Judge Alton B. Parker Democratic Presidential Candidate 1904

 

Running against Theodore Roosevelt was less a political campaign than self-inflicted punishment.

Roosevelt was everywhere. Newspapers couldn’t get enough of him. Republicans loved him. Plenty of Democrats secretly admired him. If he’d announced he was moving into the White House stables and raising buffalo in the Rose Garden, half the country probably would’ve shrugged and said it sounded reasonable.

Somebody still had to run against him.

The Democrats chose Alton B. Parker, a New York judge whose greatest political asset was that he wasn’t William Jennings Bryan. After watching Bryan lose twice, Democratic leaders decided that excitement was overrated. Maybe what America wanted was a calm, respectable man who looked like he balanced his checkbook on time.

Ethel Barrymore: Born Into Show Business

 

Find it on eBay

Long before Hollywood dominated entertainment, there was the Barrymore family. For decades, the name was theatrical royalty.

And among all the famous Barrymores, many critics believed Ethel Barrymore was the most talented of them all.

Audiences packed theaters to see her perform. Critics praised her dramatic range. Newspapers followed her career with fascination. At a time when stage actors were among the nation’s biggest celebrities, Ethel Barrymore stood near the very top.

Today, however, she is often overshadowed by later generations of the Barrymore family.

That’s a shame. Because Ethel Barrymore was one of the greatest actresses America ever produced.

Thomas Brackett Reed Changed Washington by Refusing to Play Nice

 

Find it on eBay

For a time, Thomas Brackett Reed was one of the most powerful men in Washington. Presidents listened to him. Political opponents feared him. Newspapers followed his every move.

And when Congress stopped working, Reed did something almost unthinkable.

He changed the rules.

The Giant from Maine

Reed didn’t look like a typical politician. He stood over six feet tall and weighed well over 300 pounds. In an era when most Americans were considerably smaller, he was a physically imposing figure.

Philip Sheridan: The Five-Foot-Five General Who Helped Win the Civil War

Find it on eBay

Philip Sheridan wasn’t a physically imposing man. He stood barely five feet five inches tall. Yet by the end of the Civil War, he had become one of the most feared commanders in the Union Army.

His troops admired him. His enemies respected him. Newspapers celebrated him. And for decades after the war, Sheridan remained one of the most famous military figures in America.

Today, however, his name is often overshadowed by Grant, Sherman, and Lee.

That’s unfortunate. Because few generals had a bigger impact on how the Civil War ended.

William T. Sherman: The Union General the South Never Forgot

 

Find it on eBay

Few figures from the Civil War inspire stronger opinions than William Tecumseh Sherman.

To some, he was a military genius who helped save the Union. To others, he was the man who brought war to the Southern home front.

Over 150 years after the Civil War ended, Sherman remains one of the most famous—and controversial—generals in American history.

And that’s exactly how he would have expected it.

General Frederick Funston: The Fearless Soldier Who Became America’s Biggest Military Hero

 

Find it on eBay

Today, few Americans recognize the name Frederick Funston. A century ago, that would have seemed impossible.

Newspapers couldn’t get enough of him. His exploits made front-page headlines. His portraits appeared in magazines across the country. For a time, Funston was one of the most famous military figures in America.

Some admired him.

Some criticized him.

Almost everyone knew who he was.

General Wesley Merritt: The Forgotten Cavalry Hero Who Helped Win an Empire

 

Find it on eBay

Today, few Americans recognize the name Wesley Merritt.

That’s surprising.

During his lifetime, Merritt fought in some of the most important military campaigns of the nineteenth century, rose to the highest ranks of the U.S. Army, and played a key role in America’s emergence as a world power.

For decades, his name appeared in newspapers, military reports, and magazines across the country.

Yet unlike Custer, Pershing, or MacArthur, Wesley Merritt has largely faded from public memory.