The thought of Carter, Truman, Eisenhower, McKinley, Roosevelt and Grant taking a trip collectively in Florida may sound like a fantasy, however the Society of Presidential Descendants makes it occur yearly.
It is a membership that you just actually need to be born into. Every Presidents Day, first households meet up at a historic spot known as the Little White Home in scenic Key West.
“The primary time we did something like this was in 2010 with Margaret Hoover, President Hoover’s nice granddaughter, and her husband,” Clifton Truman, the oldest grandson of thirty third President Harry Truman, advised ABC Information. “And the following yr, we added Susan Ford and Luci Baines Johnson.”
Presidential descendants James Earl Carter IV, Tweed Roosevelt, Clifton Truman, a standee of former President Harry Truman, Ulysses Grant Dietz, Mary Jean Eisenhower and Massee McKinley hand around in Key West, Florida.
ABC Information
Since 2018, the group has met yearly and amassed 75 direct descendants from 26 presidents. They know their households are wrapped up within the nation’s historical past.
“Susan Ford mentioned, I wasn’t certain, that the job was kind of twofold. One, to maintain up with the legacy — your ancestor’s legacy — to protect that, put it on the market, defend it,” Clifton mentioned. “However the second a part of the job is to do one thing with it by yourself, make it your individual in a roundabout way.”
A part of the preservation is sharing tales with keen audiences at Harry and Bess Truman’s second house. The Little White Home is a museum now, however Clifton used to come back right here along with his grandparents within the ’60s.
Their names carry loads of weight, and quite a lot of duty. Tweed Roosevelt, the nice grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, the nation’s twenty sixth commander in chief, recounted being held to a better normal at school.
“‘Mr. Roosevelt, it is all proper for the opposite boys to try this. But it surely’s not all best for you to do it,'” he advised ABC Information. “That was probably the most beneficial lesson I realized in all my 4 years of faculty.”
The Society of Presidential Descendants’ annual gathering takes place on the trip house of former President Harry Truman and his spouse Bess.
ABC Information
Ulysses Grant Dietz, the youngest great-great grandchild of President Ulysses S. Grant and his spouse, Julia. Out of 41 great-great grandchildren, he is the one one to share a reputation with the 18th president.
“I grew to become the torch-bearer,” he advised ABC Information. “And so individuals will say ‘Oh, properly they’re historians, however we wish you to speak as a result of your identify is Ulysses.’ So you need to again that up with some self-education.”
Whereas that is the yearly formal gathering, this specifically linked group of mates collect elsewhere every so often on different particular events. Earlier than former President Jimmy Carter died in December, nearly a dozen descendants — together with his grandson James Earl Carter IV — gathered to rejoice the thirty ninth president’s a hundredth birthday final October.
They’re descended from Democrats and Republicans, however social gathering affiliation and coverage dialogue have by no means stood in the way in which of the group’s mission to stay collectively.
“One of many issues that each one of our ancestors had in frequent was an incredible love for the nation, an incredible respect for the establishment of the presidency, no matter politics, and that is one thing that all of us share as properly,” James mentioned.
It additionally acts as a help system in more difficult instances.
“I had a coronary heart assault again in July, and all of those mates contacted me and have been there for me, in order that they’re household,” Massee McKinley, who’s the great-great nephew of twenty fifth President William McKinley and the nice, nice grandson of twenty second and twenty fourth President Grover Cleveland, advised ABC Information.
Mary Jean Eisenhower, youngest grandchild of thirty fourth President Dwight Eisenhower, famous that they do not keep it up any conflicts their forebears could have had.
“I feel it is pretty frequent data that Truman and my grandfather had a rift, you understand, afterward of their lives,” she advised ABC Information. “And we have talked it out, and never solely have we found that they made up, however we determined that we straightened our grandparents out.”
This group is decided to make use of their well-known household names to push the legacy ahead.
“Presidents Day is a chance to start to remind individuals of what their civic duties are. All people appears to know their rights, however they appear to have forgotten that these rights include duties,” Tweed Roosevelt mentioned. “One of many issues we’re making an attempt to do is assist People perceive what their position is, in order that democracy will survive.”
