Julia & Julia
ISSUE NO. 19 // JULIA & JULIA (ETC.)
In honor of Women’s History Month, I’m focusing on a few fascinating non-First Lady ladies, including Julia Sand and Julia Chinn.
If I didn’t already fill my Julia Quota, I could have included Julia Child. She wanted to help when WWII broke out but was too tall to join the military. Instead, she joined the OSS (the precursor to the CIA). She was also responsible for the televising of a White House State Dinner for the first time. But I digress…
Let’s get to it. Bon appétit!
Presidential Doodler
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Julia Sand
Chester Arthur was a corrupt, money-grubbing politician. As vice president-elect, he helped drag one of president-elect James Garfield’s cabinet appointees out of bed to bully him into quitting his post. What the actual eff.
Nobody expected Arthur to ever become president, because there was no way to look back into history and see that sometimes presidents die and if you don’t carefully select your VP you could end up with someone dangerous and/or inept.
Enter Julia Sand.
Julia, a wealthy 31-year-old stranger, started sending Arthur letters after Garfield was shot, saving Arthur (and the country!) from himself. She inspired him to change his ways. She also threw in some light body-shaming.
SIDE NOTE: In stark contrast to the towering Julia Child, Arthur referred to Julia Sand as “Little Dwarf.”
From Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President, by Candice Millard. One of my favorites.
“The people are bowed in grief; but — do you realize it? — not so much because he is dying, as because you are his successor.”
“If you are not too heavy — your pictures vary by about one hundred pounds in weight — and it would be cruelty to animals to have a depressing effect on them — why not ride horseback all through the bright, bracing autumn weather.”
From The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur, by Scott S Greenberger.
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Julia Chinn
While technically enslaved by Richard Mentor Johnson, they were also common-law married. It wasn’t a secret. Julia and Richard had two daughters, Imogene and Adaline. They were a family and treated as such in public. Julia ran his business when he was out of town. The girls received an education that was “equal or superior to most females in the country.”
Richard Mentor Johnson went on to become Martin Van Buren’s vice president. I wondered what would have happened if Van Buren had died in office — would we have had a black first lady so early in our history? (Not that I wished ill on Little Van, but the idea piqued my curiosity and set off a chain of mental “what ifs”.)
Nope.
Julia died four years before he served as VP.
Their story is a fascinating one. But then… in the end, Johnson perhaps wasn’t as amazing as these little bits of his story lead me to imagine.
Doodle inspired by Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King, by Thomas J. Balcerski.
From Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest, by K Jack Bauer
From Martin Van Buren: The American Presidents Series: The 8th President, by Ted Widmer
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Liliʻuokalani, Last Queen of Hawaii
Augh. This makes me cringe. The U.S. (and greedy American sugar planters/businessmen) staged a coup and ended a 1,600-year reign because why not and also ka-ching!
When Grover Cleveland became president, he tried to end the nonsense. Sanford Ballard Dole and his buddies who overthrew the monarchy refused to step aside. Instead, they just waited a bit until someone else was president (McKinley) and they could get what they wanted.
It’s amazing that Dole had any time to stage a coup, what with all of the beard maintenance he must have required. If his name sounds familiar, yes. He’s related to the guy who started what became the Dole Food Company. Cousins, once removed.
Liliʻuokalani risked her life to save her country. She remained dedicated to the cause until she died. Her story and the story of her country is heartbreaking and I can’t do it justice. Watch this quick, beautiful video for more.
President McKinley: Architect of the American Century, by Robert W Merry
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Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria started her reign around the same time Martin Van Buren was in office. She remained queen for another six decades.
She called Millard Fillmore “the most handsome man.”
After steamboats laid down the Transatlantic cable, President Buchanan sent her a telegraph — he hoped the technology would “prove to be a bond of perpetual peace and friendship.” She was like “Whatever, bro. Fillmore was cuter.”
Just kidding.
I’m not sure what she said, but probably not that.
The famous Resolute desk was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford Hayes. She’d sent the HMS Resolute in search of a missing explorer. After it became trapped in ice, the ship was abandoned. Three years later, the U.S. found the HMS Resolute, fixed it up, and returned it to Queen Victoria.
Bob's Folly: Fulton, Livingston and the Steamboat, by Travis M. Bowman
From Decision Points, by George W. Bush
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Pamela Churchill
Ok, I’m going to level with you. You have to read The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War, by Catherine Grace Katz. And not just because I’m never going to be able to explain this well enough. It’s an incredible book. But also, yeah, I’m not able to explain this well enough.
Pamela was Winston Churchill’s former daughter-in-law, previously married to Randolph Churchill.
She had a very … expansive dating history, including dating her best friend Kathy’s dad (Averell Harriman, Ambassador to the Soviet Union and the UK, eventual Governor of New York, etc., etc.)
At one point, Averell had his daughter break up with his mistress. Her best friend. Pamela.
Pamela dated Edward R. Murrow.
And John Hay Whitney. (Yes, related to the Whitneys of Saratoga. His family basically rescued Saratoga Racetrack from ruin. Also, yes, his grandfather was John Hay — President Lincoln’s private secretary and Secretary of State under Presidents McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt.)
She brought Kathy to a date with Henry Mortimer. Henry brought his brother, Stanley (who Pamela and previously dated).
Stanley was a recent divorcee. His wife left him for CBS founder Bill Paley… who Pamela was previously involved with.
Fun Fact! Bill Paley and John Hay Whitney were brothers-in-law!
Kathy and Stanley eventually married. The guest list featured President Truman, former President Hoover, future President Eisenhower, etc.
Flash forward to 1971: 51-year-old Pamela reunited with 80-year-old Averell after both of their spouses died. They married.
Pamela became her former best friend’s stepmom.
Pamela was romantically linked to both Kathy’s father… and her husband. Yikes!
President Clinton named Pamela Ambassador to France.
On a much more serious note, mental health was a huge issue after WWII, with many vets haunted by what they’d seen and done. Sarah Churchill, Winston’s daughter and Pamela’s former sister-in-law, blamed herself when a former flame died by suicide. Tragically, she then lost her husband and sister to suicide as well. Kathy saved her husband Stanley when he attempted to end his life.
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