malina and the company’s new director, veteran Hanon Reznikov, who first encountered The Living Theatre while a student at Yale in 1968, opened a new performing space in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, producing a steady stream of innovative works including The Tablets, I and I, The Body of God, Humanity, Rules of Civility, Waste, Echoes of Justice, and The Zero Method. After the closing of the Third Street space in 1993, the company went on to create Anarchia, Utopia and Capital Changes in other New York City venues.

The last of the Civil War Monitors, The USS Canonicus.... 1864-1908

This is a glass negative print of the USS Canonicus







Here she is as a practically new ship in the 1864-65 period.


Here she is in 1907, a relic of an age long past. She was on display at the 1907 Jamestown Exhibition. The following year she was scrapped. Why didn't anyone save the last monitor? Sadly no one really thought of it I guess. So this year sadly celebrates the 100 anniversary of the destruction of the last monitor, the USS Canonicus



They were a class unto themselves and we never really hear about any of them save for the first. Of course that first Monitor was a lifesaver for the United States Navy in 1862 The original design was by John Ericsson.
There followed after the USS Monitor a whole series of them that fought in the Civil War Usually for river and coastal defence. After the war there was not much use for them. What is most remarkable is that the United States continued to make various types of monitors till the turn of the 20th century. However those ships were very much unlike the original monitors of the Civil War.


USS Canonicus, name ship of a class of nine 2100-ton monitors, was built at Boston, Massachusetts. Commissioned in April 1864, she served in the James River area of Virginia from May 1864 until late in the year, taking part in engagements with Confederate batteries on 21 June, 16 August and 5-6 December. On 24-25 December 1864, Canonicus helped bombard Fort Fisher, on the North Carolina coast, in an abortive attempt to capture that vital enemy strong point. Returning to the scene in mid-January, she was part of a large fleet that relentlessly shelled the fort, preparing the way for a successful ground assault that took the position. This operation closed the port of Wilmington to further blockade running and markedly hastened the collapse of the Confederacy.

She was retired in 1872, seven after the war ended to South Carolina where she remained for 35 years!

Though she saw no further active service, the old ironclad was towed to Hampton Roads, Virginia, in mid-1907 for exhibit during the Jamestown Exposition. The last survivor of the Navy's once-large fleet of Civil War monitors, she was sold for scrapping the next year. If only we saved the last one it would have been such a gift to posterity.

Hillary Clinton is just like Richard Nixon, but with out the charm

I have to say this is so funny watching Hillary really make a wild fool out of herself. I saw this most recent piece on her.......

AP.......Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign said she "misspoke" when saying last week she had landed under sniper fire during a trip to Bosnia as first lady in March 1996. She later characterized the episode as a "misstatement" and a "minor blip."

Ah yes, another "blip" You see she was not named Hillary for Sir Edmond Hillary as she claimed. That was another little "blip" ....She had no idea where all of her paperwork was till it was found in the private quarters of the White House, with her finger prints all over them.."blip"
She was not at the White House doing the things she said she was doing for many issues of international importance, since her schedules were released. Whoops another "blip"....We can go on for a while..

She has more "blips" than a game of PONG.

Harry S Truman once said of Richard Nixon and I am paraphrasing..."He cannot tell the truth and if he found he was telling the truth he would have to lie about that." I would say that pretty much covers Hillary.


What I find is that there seems to be some similarity between Nixon and Clinton.

It seems that instead of channeling Eleanor Roosevelt as she told when she was First Lady in the White House, I think she is having some nice talks with Mr. Nixon. In fact she seems to be following the rule book of Nixon's



They both seemed amazingly paranoid about everything

They both seemed to not remember anything

They both seem to find that their fabricated stories became unraveled by the truth.

That the issue of sound recording/film seemed to haunt them


So I guess just like Nixon, Madame Clinton has lots of "blips" on the tape....I cannot wait to hear the next one. This is just so amazingly funny. I cannot wait for the next "blip".

It is fascinating that she expects everyone to just take her word on everything....She is the queen you know, and she expects to be crowned.

I have a few modest suggestions on that, but I will save them for another time. Till then just enjoy the show as the "BLIP QUEEN" continues on her trail of misinformation.....



