"Vote for Jackson!"

While the exact date is not known, the letter above was written from William H. Hunter to Dr. George Anderson during Andrew Jackson’s 1828 campaign for the U.S. Presidency. William H. Hunter was a Democratic member of the 25th U.S. Congress. In his letter to Dr. Anderson, he is hoping to gain support for Jackson in northern Ohio. An article in the American Heritage magazine points out that in 1828, when Jackson ran against John Quincy Adams, Ohio was considered a swing state.

A transcription of Mr. Hunter’s letter appears below:

Dear Sir,

The friends of Genl. Jackson in this place and some of the adjoining townships have thought it advisable to call a meeting of his friends for the purpose of sending delegates to Columbus on the 21st instant. I hope that you will join us and urge the necessity of all attending who are friendly to the cause and can conveniently leave home. The administration is straining every nerve to carry its points. But it must fail. It only requires moderation, union and firmness to carry the old Genl. in. And as it is necessary that Ohio should go along with the other western states let us use some little exertion to carry her along with them. So far as my information extends the friends of the Genl. are rapidly increasing. In this village where at the last election he had not above 6 notes we can calculate upon at least 40 at the next. In other parts of the county I hear almost every day of an accession to our strength.

Fail not if you please to have a notice put in the Clarion of contemplated meeting.

Yours respectfully,

W. H. Hunter

An article in the July 19, 1828 issue of the Sandusky Clarion reported about a Jackson meeting which had been held in Tiffin on July 4, 1828. However in the October 11, 1828 issue of the Sandusky Clarion was an editorial penned by a writer who called himself “Common Sense.” The writer stated, “We are called upon to bow down and worship the military idol of the south, under the seductive appellation of the Tennessee farmer, the hero of New Orleans, the compeer of Washington, the spotless patriot, … and we are denounced as knaves, aristocrats, and the enemies of our country, if we do not.”

While Andrew Jackson was not liked by everyone in the Sandusky area, he did win the election of 1828. Read more about Andrew Jackson at Ohio History Central.

Political Mementos from Joseph G. Cannon

Sandusky resident Leo Kugel donated two political mementos from Joseph G. Cannon’s unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1908 to the historical collections of the Sandusky Library. At the Republican National Convention in Chicago, Joe Cannon received fifty eight votes for the presidential nomination. Of course, William Howard Taft won the nomination and he went on to win the U.S. presidential election in November. 

Joseph G. Cannon, often known as “Uncle Joe,” was a longtime member of the House of Representatives, serving from 1873-1891, 1893-1913, and 1915 -1923. He was Speaker of the House from 1903 to 1911.

Joe Cannon wielded a great deal of power in the House of Representatives. People all across the U.S. had strong feelings about Mr. Cannon, ranging from admiration to contempt. His image graced the cover of the very first issue of Time Magazine. When he died in November of 1926, the news was featured on the front page of the Sandusky Register.

A brief excerpt from the article read “No other public man of his time was at once so strongly hated politically and so strongly loved personally.”

Theodore Roosevelt on the Campaign Trail in Sandusky in 1912

On May 15, 1912, Theodore Roosevelt spoke in Sandusky, Ohio while he was campaigning for president on the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party ticket. Roosevelt had already served as United States President for two terms, from 1901 to 1909, following the assassination of President William McKinley.

In this closer view, you can see TR addressing the crowd from a platform at the foot of Columbus Avenue:

According to the May 16, 1912 issue of the Sandusky Register, about 2,500 people were in the crowd. Roosevelt arrived by train in Sandusky on Wednesday morning, May 15, 1912. Ackley’s Band entertained the crowd until his arrival. The train, consisting of two Pullmans and a day coach, was due at 8:45, but did not get to town until 9 a.m. Roy H. Williams introduced Mr. Roosevelt. When Roosevelt saw veterans from the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, he addressed them as “boys” and “comrades.”

