PEORIA: WHISTLE STOP TO THE WHITEHOUSE?

PEORIA:  WHISTLE  STOP  TO  THE  WHITEHOUSE?

                                                      NORM  KELLY

February 21, 2011 will be President’s Day, and I thought it appropriate that we should think about Peoria, Illinois in relation to the men that ended up living in America’s most famous house. Peoria certainly had a unique kind of politics and in my mind it was not by happenstance that so many of these famous men visited here.  Here is what John F. Kennedy said about us when he was asked why presidential hopefuls and presidents visit Peoria, Illinois.

 

                   “It’s nothing to do with Peoria’s size.  Peoria is a

                    ‘sounding board.’  Not only does it have the right

                     mixture of people for accurate political surveys,

                     but next to Chicago it is in the center of a ‘Swing

                     State.’

 

Peoria:  1832     Three future presidents were here in Peoria way back in 1832.  They were Abraham Lincoln, Zachary Taylor and Jefferson Davis. In Peoria records there is talk of Franklin Pierce, Ulysses Grant, and Grover Cleveland visiting our fair town, but no mention of dates or other concrete evidence.

 

Martin Van Buren:    Visited Peoria on June 25, 1842, staying  for two days.  He stayed at Planter House and because of the large crowd, spoke at the courthouse.

 

Abraham Lincoln:      Historians tell us that Mr. Lincoln probably visited Peoria on at least seventeen occasions.  He spoke at a half-dozen Whig events, and on October 16, 1854 debated Senator Stephen A. Douglas on the courthouse steps. 

 

                      “Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him

                       and part with him when he goes wrong.”

 

Benjamin Harrison:     On  March 18, 1894 he visited Peoria briefly talking to local politicians.  He was on his way to Bath, Illinois and duck hunting on Spring Lake. Born in Ohio, he moved to Indiana, becoming the only man from Indiana to become president, America’s 23^rd President. His efforts brought 6 states into the Union.

 

William  McKinley:       Came to Peoria to dedicate the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at the Peoria County Courthouse. A massive, enthusiastic crowd greeted him on October 6, 1899.  Spectators said he was overwhelmed by the reception.

 

                          “Six thousand school children with flags in their hands

                            and love of country in their hearts and I could not but

                            think as I looked at the glorious process, that my country

                            is safe.”

 

Theodore  Roosevelt:      “Teddy” as Americans loved to call him came to Peoria as a candidate for vice president.  He spoke in the Courthouse Square on October 8, 1900.  He returned October 10, 1907, where he made Grandview Drive famous by saying “This is the world’s most beautiful drive.”

 

                            “Finally, sons of Illinois and women of Illinois, I ask

                              you to be leaders and not followers, and to make the

                              declaration a certainty that whenever the flag has been

                              raised in honor, it shall not be torn down.”

 

William Howard Taft:   On September 22, 1911, Mr. Taft came to Peoria to be the key speaker at  the Columbus Day banquet sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. He spoke at the old Coliseum where the Armory is now located. Taft was our 27^th President and also a famous Supreme Court Justice. 

 

Franklin D. Roosevelt:   FDR, as American’s affectionately referred to him came to Peoria with Governor Cox to speak at the Peoria Armory on October 12, 1920.   Roosevelt at that time was a running mate of Cox, who was running for President of the United States.

 

Certainly one of America’s favorite presidents, Roosevelt was our 32^nd  President  serving an unprecedented four terms, 1933-1945. Historians categorized his New Deal Programs as “Relief, Recovery and Reform.  Even today young Americans are familiar with the famous quote of March 3, 1933.  “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

 

John Calvin Coolidge Jr.     “Silent Cal” as he was often referred to was here in Peoria, Illinois, in 1922 shortly before he became President of the United States.  We have Dr. Charles Farnum to thank for the information on Coolidge’s visit here. Farnum was the master of ceremonies at a banquet held here at the Jefferson Hotel and introduced the famous guest.

 

Calvin Coolidge was our 29^th Vice-President taking over upon the death of President Harding.  Coolidge completed Harding’s term then won the Presidency on his own.  He served 1923-1929.

 

Herbert Clark Hoover:     Hoover visited Peoria on November 4, 1932 and spoke from the rear of a train stopped at the Rock Island Depot.  He arrived to a wild, enthusiastic throng of people that had gathered to meet his train that arrived at 4:30 P.M.  His presidency did not weather the Great Depression and the drought throughout southwestern United States. He made attempts to stop the ‘downward spiral’ of the economy but his efforts were of no effect. The former president returned to Peoria on March 14, 1940 to speak before a large crowd at the R.G. LeTourneau  plant.

 

Harry S. Truman:    Harry Truman was here in Peoria twice during his lifetime, 1942 and on October 26, 1944. He spoke in front of a small crowd at the Shrine Mosque. He was on his way to his home in Missouri after he had been named as Roosevelt’s running mate. Of course, folks here in Peoria had no idea that he would soon be the President of the United States.

 

Upon the death of FDR, Truman took over as our 33^rd President and saw America through the rest of the war and the dropping of two Atomic Bombs. His famous firing of beloved General MacArthur during the Korean Conflict brought both of them the international spotlight. He made a lot of difficult decisions during WW 11 and the Korean Conflict. “Truman had a realistic approach to problems and was not known to bandy words or pull punches.”

 

Dwight David Eisenhower:    “Ike” was a visitor to Peoria, Illinois on September 25, 1956.  He spoke at the Fieldhouse to a standing room only crowd. It was the first National TV address from Peoria.   Eisenhower  was the first sitting president to visit here since 1932. 

