February was a favorite month when I was in grade school.
There were birthdays for some students and their mothers brought treats. There was Valentine’s Day with a party and Valentine boxes and cards. Then there were the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln on Feb. 12 and George Washington on Feb. 22. An art project for these birthdays was cutting out silhouettes from black construction paper and fastening them to the windows.
In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holidays Bill and President’s Day was set on the third Monday of February to honor Presidents Washington and Lincoln and all other presidents. The date can be between the Feb. 15 and Feb. 21. It will never be on the Feb. 12 or Feb. 22.
Out of curiosity I did a little research about how many of our presidents had been farmers or connected to a farm, ranch or plantation. Several of our presidents were born on a farm, but many of them went elsewhere for their vocations. I’ll not be mentioning all of them. Some of the wives took care of the farm or plantation when their husbands were off to the military or political pursuits, such as with John Adams, Andrew Jackson and John Tyler.
Thomas Jefferson had about 5,000 acres in Virginia. As well as several inventions, he developed 300 varieties of fruits and vegetables. Abraham Lincoln had been a farm boy. The founding of the Department of Agriculture, Land Grant System and Homestead Act happened during his presidency. Ulysses Grant was a military man and after his discharge he decided they would have a farm. He and his wife built a log house which he named Hardscrabble. It was an apt name because he was less than successful as a farmer. He went back into the military during the Civil War and there he found success.Theodore Roosevelt was not a strong person. He attributed his physical improvement and wellbeing to working on his cattle ranch. Harry Truman worked 11 years on his family livestock and crop farm in Missouri before he went on to other occupations and politics. After his military career and before his political career, Jimmy Carter worked on the family peanut farm in Georgia.
Lyndon Johnson worked on an uncle’s ranch. Later he had his own LBJ Ranch in Texas. Dwight Eisenhower bought a farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for his retirement. Ronald Reagan had a ranch in California and had horses, it was like a retreat for him. George W. Bush retired to his ranch in Texas.
George Washington had title to thousands of acres in at least three states. Where he lived was at Mount Vernon in Virginia. He had been a surveyor, a statesman, a military man, a farmer and, of course, our first president. He was innovative in breeding dogs, mules, sheep and other livestock. He also raised tobacco and wheat. His heart was on his farm and after retiring from politics he was looking forward to the next phase of his life on his farm. Sadly, his dream was not to be realized. About two years later he took sick and received the acceptable medical treatment of the day which led to his demise.With most people and presidents, home is where the heart is.
Iris Eppley is a member of the Farm Bureau Council.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Many presidents had connections to farming
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