In the picture below, Theodore Roosevelt can be seen raising his hat with his typical enthusiasm:

Sandusky Mayor George T. Lehrer is seated on the left of the platform. According to the Oyster Bay Historical Society, Mr. Roosevelt’s speech in Sandusky was one of fourteen speeches he gave in Ohio in May 15.

President William Howard Taft also visited Sandusky, Ohio on May 15, 1912. President Taft spoke from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. to an enthusiastic audience at the Sandusky Theatre. The theater held 1,500 people, but it was estimated that several thousand people cheered and applauded Taft as they waited outside the theater for a glimpse of President Taft.

Though Theodore Roosevelt and President William Howard Taft campaigned vigorously in 1912, in November of 1912, Woodrow Wilson became the 28th United States President. On May 12, 2012, Gib Young portrayed Theodore Roosevelt at the foot of Columbus Avenue, re-enacting the visit of TR one hundred years after his original visit

Andrew J. Biemiller, Member of Congress

Andrew J. Biemiller in High School

Andrew J. Biemiller was the son of Andrew Frederick and Pearl (Weber) Biemiller, born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1906. (A Biemiller family member of an earlier generation founded the Biemiller Opera House in Sandusky in 1877.) Young Andrew was a member of the Sandusky High School Debating Club during his senior year at Sandusky High School, in 1921-1922.  According to the 1922 Fram, he was an outstanding orator. After graduating from Cornell University in 1926, he taught history at Syracuse University and the University of Pennsylvania. For a time he was associated with the Socialist Party, serving as a campaign manager for Norman Thomas, Socialist candidate for President in 1932. But in 1944 he was elected as a Democrat to serve as United States Representative for Wisconsin’s Fifth District. He lost the election in 1946, but was returned to Congress in 1948. After serving in the U.S. Congress, Mr. Biemiller became the chief lobbyist for the AFL-CIO. The Truman Library features an oral history in which he mentions Sandusky several times. 

Andrew J. Biemiller died on April 3, 1982. He was buried in Ellicott, Maryland.

Mock GOP Convention at Jackson Junior High School

Notes in the historical files of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center indicate that Mock GOP Conventions were held at Jackson Junior High School in 1936 or 1940. The photo above depicts one of those events. Patriotic bunting decorated the gymnasium at Jackson Junior High, and several signs representing states of the U.S. were scattered throughout the room. There were two bands providing musical entertainment for the event. 

An article in the May 20, 1936 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that on May 19, the convention selected Alfred M. Landon as candidate for President, and Frank Knox for Vice President “amid scenes of wild excitement.” Besides the Sandusky High School Civics students of Mr. Earle Seidner, about five hundred individuals attended the 1936 Convention. In the actual 1936 Presidential Election, Alf  Landon was defeated by Franklin Roosevelt. 

In 1940 over four hundred people attended another Mock GOP Convention held at Jackson Junior High School. Sidney Frohman presented a nominating speech for Thomas E. Dewey, but at the end of the evening, Arthur H. Vandenburg was elected as the candidate for President. The May 14, 1940 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that for over three hours, the students loudly alternated between cheering and booing. Throughout the evening, Byron Aldrich conducted the Sandusky High School Band, and J.L. Hoffman directed the Erie County Band. Crabill Clauer was the chairman of the Mock Convention. In the actual 1940 Presidential Election, President Roosevelt was re-elected, defeating Wendell Wilkie. Articles about the 1936 and 1940 Mock GOP Conventions were featured in both Sandusky Register and Star Journal, both available for viewing on microfilm at the Sandusky Library 

Political Campaign Buttons

The Sandusky Library owns a collection of political campaign buttons, which are housed in the Archives Research Center and the Follett House Museum. Here is a sample of some of them.

William Jennings Bryan ran unsuccessfully for U.S. President three times. Pictured above is a campaign button from his 1900 run against President William McKinley. 

