Fun Fact 2: He was given the name Hiram Ulysses Grant at birth, and was known as "Lyss". A mistake was made on his application, when Hiram was appointed to West Point Academy, a congressman filled out the form, he dropped his first name and included his mothers maiden name, the application was made as Ulysses Simpson Grant. On arriving at the Academy he tried in vain to have the document amended but he was told that it was an official government application and it could not be changed!
Fun Fact 3: Ulysses S. Grant was considered to be a great military hero of the Civil War as he led the North into victory over the Confederate South
Fun Fact 4: Ulysses S. Grant Grant proposed several times to his true love Julia Dent Grant before she finally accepted. They wed on August 22, 1848 and between them they produced four children
Fun Fact 5: Ulysses S. Grant became the 18th president of America in 1869, when he was 46 years of age, he served for 8 years
Fun Fact 6: During his presidency he watched over the 'reconstruction era' of the United States, continuing the restoration of the country from the aftermath of the Civil War. He also implemented Congressional plans to reoccupy the South
Fun Fact 7: After gaining presidency Ulysses S. Grant invested in an unsuccessful venture on Wall Street, it failed leaving him a debt of over $16 million
Fun Fact 8: His presidency was noted for numerous scandals and tales of corruption. He was never involved personally but it did affect his reputation
Fun Fact 9: The collapse of the gold market on September 24, 1869 set America into financial panic, and was know as 'The Black Friday Scandal' it was caused by two investors, Jay Gould and James Fisk, attempting to corner the U.S. gold market
Fun Fact 10: The Transcontinental Railroad which connected the east and west coasts with a single rail line was completed in 1869. Thousands of dollars were invested in it's construction, however when a major investor went bust, talk of corruption and financial panic followed
Fun Fact 11: The Whiskey Ring Scandal was exposed in 1875. It exposed the involvement of a group of distillers, distributors and public officials who defrauded the government of revenue from liquor taxes
Fun Fact 12: A portrait of Ulysses S Grant is on the $50 bill, it is sometimes refered to as a 'Grant'
Fun Fact 13: When Ulysses S Grant was inaugurated his parents did not attend, despite the fact that he was the first President whose parents were both alive to see it
Fun Fact 14: Ulysses S Grant died on July 23, 1885 in Mount McGregor, New York
Fun Fact 15: Ulysses S Grant is buried, next to his wife Julia, at Grant’s Tomb in Manhattan. Their tomb is the second largest monument in the Western Hemisphere |