Nixon is starting to look good compared to the three people we have now running for President. That is a sad statement, but what is sadder is.....

that it is so very true.

Two years of writing this blog. I have had a most enjoyable time with it all.

Well two years have slipped by so damn fast. This blog in its two years contains over 365 posts.
That equals out to one story every two days. Now I will admit that several of the stories are not too stellar, or exciting.
I have written under great pressure sometimes, under emotional strain, or perhaps matters of a very heavy heart. Much has happened since I first started this in the beginnings of March of 2006.

The world has gone through many changes, I have gone through many changes, and those in my life have as well. I like to have fun with this and many of the articles are in a light hearted nature, and I hope they are received that way.

Many are written just by chance, or when I am in different locals and a certain idea strikes me.
So I always like to look at my writings here as a bit of a Whitman's Sampler ...Like the box of candy you can get a store. It is a collection of many things. Some are sweet, some are sour, some are bitter, and some need a long time to digest.

But all in all I do hope you all enjoy.

I am as I ever was and ever shall be, and I will always be so. I hope to start a new batch of posts in the beginning of April. I have many ideas in my head and I hope to share them with the many who read this blog.

As I said last March...I sometimes loose my temper, or get emotional (I can get very emotional by the way), or if I am upset by a dear friend, or the many other many things that may cause me to write a sometimes harsh piece.
But I am only human, and I sure do love to share what I have learned and observed. Even though sometimes it needs to be rewritten a few days later.

I may not always speak what the crowd speaks, but I have always enjoyed the fact that I do things in my own way.

I always love to hear from all of you around the world...Please keep the messages coming they are always enjoyed and sometimes listened too :)

In March of 2009 I will have hoped to have passed over 500 entries in this blog. What will the stories be on. There are so many, so many to share, and I am always learning new things and hoping to share what I have learned to many of you around the world.

Warm wishes to you all.

I say ye, John Adams. Here's 4 stories I was writing in 2006 when I was on a John Adams kick.I have loved this man and what he did for this country

July 2, 2006



In 1789 there was a election for the first President. The highest votes were for George Washington. The person with the second highest votes was John Adams. He was considered the second greatest man under Washington. He was always above party.

James Callender who slandered John Adams all the time in the papers, was under the payroll of Thomas Jefferson. His writings were terrible. Jefferson did everything in his power to make Adams look like a fool. Adams was to America like an uncle one might say. He was concerned as to its welfare, always caring for it and not thinking for his own welfare.

Jefferson was an opportunist...and a liar...July 4, was a moment of independence....Many think that all of the Declaration of Independence has to do with Jefferson. Not so.
Jefferson was a great writer, but that's about all. At least when it came to the matters of 1776.
John Adams did not write the paper as he thought it would not be important. There had been many declarations before. So he asked Jefferson to write it for the committee.
It was a choice he would regret for the rest of his life. As Jefferson and his followers made it seem that Jefferson alone had done it all.

Jefferson was an brilliant man but he was not all that has been said of him. Now Jefferson was not as well read as Adams, he was more florid, but when it came to raw intellect Adams Rose far beyond Jefferson. Jefferson and Adams were amazingly brilliant men.
But Jefferson would lie to us. Jefferson is not who you think he is. That is why I think we should look at Adams with new eyes. Adams was honest, therefore Jefferson, Hamilton, and to a degree Franklin had a hard time with him. They were not too honest with us, they were playing politics and making sure they were well set in posterity's eyes. Adams suffered for his honesty.

Alexander Hamilton who was very jealous of Adams did his best to destroy him as well. He did a good job. He tried to do the same to Aaron Burr....He was not successful! At least at first...soon from the grave he destroyed Burr.
To Aaron Burr he suffered from Hamilton and Jefferson, as each was jealous and wanted to destroy him....Jefferson was not the nice guy he has been made into. He was a nasty party politician...who always held party over everything.

Today, there are not statues all over of Adams...But there are of Jefferson and Hamilton. I am glad I know the truth. I invite you to study Adams and learn of him. Next to Washington I see no greater figure...Possibly Benj. Franklin, but I cannot say if I am totally agreeing with my statement. But there again Franklin said more than he really did. Adams did so much more than he talked about.