 

Eisenhower was America’s 34^th President serving 1953-1961. Ike rose to the incredible rank of a five-star general, General of the Army and Supreme Allied Commander during WW 11.  He instigated the Interstate Highway System, which is named after him.  In 1957 he spoke about the Middle East.   “America is prepared to use armed force to counter aggression from any country controlled by  International Communism.”

 

John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy:   During his Presidential campaign Kennedy came to Peoria on October 24, 1960.  He spoke in the Courthouse Square to a massive crowd, who wildly supported him. He became our 35^th President barely beating Richard Nixon. Within his speech he said, “Americans want to say again they believe in America and our future and we can and we will move forward.”

Kennedy gained respect and admiration for his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis. During his short Presidency he saw the beginning of the American Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race.

 

“First I believe that this nation should commit itself to the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him back safely to Earth”

On June 26, 1963, JFK made his famous speech,  “Ich bin ein Berliner” ( I am a Berliner)

 

Lyndon Baines Johnson:   President Johnson came to Peoria on October 7, 1964 to speak at the Courthouse Square and the Armory some 5 blocks away. A huge, admiring crowd surrounded him and the President responded with wide grins.  He commented, “I thought Peoria was a Republican town.”

 

Lyndon Johnson was America’s thirty-sixth President taking over after the death of JFK when he was our 37^th Vice-President. Known for his Great Society and the War on Poverty, Johnson also escalated the war in Vietnam. Here in Peoria he was heard to say about Peorians, “Aren’t these people just wonderful?”

 

“America today is the richest nation on earth, and I intend to keep it that way as long as I am President of these United States.” 

 

Richard Milhous Nixon:   In Peoria June 15, 1973 Nixon made his way to Pekin, Illinois to dedicate the Dirksen Memorial Library. Mr. Nixon was in the area a total of 8 times, 1951-1973.  He reminded the crowd “That the system is working and critics should not shun politics but should enter it and fight for their ideals.”

 

Richard Nixon was America’s 36^th Vice-President and our 37^th President, serving 1969-1974. He inherited the Viet Nam War, and was involved in the Watergate Scandal.  He became the first American President to resign that office.  He was a master politician and served his country in numerous ways.

 

“People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook.  Well I am not a crook.  I’ve earned everything I’ve got.”

 

Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr.:  Actually he was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. Ford was here in Peoria on March 5, 1974, speaking at the Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse.  Mr. Ford was our 40^th Vice-president and our 38^th President, 1974-1977. He stayed overnight at the Pere Marquette Hotel. ( A local maid claims that he did not leave her a tip)

 

Ford returned to Peoria on February 22, 2000 to make the keynote speech at the Washington Day Banquet.  “Our Constitution calls for a system of checks and balances…our system was not designed to be efficient or economical, but it was designed to preserve freedom for the people.

 

Ronald Wilson Reagan:  Reagan was in this area many times in his life, having graduated Eureka College.  He was here in November 1980 with Gerald Ford and

George H. Bush campaigning in Peoria. October 20, 1982 he spoke at a fund-raiser for Bob Michel. May 9, 1982 he spoke at Eureka College, and here February 6, 1984, and back to Eureka College in 1992.

 

Ronald Reagan was a popular movie actor, governor and our 40^th President, serving 1981-1989.  His economic policy was dubbed Reaganomics. He sent troops to rescue medical students in Granada and called the USSR an ‘Evil Empire.’ His famous speech at the Berlin Wall helped end the cold war.

 

“Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the

world  is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today’s world do not have.”

 

William ‘Bill’ Clinton.           Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe 111 and was our 42^nd President serving 1993-2001. He was in Peoria April 8, 1992 as the leading Democratic candidate for the Presidency.  He walked a Caterpillar picket line in East Peoria and spoke to union members. 

 

Clinton signed into law the Family Medical Leave Act and the North American Free Trade Agreement along with the Brady Bill, concerning guns in America. The Lewinsky and Paula Jones sexual scandals brought impeachment proceedings in Washington, DC.

 

“Together we must also confront the new hazards of chemical and biological weapons, and the outlaw states and organized criminals seeking to acquire them.”

 

George Walker Bush :   On August 22, 2000 candidate Bush came to Peoria and spoke at the Byerly Aviation’s main hangar. He mentioned his plan to “Leave no child behind.”  He also took part in a panel discussion at Harrison School in Peoria.

He came to Peoria in 2008 to speak on behalf of a Republican candidate for Congress.

 

Mr. Bush was our 43^rd. President, serving 2001-2009.  Bush was a Texas Governor and in office as the President when the 9-11-2000 attack occurred in New York City.

He announced a ‘War On Terrorism’ and later ordered our troops into Afghanistan and Iraq.   He signed into law massive tax cuts, medical drug benefits and a Homeland Security Act.  Holding a megaphone to his mouth he spoke at Ground Zero.

 

“I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you.  And the people that knocked

these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”

 

DEWAYNE              Obama  and Biden were here but that is recent news…that is in your archives I am sure...I thought I would let u look at this hard copy and let u do the editing as to QUOTES and how much space you have….   BUSH 11 was here and visited the restaurant on sterling if u don’t have that in archives let me know…

As for jimmie carter I hope he was not here  I don’t even want to write about him.

 

Editor’s Note:  Norm Kelly is a local historian and author.  (norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net)