Presidential Trivia

[wpbinzel]

Who was the last person to make the official declaration that he had been elected President?

[Steve]

George Herbert Walker Bush in 1989. The Vice-President makes the official declaration after reading and officially counting the electoral votes to Congress. For instance, in 2001, Al Gore made the official declaration that George W. Bush had been elected President.


Rest in Peace, President George H. W. Bush.

[wpbinzel]

George Herbert Walker Bush in 1989. The Vice-President makes the official declaration after reading and officially counting the electoral votes to Congress. For instance, in 2001, Al Gore made the official declaration that George W. Bush had been elected President.


Rest in Peace, President George H. W. Bush.

CORRECT! But it occurred in December 1988. Most Americans are blissfully unaware that when they vote for President, they are in fact voting for a slate of electors to the Electoral College who are pledged to vote for that candidate. After the election, there is a process by which the electors meet, formally cast their votes, and complete a certificate of election, which is submitted to Congress. About six weeks after the November election, a Joint Committee of the House and Senate is convened in the House Chamber to count the votes of the certificates of election and to officially declare the winner. The presiding officer of the Joint Committee is the President of the Senate; i.e., the Vice President of the United States.

In 1988, as a Congressional staffer, I had access to the House floor, and attended the December Joint Committee meeting for the counting of the electoral votes. Vice President George H. W. Bush presided, and for the first time in 152 years (since Martin Van Buren in 1836), the presiding officer had the privilege of declaring himself elected President of the United States (which Bush did, all in the third-person).

---

I have one other George H. W. Bush story. After I left Capitol Hill, for a dozen years I ran the Washington, D.C. office for a major U.S. corporation. In the spring of 2002, the company was honored at a dinner by AmeriCares, a charity supported by George and Barbara Bush. Before the dinner, I was with them in the holding room. They could not have been more personable. We chatted informally, and Mrs. Bush asked if I was married. I said that I was engaged, and told them the story of how I proposed to my wife-to-be at the Cape Neddick lighthouse in Maine on the previous Christmas Eve. The Cape Neddick lighthouse is incredibly picturesque and just south of the Bushs’ summer home in Kennebunkport. After hearing the story, Mrs. Bush said, “That is such a beautiful setting! Isn’t that a wonderful story, George?” Without a missing a beat, President Bush said, “I like to drive my boat down there.” Mrs. Bush was horrified by the response and whipped around and gave her husband a look that only a wife can give a former-President. We all had a good chuckle.

[RJNorton]

Here is a wonderful photo of Bill with President and Mrs. Bush.

[L Verge]

My staff member and good friend, Joan Chaconas, shared a similar story about #41 years ago when her husband was employed behind-the-scenes at the Kennedy Center. There was a special event, and caterers were sharing trays of shrimp with the workers as well as the big-wigs behind stage. Pete and a friend were enjoying some steamed shrimp when a very pleasant fellow in a tux joined them and struck up a conversation as they all munched away. It wasn't until a "man in black" moved closer to the friendly fellow and told him that they needed to move on that Pete realized their companion was none other than Vice President George H.W. Bush -- just being one of the guys.

I have known several Secret Service agents and also military personnel that worked with both President Bushes over the years, and the word is that both of them and their families were the nicest politicians and just plain people that they had the honor of serving. I thought about that as I proudly watched the thousands of folks who paid tribute to him by just standing for hours in the cold to file past #41's bier. They knew and appreciated that he was a "kinder and gentler" soul, I believe. It would be nice if the Age of Civility came back to the United States -- in both our political leaders (on both sides of the aisle) and the American people.

[AussieMick]

Who's this person with LBJ? And a very special prize if you tell us what became of this person.



   

[RJNorton]

I will guess Harold Holt. He was Prime Minister of Australia during Lyndon Johnson's time as President, and the two men were good friends. One day Holt was swimming and disappeared. The body was never recovered. It was probably just an unfortunate accident, but conspiracy theories developed...

[AussieMick]

And your guess would be correct, Roger. Well done!
Also you 'answered' the trick part of the question ("what became of him"). We don't know.
Your prize for telling us what had become of him ... would have been a knock on the door from gentlemen wearing sunglasses, white trench coats (I think you call them), ear pieces, talking into their wrists, and wanting to invite you to discuss more fully all the details.

Harold Holt went swimming Dec 17th 1967 alone in rough surf, although people watched from the beach, and disappeared.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappeara...arold_Holt

I was at a meeting recently where his son spoke. He recalled the memorial service which LBJ had attended. He said that LBJ had asked to speak to Harold Holt's children and had provided them with very genuine and very comforting thoughts about his friendship with Harold Holt and the type of man that he was.

It does seem a little odd that there is a Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Pool in what was his electorate. But apparently it was being built before the disappearance.