In 1812 pushed on by Dr. Benj. Rush, John Adams swallowed his pride and wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson....Jefferson replied and thus started one of the greatest series of letters in the history of the English language.
In the letters John Adams forgave, and Jefferson many times tried to explain his thoughts. But still he refused to admit to everything that happened. Adams rose above the qualities of Jefferson, and Jefferson remained Jefferson. I have tried to love Jefferson in history. But I find him too hypocritical and coy. But I have done my best to understand him. Adams loved him, and forgave him.
But they grew old and shared a friendship and love that I can find no comparison.
They wrote of friendship, history, Greek philosophy. What they wrote is nothing short of amazing. I have had the chance to to read all of the letters.....amazing!!

I had the chance to visit the grave of Dr Rush in Philadelphia on July 4th last year. I thanked him for his work on Adams.... He is in the same graveyard as Benj. Franklin.

In 2005 I was able to visit the graves the Adams family....I was truly touched by the visit. Hard to explain perhaps...but I was.

On July 4, 1826 in the early morning, Jefferson died. In the evening amid parties, cannon fire, and celebrations.....Honoring more what John Adams did than anyone else. John Adams died.

For what this country is and became I will belatedly say "Thank you John Adams."....I know what you did.....and as we reach another July 4th I can honestly say..I am damn proud of you.

Dr. Benjamin Rush.. He wrote one of the most amazing letters ever ...bringing together Adams & Jefferson..It was a gift of prophecy

Aug, 2006

This weekend I was at an historic fair. While I strolled around there was a table dedicated to Dr. Benjamin Rush. Who I very much admire.

Much of the information on this table was dealing with abstaining from alcohol and Rush's ideals on this topic and many others. But I saw little more than that.
After having a interesting conversation with a woman in 18th century dress. I asked her about information about his relationship with John Adams. It was interesting that she did not know too much about it. I found that fascinating as much of Rush's letters were in conversation with the 2nd President.

This lack of info on Rush brought me back to a piece I wrote here last year on the fact that Rush was the glue that brought Jefferson and Adams back together in 1812. Although Rush had been working on the sidelines since 1809, it was not till 1812 that his work saw fruit.
Here is the article I wrote last year and it is one of the ones that I enjoyed studying and writing most.
It is all about warmth, friendship, honor, and love. There have been few relationships in history where we can see one friend bringing two others together after a long separation...And like a true Greek tragedy,the catalyst who did this dies...



Here is the story










John Adams in his last painting done in 1825...1735-1826









Jefferson in 1809....1743-1826





Dr. Benjamin Rush 1745-1813









On a ungodly hot and sunny July 4th 2005....... I stood at the grave of Dr. Benjamin Rush... I wanted to be there and say thank you to a man who made such a difference in the world and in our lives.

He is known as the father of modern Phychology...But he was also the catalyst in bringing together Adams and Jefferson who had not spoken in near a decade....

He wrote a most unusual letter to John Adams on October 16, 1809. This letter was not only remarkable for what it suggests..but what it says of Adams and Jefferson at the end of their lives is most remarkable. The letter is long and I will use most of it.


The letter was the result of a dream Dr Rush had....

It starts like this.............


Philadelphia, October 16, 1809


"What book is that in your hands?" said I to my son Richard a few nights ago in a dream. "It is a history of the United States," said he. "Shall I read a page of it to you?" ..."No, no," said I. "I believe in the truth of no history but of that which is contained in the Old and New Testaments."..."But sir," said my son, "this page relates to your friend Mr. Adams." .."Let me see it then," said I. I read it with great pleasure and herewith send you a copy of it.

"1809"

"Among the most extraordinary events of this year was the renewal of the friendship and intercourse between Mr. John Adams and Mr. Jefferson, the two ex Presidents of the United States.
They met for the first time in the Congress of 1775. Their Principles of liberty, their ardent attachment to their country, and their views of the importance and probable issue of the struggle with Great Britain in which they were engaged being exactly the same, they were strongly attracted to each other and became personal as well as political friends.