Amos H. Jackson was elected as Representative to the 58^th U.S. Congress, from March 4, 1903 to March 3, 1905. A.H. Jackson is also known for being the founder of the A.H. Jackson Manufacturing Company, which began in Fremont, Ohio, and had a division in Sandusky in the early 1900s.

     

Jay J. Perry served as Erie County Sheriff from 1898-1902 and from 1917-1920. The campaign button featuring an image of Jay J. Perry is most likely from his first campaign.

   Republican Warren G.  Harding, a former newspaper man from Marion, Ohio, defeated Democratic candidate James M. Cox for U.S. President in 1920.

 

This classic red, white, and blue pin promoted Dwight D. Eisenhower and his vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon. This team ran in both the 1950 and 1956 presidential campaigns. Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson in both elections.   

  

Charles Evans Hughes Made Campaign Stop in Sandusky

On September 26, 1916, Charles Evans Hughes campaigned for the U.S. presidency in Sandusky, Ohio. He had resigned from the Supreme Court to run for President. He is pictured above, speaking in front of the American Crayon Company, near the Hayes Avenue subway.  The factory was decorated with patriotic bunting and flags, and a large crowd came out to hear what the Republican candidate had to say.

                             

Because the train was an hour late, Ackley’s band entertained the crowds that had come out to hear the candidate speak. Once he arrived, Justice Hughes spoke for fifteen minutes, speaking about the power of progress, social justice, and the conditions of the American worker. Governor Myron T. Herrick and Erie County Auditor Hayes Adams also gave remarks.  In the November 1916 election, incumbent President Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic candidate, defeated Hughes.

During his 1908 presidential campaign, William Howard Taft spoke at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home (now the Ohio Veterans Home), and Theodore Roosevelt gave a whistle-stop speech at the foot of Columbus Avenue to a large crowd of Sanduskians in May of 1912. Read an earlier blog post to learn more about other political campaigns in Sandusky

James T. Begg, U.S. Congressman

James T. Begg was born near Lima, Ohio in 1877. After graduating from Wooster University in 1903, he became a school teacher. Mr. Begg served as superintendent of schools at Columbus Grove from 1905-1910, and at Ironton, Ohio from 1910-1913. On January 14, 1913, James T. Begg accepted the position of superintendent of Sandusky Schools, where he stayed until 1917. After working for two years for the American City Bureau, James T. Begg was elected to 66^th United States Congress. He served as Representative from the 13^th District of Ohio from 1919 to 1929. In the 1919-1920 Sandusky City Directory, Mr. Begg and his family are listed as residing on Columbus Avenue. James and Grace Begg were the parents of a daughter Eleanor, and a son named James Begg, Jr.  Sadly, James T. Begg, Jr. was killed in an automobile accident on April 26, 1929. Young Mr. Begg was only 19 at the time of his death, a student at Kenyon College.

The front page of the February 25, 1928 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Congressman Begg was the principal speaker of the dedication of the new Junior High School in Sandusky, which had an auditorium and gymnasium, and also served as a civic building for the community.

He also spoke at the dedication of the Sandusky Bay Bridge, after having been influential in supporting the bridge project. 

Mr. Begg was unsuccessful in his attempt to become Governor of Ohio in 1942.  After his political career, he was associated with Cyrus Eaton Industries, of Cleveland. In 1956, he moved to Oklahoma City, where he died on March 26, 1963. He body was returned to Ohio and was buried in Cleveland’s Lake View Cemetery. 

Ethel Swanbeck, State Representative

Ohio Representative Ethel Swanbeck is the woman seated at the table in this picture from an unidentified event. To the left is Mark Hellerman; to the right are: attorney Richard Kruse, Sandusky city official Stuart Gosser, and businessman John Pascoe.

