Presidential Confidential
Today I had to work in Vancouver where I had a series of meetings. In between I stopped at a Chapters' Bookstore, where I found this little gem, a book by John Boertlein, called Presidential Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem in the Oval Office. It looks like a gem.
The book is divided into three parts with interesting titles:
Part I: Assassins, Anarchists and Assorted A-holes
Part II: Sex at the Chief Executive Level
Part III: Partying With the Presidents
Part IV: Presidential Peccadillos
I'll borrow one anecdote from the book, from a chapter on Chester Alan Arthur entitled "The Dude Abides". Boertlein writes:
"One of our least remembered Presidents, Chester Alan Arthur, was also one of our greatest White House partiers. Taking on the job of Chief Executive after the assassination of James Garfield in 1881, Arthur ushered in a wave of lavish late-night extravaganzas that featured the best food and booze the Washington elite could ever want...
"His parties lasted to all hours and the White House staff didn't expect to see him awake until late morning. Some historians speculate that he led the high life to fill the void of his wife's sudden death from pneumonia at the age of forty-two, less than a year before his election as vice-president. Arthur made it known that he would not marry again, though his social charm, elegant dress and life-of-the-party personality attracted many an interested lady from Washington society.
"Others speculate that Arthur knew he was living on borrowed time and was trying to make the most of the situation. He suffered from a number of ailments, but an incurable kidney condition known then as Bright's Disease meant his days were numbered.
"Through his partying lifestyle he ballooned to more than 220 pounds and he complained often of exhaustion and gastrointestinal disorders, but he managed to be an effective chief executive, creating reforms in the civil service that meant defying the cronies of his rather corrupt past in New York politics. Those who expected his administration to be a free-for-all of corruption turned out to be mistaken. His years in office passed without scandal. As for the evening parties, it's not known if Arthur hooked up with any of the women seeking to make him a married man again, or to at least make him less lonely for an evening. Arthur kept mum on the subject, stating 'I may be President of the United States, but my private life is nobody's damn business.'"
This looks like a very fun book. Expect more quotes from it in this blog.
The book is divided into three parts with interesting titles:
Part I: Assassins, Anarchists and Assorted A-holes
Part II: Sex at the Chief Executive Level
Part III: Partying With the Presidents
Part IV: Presidential Peccadillos
I'll borrow one anecdote from the book, from a chapter on Chester Alan Arthur entitled "The Dude Abides". Boertlein writes:
"One of our least remembered Presidents, Chester Alan Arthur, was also one of our greatest White House partiers. Taking on the job of Chief Executive after the assassination of James Garfield in 1881, Arthur ushered in a wave of lavish late-night extravaganzas that featured the best food and booze the Washington elite could ever want...
"His parties lasted to all hours and the White House staff didn't expect to see him awake until late morning. Some historians speculate that he led the high life to fill the void of his wife's sudden death from pneumonia at the age of forty-two, less than a year before his election as vice-president. Arthur made it known that he would not marry again, though his social charm, elegant dress and life-of-the-party personality attracted many an interested lady from Washington society.
"Others speculate that Arthur knew he was living on borrowed time and was trying to make the most of the situation. He suffered from a number of ailments, but an incurable kidney condition known then as Bright's Disease meant his days were numbered.
"Through his partying lifestyle he ballooned to more than 220 pounds and he complained often of exhaustion and gastrointestinal disorders, but he managed to be an effective chief executive, creating reforms in the civil service that meant defying the cronies of his rather corrupt past in New York politics. Those who expected his administration to be a free-for-all of corruption turned out to be mistaken. His years in office passed without scandal. As for the evening parties, it's not known if Arthur hooked up with any of the women seeking to make him a married man again, or to at least make him less lonely for an evening. Arthur kept mum on the subject, stating 'I may be President of the United States, but my private life is nobody's damn business.'"
This looks like a very fun book. Expect more quotes from it in this blog.