A difference of opinion upon the subject and issue of the French Revolution separated them during the years in which that great event interested and divided the American people.
The predominance of the party which favored the French cause threw Mr. Adams out of the chair of the United States in the year 1800 and placed Mr. Jefferson there in his stead.
The former retired with resignation and dignity to his seat at Quincy.
The latter resigned the chair of the United States in the year 1808, sick of the cares and disgusted with the intrigues of public life, and retired to his seat at Monticello.

In the month of November 1809 Mr Adams addressed a short letter to his friend Mr. Jefferson in which he congratulated him upon his escape to the shades of retirement and domestic happiness, and concluded it with assurances of his regard and good wishes for his welfare.
This letter did great honor to Mr. Adams. It discovered a magnanimity known only to great minds.
Mr. Jefferson replied to this letter and reciprocated expressions of regard and esteem.

These letters were followed by a correspondence of several years, in which they mutually reviewed the scenes of business in which they had been engaged, and candidly acknowledged to each other all the errors of opinion and conduct into which they had fallen during the time they filled the same station in the service of their country.
Many precious aphorisms, the result of observations, experience, and profound reflection, it is said, are contained in these letters.

It is to be hoped the world will be favored with a sight of them when they can neither injure nor displease any persons or families whose ancestors follies or crimes were mentioned in them.

These gentlemen sunk into the grave nearly at the same time, full of years and rich in the gratitude and praises of their country."





If anyone can be said to have had the gift of prophecy...It is Dr. Benjamin Rush.


There is only one thing he was wrong on...ONLY ONE THING!!!!! Their relationship was restored in 1812, not 1809. If I had not known that Benjamin Rush died in 1813, I would think he would have written the letter in 1826.

But he wrote it to his friend, John Adams who he loved as he did Thomas Jefferson.

Adams said of Jefferson " I love Jefferson, I always have loved Jefferson." That was all Jefferson needed to hear...

In 1812 John Adams wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson saying much of what Rush had said he would. Jefferson replied in kind.

By 1813 they had repaired the friendship, as soon as that had happened they both received the terrible news that their dear friend Rush was dead.

They wrote on everything, and shared, forgave, questioned, and gave the world a gift in their letters that are considered some of the greatest writings in the English language.

They did indeed fall into their graves at nearly the same time...Dying within hours of each other on July 4, 1826. Full of years and looked on with gratitude by a country who loved them.

When the years had passed the letters were seen by the public and are ever so treasured.


So as I stood at the grave of Benjamin Rush on that hot burning Sunday.. July 4, 2005.....I said thank you. Your gift and love of two great men gave a gift to man that can hardly be measured. On July 5, 2005 I received a copy of the book of all of the letters between Jefferson and Adams...It is one of my most prized items.

All there because a friend had a dream, and the dream was a gift to us all.

John Adams...I cannot express how great he was. This country as it exists ..Is because of his great vision and sacrifice

Sept. 2006


I know that is a big statement. I know that there were few who did as much as Adams. But Adams was to make this country one in which he believed. All through great vision and sacrifice to his nation.
Adams was above politics,and refused to follow political trends and politicians. He had a singular vision of America. He refused to be part of the system and did not play the game with other politicians, therefore he was hated by them.
He did so much, and yet today he gets such little recognition.
Much of the fact that he received such small notice was that he was attacked at all sides by party politicians.
I know I am stepping on sacred bulls here. But Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Clinton, Jay all played politics. Some to a disgusting amount. Adams was the rare bird who was laughed at by all the party players. But he just kept going, and did not let the detractors stop him.

I think that finally the world is waking up and seeing just how great John Adams was. To put it best he was the

"Atlas of American Independence"


A great way of describing him...Those are not my words, but the words of the man we always credit for our independence, Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson knew the greatness of Adams and his total devotion to duty. More so than ANY of the founding fathers from Washington down. Through out his career he did the following. This is not all of what he did, just some of it.


He was the one who pushed for independence.

He pushed for equal rights for women.

Pushed from the onset of this country for the end of slavery.

Pushed for a powerful central government.