 Ethel Swanbeck served Ohio House District 72 for eleven consecutive terms, from 1955 to 1976, making her the longest serving female in the Ohio House of Representatives. Mrs. Swanbeck, a former teacher, was the wife of Dr. Carl Swanbeck. During her long career, Representative Swanbeck served on several House Committees, including Finance, Education, Health, Education and Welfare, and Rules and Insurance. In an article which appeared in the December 22, 1989 issue of the Sandusky Register, former Representative Marie Tansey recalled the time that Rep. Swanbeck wanted to get crossing gates at the railroad crossing on Rye Beach Road in Huron. She invited Governor James Rhodes for a car ride. She proceeded to stop on the tracks, just to get her point across. It wasn’t long until gates were installed. Another time, she brought a live bird into the Ohio State House when there was an issue about the legality of hunting mourning doves. 

Mrs. Swanbeck’s portrait is found in the Ladies Gallery of Legislators in the Museum of the Ohio Statehouse. She was honored many times for her leadership in the Ohio House of Representatives, including the Huron and Sandusky Chamber Awards for Public Service and State Education, the Erie and Huron County Awards of Education Accomplishments. On September 28, 1963, members of the Erie County Republican Women's Organization observed "Ethel Swanbeck Day" at a luncheon at the Business Women's Club. Mrs. Ethel Swanbeck was a successful woman who made significant contributions at a statewide level. We can be proud that she called Erie County home. 

Ethel Swanbeck died on December 21, 1989 in Huron, Ohio at age 96. She was buried beside her husband at the Scott Cemetery.

Union Ticket for Ohio from October 1863 Election

During the Civil War, many Ohioans became members of the Union Party, which was made up of Republicans and Democrats who were in support of the Union cause. On October 13, 1863, John Brough was elected Governor of Ohio on the Union Party ticket. Brough soundly defeated Clement L. Vallandigham, who was against the Civil War, and had been forcibly exiled to the Confederacy. When President Abraham Lincoln heard that John Brough’s majority was over 100,000, he personally wired the Governor-elect. His message said “Glory to God in the highest. Ohio has saved the nation. A. Lincoln.”

John Brough, Ohio Governor 1864-1865(Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JohnBrough.jpg )

Several articles that appeared in the October 16, 1863 issue of the Sandusky Register, reported that Sandusky area residents had a “grand era of good feeling” over the Union party majority during the recent election. The article stated that the hundreds of people from all around Sandusky and Erie County turned out at the Erie County Courthouse. The courthouse was illuminated from top to bottom, and bonfires were ablaze at the parks on Columbus Avenue. The Union Band played patriotic music, and at 8 p.m. Colonel J.C. Lee of Tiffin addressed the crowd. There was an announcement for the Brough Ball which was to be held at Norman Hall on October 16.

Proceeds from the Brough Ball were for the benefit of the families of Union soldiers.

Business owner C.C. Keech included the words Brough! Brough! in his advertisement for wool. The ad mentioned the 100,000 majority for Brough, along with an ad in which he offered to purchase 100,000 pounds of wool for 73 to 75 cents a pound.  Governor Brough died in 1865, before he completed his two year term as Governor of Ohio.

The names of several local candidates also appeared on the ballot in the fall of 1863, including W.D. Lindsley, who was elected to the Ohio Legislature; George Morton, elected Probate Judge; George O. Selkirk, elected as Clerk of Common Pleas Court; George W. Smith, elected Erie County Auditor; Calvin Caswell, elected Erie County Commissioner; and John Wines, elected Infirmary Director. 

Judge William Howard Taft’s Visit to Sandusky in 1908

Early in September of 1908, William Howard Taft gave a speech in Sandusky in 1908 that was generally regarded as the first speech of his active campaign for the U.S. presidency as the Republican candidate in 1908.  On September 7, after arriving in Sandusky aboard the Lake Shore Electric Railway from Fremont, Judge William Howard Taft, General J. Warren Kiefer, General Henry Corbin, along with Mrs. Taft and young Charlie Taft, were driven from the Lake Shore Electric station to the residence of Edward H. Marsh, where the visitors would spend the night.  A representative from the Sandusky Register met Judge Taft at the station, where he was greeted with the well known “Taft smile.” The party had dinner at the Marsh home at 6 p.m. Sandusky photographer W.A. Bishop took this picture of William Howard Taft, General Kiefer, Edward Marsh and Edward Lea Marsh, during Taft’s visit to Sandusky.

