Some Little Known Facts About President Ulysses S. Grant

He was one of Lincoln's favorite generals, the top commander for the North during the Civil War, and eventually, the 18th President of the United States, although his years in the White House are generally seen as among the worst presidencies that the United States suffered through, filled with corruption and incompetence.

After such a distinguished list of accomplishments, Grant died of poverty.

But admittedly, that marks more or less the extent of what I know about the man...until now.

In honor of this weekend being the 192nd anniversary of his birth, the National Constitution Center (NCC) has listed 10 likely little known facts about the man. One such fact is that Ulysses was not actually his first real name, something that I never knew. It always seemed odd to me that he had such an unusual first name, and a very common last name. He kept Ulysses S. Grant as his name because of an error on his West Point application, giving him the initials "U.S.". Also, his true first name is quite odd, as well.

Also, did you know that the Dominican Republic almost became a state during his tenure? If it did not get stalled in the Senate, the Dominican Republic (which surely would now have a different name) might have become a state and, if that had happened, I'd be willing to bet that it would have opened the door for Puerto Rico becoming a state, as well. Can't say for sure, of course. But that was a surprising fact that admittedly, I was not aware of.

I did know that many historians considered his presidency to be among the worst, along with that of Warren Harding and perhaps James Buchanan. Part of the problem was that Grant really had no experience as a politician and, perhaps, that he was rather young (at the time, he was the youngest man ever elected, at age 46). Those years were filled with all sorts of crises, and remember, it was shortly after the Civil War, and so his administration had to deal with both the Reconstruction, as well as the backlash. But according to this, some historians are beginning to reconsider those eight years.

Interesting. And this article, too, should prove interesting to anyone who wants to learn more about Ulysses S. Grant - the man who's portrait graces the American $50 bill.

"10 fascinating facts about President Ulysses Grant" by National Constitution Center Staff, April 25, 2014:

http://news.yahoo.com/10-fascinating-facts-president-ulysses-grant-093220428.html