Pushed for George Washington to be General in Chief of the armies.

Made deals to get money from the Dutch.

Wrote the Constitution of Massachusetts, the oldest Constitution in operation in the United States and most of the world today. That Constitution was the model for the United States Constitution written several years later.

He was the first Vice President of the United States.

He was the 2nd President of the United States.

He kept the United States from war with France and allowed for us to have the Louisiana Purchase by his actions as President.

He was one of the co-authors of the Declaration of Independence.

First American ambassador to the Court of St. James in London England.

Creator of the US Navy as we know it.

French Ambassador with Benj. Franklin.

Signer of the peace treaty with England in 1783.

Signer of the Declaration of Independence.

First President to inhabit the White House.





This is a partial list of some of his actions and works. Some day soon we will start to appreciate the work and life of John Adams. He was one of the greatest patriots and greatest leaders this country ever knew. Yet today there are no great monuments to him in Washington DC.

Now in 2008 there will be a new TV show on Adams on HBO. It will be a mini series and I hope it reaches people who have forgotten the great patriot from Quincy, Massachusetts. It is really time to remember this great man who means so much to our history. Thank you for your work Mr. President. We owe you everything.

John Adams...... Time to reconsider him.

March 2006








I truly believe him to be one of the most disregarded of our historic figures. Over shadowed by Jefferson who was not at all equal to Adams raw talent or bravery.

Over time the name of Adams was lost in the dusty pages of history . I find that in the last 50 years...(a short time historically) Adams has been making a comeback, and Jefferson is starting to be seen as the hypocrite he truly was.
I will do a good deal of writing on Adams as time goes on. I welcome others who wish to comment on the "Atlas of American Independence" (Jefferson's words not mine) and hope to post a tremendous amount of info on one amazing man who changed the course of the world's history.

I will admit that Adams was not a warm person to deal with at times. He was not as classy as Jefferson. He did not write as well as Jefferson. But he had guts! He had more raw passion than Jefferson..and was the powerhouse behind what happened in July of 1776.

I have a lot of respect for Jefferson, I think he was a great man. I find that Jefferson was not at all kind to Adams when it came to politics. But Jefferson was always a political animal. He and Washington even stopped talking.. He referred to Washington as "old muttenhead".

The two main political animals of that time were Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Both were not warm or friendly people. Both of these two guys were snobs and both of them disliked Adams who was really down to earth. Neither of those two guys were in their fields plowing, or planting crops, or doing the work...Adams was.

Jefferson who said that all men are created equal had a large amount of slaves. Nor did he free them... Adams had hired help.

Although Aaron Burr was not to likeable a person either....I like him more than Hamilton. The reasons for their duel have a lot to due with what Hamilton said of Burr...and it was really nasty.

But I think that we have bypassed Adams. I think it is time to honor the Atlas of American Independence!! Let's have a monument to him in Washington..

Garret Hobart 1844-1899 ..One of the most forgotten Vice Presidents..However, his death changed the world..A look at his grave in Patterson, NJ

President William McKinley and Vice President Garret Hobart relaxing on a vacation. They were very close and often would go on vacations together with their wife's who were also very close.

It was perhaps the nicest and warmest relationship in the Presidency. Hobart was often referred as to as the co-President. Both he and McKinley were beloved by just about everyone.
Hobart was involved in every aspect of the Presidency. McKinley made the office of the Vice-President a vital one to his administration. The main reason was he very warm relationship with the Hobart's.
Hobart was also McKinley's savings advisor. As Hobart was involved in many businesses and McKinley had once had the misfortune of having to declare bankruptcy. Therefore McKinley gave Hobart part of his paycheck as President to him to invest so he would never have such a problem again.

(Remember, ex-Presidents did not get a pension or anything from the government save for free postage.)

It was planned that Hobart would be a part of McKinley's 2nd administration. But fate had other ideas.


Hobart was strickened in mid 1899 with heart disease.
By the fall he was in pretty bad shape. McKinley wrote often from the White House and the Hobart's were writing back.
It was heartbreaking for McKinley as he was not only seeing a dear friend dying, but the one person who made his administration so happy and successful, his friend and Vice President.
The letters from William McKinley and his wife to the Hobart's are just filled with love and hope. The Letters back from the Hobart's were full of love and realism.