On the morning of September 8, 1908, Judge Taft, General Kiefer, and General Corbin, went to the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, where they gave addresses of a non-political nature.

Judge and Mrs. Taft visited several of the residents of the Home who were too frail to leave their rooms to hear Taft’s speech in person. At noon, Judge Taft addressed a large audience at the Opera House in Sandusky. The theater was filled, with only a few seats left vacant.  Judge Taft spoke for thirty minutes, having his speech interrupted with applause several times. According to a lengthy article in the September 9, 1908 issue of the Sandusky Register, Taft stated that if elected “he would spend his time suggesting to Congress means by which the Rooseveltian policies might be clinched” After his speech, Judge Taft shook hands with several ladies and gentlemen who gathered around him on stage at the Opera House. Judge Taft departed from the Big Four station on the 1:40 p.m. train, on his way to make more speeches in the Cincinnati area. Pictured below is William Howard Taft in his top hat, surrounded by several people as he got ready to leave Sandusky.

Of course, William Howard Taft did go on to win the election in November of 1908, defeating William Jennings Bryan. To read more details about William Howard Taft’s visit to Sandusky, see the September 8 and September 9, 1908 issues of the Sandusky Register, available on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. The text of the speech presented by William Howard Taft in Sandusky was reprinted in the book Political Issues and Outlooks: Speeches Delivered Between August, 1908 and February, 1909, by William Howard Taft (Doubleday, Page and Co., 1909.)

James Monroe (1821-1898), Reformer and Abolitionist

James Monroe was born in 1821 in Connecticut to Quaker parents. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1846, and he earned his theology degree from Oberlin College in 1849. Monroe taught at Oberlin College from 1849 to 1862. From 1856 to 1859, he served in the Ohio House of Representatives, and was in the Ohio Senate from 1860 to 1862. From March 1871 to March 1881, James Monroe was a Representative to the United States Congress. According to the book James Monroe: Oberlin's Christian Statesman and Reformer, 1821-1898, he was a minister in Sandusky, Ohio during the winter of 1848-1849. 

James Monroe was known for his strong abolitionist views. His former home can be toured in Oberlin, Ohio, where the story of his abolition activities is told. Mrs. John Mack donated the portrait of Professor Monroe to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Sandusky had many ties to Oberlin throughout the years. Former Sandusky resident, Francis Drake Parish was a trustee of Oberlin College from 1839 to 1878, and longtime newspaper editor, I.F. Mack was a graduate of Oberlin College.

Edmund H. Zurhost, Politician and Businessman

The front page of the December 21, 1923 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that Edmund H. Zurhorst was “one of the picturesque personages of partisan politics of Sandusky,” on the occasion of Mr. Zurhorst’s death in California.

Edmund H. Zurhorst was born in 1845 in Montreal, Canada, to William H. and Letitia  (McKenna) Zurhorst. In 1849 the Zurhorst family moved from Canada to Sandusky, Ohio. Edmund Zurhorst began his studies in the Sandusky city schools, but when he was age 14, he left school in order to obtain employment to help support the family. Before the Civil War, Mr. Zurhorst worked on lake and ocean vessels. During the Civil War, he was both a seaman and a surgeon’s steward. After the Civil War, he was connected with several business interests, including the Marblehead Lime Company, the Sandusky and Columbus Short Line Railway, the Columbus, Sandusky and Hocking Railroad, the Second National Bank, and the C. C. Keech Company. From 1898 to 1904, he served as the U.S. Collector of Customs for the Sandusky district.