They knew it was only a matter of time. On November 21, 1899, Hobart died.






The entire world went into mourning for the very much loved Vice President.
Much of the Senate, Congress, Supreme Court, Cabinet, and of course his friend, the grieving President came. McKinley said it was great loss for him. He seemed very effected by it all as it was noted in the papers.

It was a grand event in Patterson, New Jersey. As all of the American and much of the world's political body came to honor Hobart. He was laid out in a Tiger Oak casket with silver handles. On the lid was a shield saying. Garret Hobart 1844-1899.




The Vice President was then laid out in City Hall in Patterson, and then the service was held in the Presbyterian Church. It was standing room only and most of the locals who knew him were sadly not able to go inside as it was over crowded with visitors.

After the service there was a march to Cedar Lawn Cemetery on the edge of town where Hobart's body was placed in the Receiving vault. President McKinley was with the body all the way to the vault and then made it his business to thank the heads of the cemetery for their work. He kept saying it was a great loss, not only to him but the country.
McKinley while there was able to see New York from the Hills of this Patterson cemetery. Then they all left and the Body rested in the receiving vault till the following year.



The inside of the old Receiving vault. The door leads to vaults to hold the caskets of those who do not have mausoleums yet or it is too cold to dig a grave. Today with tractors to dig, cold weather is usually not a great problem. but still they get their use now and then. But this is was Hobart's first resting place.


What is not really known today is that Patterson was one of the wealthiest communities in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The location of the Hobart Mausoleum is surrounded by many like it and many graves marked with very opulent funeral statuary. It is a most incredible place.
To look at it today one can only look with wonder at the grand graves and mausoleums. In this picture you will see the Hobart Mausoleum on the left and many of the other graves of that era in its locale.



This is the Hobart Mausoleum built in 1900-01. It is the largest mausoleum in the cemetery.



The name is on the front. Oddly there are no flags or markings on the structure to say who is there and who he was.



The inside of the Mausoleum. It was very hard to photograph this. I had to try several times taking pictures through the grating of the Bronze doors. It is quite lovely inside. In this structure rests Hobart, his wife and daughter.



Now comes the great change that Hobart made by his death.

History just needs a little thing to change the entire world. Hobart was to be in McKinley's second term. But by his death the political bosses were at a loss as to who to make Vice President.
Theodore Roosevelt who was at this time the Governor of New York was a real pain to all of the political bosses, but mostly Thomas Platt.
There was little love between McKinley and Roosevelt, But the bosses wanted to get rid of Roosevelt.
The best place to put him was the Vice Presidency. As it was a nothing position, at least it was now.
Senator Mark Hanna put it best to the Republican bosses saying.."You have put one life between the Presidency and that damned cowboy".

McKinley had no plans to make Roosevelt a part of his inner circle. Roosevelt had embarrassed and insulted McKinley many times in the press. Saying when it came to war, McKinley had the backbone of a Chocolate eclair.
The thing that Roosevelt failed to grasp was that McKinley knew war, Roosevelt had his fantasies of what it was.
Also McKinley had more class than Roosevelt. But that did not stop Roosevelt from making a fool of himself and once again embarrassing the President. But McKinley when told that Roosevelt would be his running mate was as kind as he always was. He was like a kid in a candy shop. He was shocked when he saw McKinley's modest home in Canton. Roosevelt could not have that, he was as Harry S. Truman put it. More bull than moose. I am sure that McKinley's scotch consumption went up, knowing that he had Roosevelt with him for 4 years. But once again fate laid out its icy hand.

In September, 1901 McKinley was assassinated and Roosevelt was President. If Hobart had lived how different the history of the United States may have been.

If you get the chance visit the mausoleum of Hobart. No one comes by anymore, nor does anyone know who he was, or what he was, which is sad and what prompted me to write this.

I was glad to drop and wish the former Vice President well, and to ask him to give my best to his friend President McKinley as well.


McKinley and his running mate. There are very few of them together.