Perhaps Edmund H. Zurhorst was best known for his years as a keen politician in which he gained the confidence of state and national leaders of the Republican party. The Register article stated that Mr. Zurhorst often said “They called me a boss, but I wasn’t. I used to have the boys gather around me and then I’d tell ‘em how I thought things out to be done. They just generally agreed with me, that was all there was to it.” Mr. Zurhorst was personal friends with President Chester Arthur, President William McKinley, and Senator Mark Hanna.

On December 20, 1923, Edmund H. Zurhorst passed away in Hollywood, California. His wife, the former Harriet West Keech had predeceased him in 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Zurhorst had three children, Christopher C., William K., and Mary Louise. Mrs. Mary Louise Mitchell was the only surviving child of Mr. Zurhorst. Funeral services were attended by many, and burial was at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

Edmund H. Zurhorst is the gentleman on the left in the picture above. He and an unidentified man are seen reading the December 9, 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register. Biographical sketches of Edmund H. Zurhorst can be found in Hewson Peeke’s A Standard History of Erie County and History of the Western Reserve by Harriet Taylor Upton, both available at the Sandusky Library.

Carl H. Stubig, Local Politician and Newspaper Man

Carl H. Stubig was born on October 5, 1886 in Sandusky, Ohio, to Christian and Catherine (Lanz) Stubig, who were both natives of Germany. After working for several years in newspapers in New York and Canada, Carl returned to Sandusky and worked briefly for the Sandusky Star Journal. Carl H. Stubig published a weekly newspaper in Sandusky entitled Stubig’s Weekly between 1915 and 1918. Stubig's editorials and his approach when describing political foes caused a great deal of controversy and agitation throughout the city's political circles.

In 1914 Carl Stubig lost the Republican nomination for mayor to Charles F. Mischler. Stubig's defeat and his support against a campaign to change the city's charter put him as a leading figure in Sandusky politics. Following the adoption of a new city charter, Stubig was one of twenty-seven candidates running to fill the five positions on the first City Commission, established by the new city charter. Despite the number of candidates and the ferocious nature of the campaign, Stubig won a seat and took office as a City Commissioner on January 1, 1916.

His service on the commission was often controversial. At one point during his term, the local Congregational minister assailed Stubig from the pulpit, referring to him as a demagogue and a reactionary. And on March 20, 1916, Stubig took it upon himself to have a “test run” of the city’s fire department. He pulled the fire alarm at city hall during a blinding snow storm. City streets were dangerously slippery, and Henry Rudolph, a veteran Sandusky fireman, fell from the No. 3 hook and ladder truck while answering the false alarm. Mr. Rudolph survived the accident for several months, but he died on February 23, 1917 as a result of the injuries he sustained.

An article in the December 22, 1917 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Carl H. Stubig was tired of the town of Sandusky. Stubig moved to Akron, where he was the courthouse reporter for the Akron Times. Then he worked at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company as a member of the publicity department. Later, Carl H. Stubig was secretary to C.L. Knight of the Akron Beacon Journal. On May 2, 1930, Carl H. Stubig died suddenly of heart disease at his home in Akron, Ohio, at the age of 48. An obituary found in the 1930 Obituary Notebook stated that Mr. Stubig was to be buried at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. However, the Oakland Cemetery interment card for Carl H. Stubig has a note indicating that in July on 1930, the remains of Carl H. Stubig had been transferred to Marion, Ohio.

Carl H. Stubig was a dynamic individual, and he was passionate in his beliefs and goals. Though his life was brief, he made an impact on many people in several different communities. The picture of Carl H. Stubig below was taken in Albany, New York on April 14, 1912, when Mr. Stubig was with the Knickerbocker Press.

The Sandusky Telegram

On July 29, 1872, J.C. Loveland began publishing a weekly newspaper called the Sandusky Telegram. Loveland’s office was at 195 Water Street, opposite Barney & Ferris. According to Roswell’s American Newspaper Directory, the Sandusky Telegram was Sandusky’s only Democratic newspaper in 1872. Circulation was 700, and the annual subscription rate was $2.00. In the October 19, 1872 issue of the Sandusky Telegram, Loveland strongly endorsed Horace Greeley as the presidential candidate. (President Grant was re-elected in 1872.) The front page of the October 19 Sandusky Telegram carried several articles that were critical of Rush Sloane, who had just lost the election as a candidate for U.S. Congress.

A brief Telegram article was critical of I. F. Mack’s coverage of recent candidates in the Sandusky Register. Loveland stated about the Register’s editor, “the editor has stepped beyond the limits of journalism.” Interestingly, in Charles E. Frohman’s book about I.F. Mack, entitled Sandusky's Editor, there is no mention of J.C. Loveland or the Sandusky Telegram.

To view the 1872 issue of the Sandusky Telegram, or read the book Sandusky's Editor, visit the Sandusky Library, and ask for assistance at the Reference Services desk.

Letter from William Howard Taft to E. H. Marsh

On June 25, 1908, William Howard Taft, who was then serving as the U.S. Secretary of War, sent a letter to Edward H. Marsh of Sandusky, Ohio. (The typist incorrectly spelled Mr. Marsh’s surname as Marsha.) Mr. Taft was responding to the telegram that Edward H. Marsh had sent him on June 18, 1908, congratulating Taft for having been selected as the Republican candidate for President. President Theodore Roosevelt heartily endorsed William Howard Taft as the presidential candidate, though they would part ways in the years ahead. Taft easily defeated his opponent William Jennings Bryan in the 1908 Presidential election.

Helen Hansen wrote in At Home in Early Sandusky that William Howard Taft and Edward H. Marsh had been classmates in Cincinnati. During the 1908 campaign, Mr. Taft visited Sandusky to give a speech at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home. While in Sandusky, Taft visited the Marsh residence at 334 East Washington Street. Mr. Marsh made a special trip to Cleveland to purchase a bed that would be large enough for his friend Mr. Taft, who is well known as having been the President with the heaviest weight.

Bella Lehman, Woman Candidate for Board of Education

Even though women did not legally get the right to vote until August 26, 1920, on occasion women ran for an elected position. On Tuesday, November 2, 1909, Bella Lehman’s name appeared on the ballot as an independent candidate for the Board of Education of Sandusky City Schools.

Bella Lehman pledged to local parents that she had no partisan principles, and that her interests were in the “welfare of our children and the cause of proper education, under normal, healthful and moral conditions.”

The Sandusky Register of November 3, 1909 listed the winners of the race for School Board as Paul H. Sprow, H. H. Lockwood, Chris J. Strobel, and Lee B. Kellar.

Bella Lehman died in Hollywood, California. An obituary for Mrs. Lehman appeared in the September 22, 1938 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal. Mrs. Lehman had been active in charitable work during the years she spent in Sandusky, giving freely of her time to aid stranded Americans in Germany. She worked towards establishing the Women’s Building and Rest Room Association in Sandusky, and was a member of the Business Women’s Club and the Community Chest. After the death of her husband Henry L. Lehman, Bella moved to Europe and was connected with the U.S. Embassy in Germany. She moved to California in 1929, and lived there until the time of her death in September, 1938. Bella Lehman was survived by three children, Mrs. Jack Zinkand, Mrs. Ralph Freeman, and Henry L. Lehman, Jr., all of California.

See an earlier blog post to read more about Women’s Suffrage in Sandusky.

Invitation to the Inauguration Reception of President Ulysses S. Grant

Mrs. George J. Anderson received an invitation to the Inauguration Reception of President Ulysses S. Grant, which was held at the United States Treasury Building on March 4, 1869. (Presidents were not inaugurated in january until 1937.) Listed on the General Committee for the Inauguration Reception is H. D. Cooke, who was the son of Sandusky’s first lawyer Eleutheros Cooke.

Mrs. George J. Anderson’s maiden name was Emily Coan. She was the daughter of Peter and Abigail (Camp) Coan. Mr. and Mrs. George J. Anderson were the parents of George F. Anderson, who was active in the Sandusky Philharmonic Orchestra. The granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. George J. Anderson was college professor Dr. Marjorie Anderson, who was considered an expert in Chaucerian literature.

"Sandusky: Swept by Lake Breezes"

In 1902, as a result of the efforts of local citizens, Sandusky was host of the Ohio State Democratic Party Convention.

At the State Central Committee Meeting of the Ohio Democratic Party in June, 1902, the choices for the State Convention’s location were narrowed down to two: Columbus or Sandusky. The Sandusky Register of Thursday, June 5, stated that “Columbus with her usual amount of lifelessness is making no effort to land the great gathering.”

On June 10, 1902 in Columbus, Ohio, it was announced that by a vote of 17 to 3, the Central Committee chose Sandusky to be the host city for the State of Ohio’s Democratic Convention, to be held September 2 and September 3 at Cedar Point in Sandusky. The slogan that helped secure the win was “Swept by Lake Breezes.” It was coined by Captain C. B. Wilcox, pictured below.

In Columbus when Judge George Beis extended the invitation for the convention to be held in Sandusky, the crowd applauded. The crowd cheered when W. B. Starbird made a similar request. During the voting, there were loud yells for Sandusky. A brass band played and the delegation from Sandusky carried brooms with the inscription “Swept by Lake Breezes.” The newspapers in Cincinnati and Columbus gave coverage to the story, mentioning Capt. Wilcox’s phrase “Swept by lake breezes.”

The Sandusky Star Journal of June 10, 1902 said that “For the first time in its history, it is to entertain a state political convention, and from now on there will be doings. Sandusky is on the map.” An article caption stated "The Slogan, 'Swept by Lake Breezes,' Won Out Before the Committee Today."

G.A. Boeckling sent orders for the Ackley Band to greet the delegation on its arrival home from Columbus.
When the Convention met in September at Cedar Point, newspapers accounts indicate that the decorations were elaborate and attendance was large. The crowds were indeed fanned by lake breezes as the Convention Hall overlooked the sandy beach at Cedar Point.

Whigs in Sandusky

For those of you not tired of politics yet. . . .

The Whig Party was active in the United States from 1834–1856, having been formed by those who were strongly opposed to the tyrannical leadership of Andrew Jackson. The Whigs elected two American Presidents, William Henry Harrison in 1841, and Zachary Taylor in 1849. Both Presidents died before their terms ended.

Several Erie County residents were active in the Whig Party. Joseph M. Root, who held many political offices throughout his career, was elected as a Whig to the twenty-ninth Congress of the United States. Judge E. B. Sadler and Homer Goodwin, a well known Sandusky lawyer, both started out their careers as members of the Whig Party.

Newspaper editor Oran Follett, pictured below, was a staunch Whig leader in the 1840’s.
Sandusky’s first lawyer, Eleutheros Cooke, was elected to Congress as an anti-Jacksonian (later, Whig), serving from 1831 through 1833.
An earlier blog entry describes William Henry Harrison’s visit to Sandusky in 1840 when he was the Whig presidential candidate. The ladies of the town created a special banner in his honor. The October 5, 1852 issue of the Daily Commercial Register lists the names of fifty members of the Common Council of the city of Sandusky, who were planning a reception for General Winfield Scott. The council members, without regard to party, planned to welcome General Scott to the “hospitalities of the city, on the occasion of his approaching visit.” Though Scott lost the election, he had a multitude of supporters in Sandusky.

Eventually the Whig Party fell apart due to disunity on the issue of slavery. Most Whigs in the Northern United States joined the newly formed Republican Party. An excellent article about early Ohio political life is found in Edgar Allen Holt’s “Party Politics in Ohio: 1840-1850” available online through the Ohio Historical Society.