wagonloads of cigars and flowers. They received elegant carriages and thoroughbred horses, jeweled swords, gold trays, enough silver to rival the Comstock lode, and most important, an unending stream of invitations from the rich and powerful, all of whom were anxious to host and befriend the hero. Private citizen and Mrs. Grant were happy to accept all of the above, sincerely believing that it would be rude and ungracious to decline such hospitality and generosity, even from those industrialists who were being derided as robber barons. (It could also be conjectured that Grant was thrilled to finally give his wife all the things he couldn’t afford to give her before.) They would be given a house in Philadelphia (because they had once considered living there), a house in Galena (which claimed Grant as its own), a house in Washington where they actually lived for a while, and even a summer cottage in Long Branch, New Jersey (deeded to Julia when Grant declined it as being excessive). The culmination of course, was the best house the country could offer: the White House.
The country was delighted with the forty-three-year-old Julia Grant. Still plain and even dowdy in comparison to justabout everybody, she appreciated the cosmopolitan socialites who offered to befriend her and put her fashionable new gowns on their personal accounts. Congress gave her tantamount to a blank check for elaborate redecorating according to Gilded Age standards, and the Grant White House was thrown open for entertaining. Their receptions and dinners were elegant, happy affairs, all the more charming since President Grant always retained his innate understated modesty and Julia her essential niceness. She would learn to put on airs with the best of them, but they would always be airs of her acquired status and never of personal snobbishness. Everyone seemed to be comfortable in her company.
The pinnacle of the gifts and airs turned out to be the White House wedding of their seventeen-year-old daughter Nellie to a titled (albeit alcoholic) Englishman. It was the first White House wedding in decades, and presents poured in from all over the world, including, it is said, a handkerchief valued at more than $500 in Gilded Age pre-tax money.
After their White House tenancy, Julia and her hero spent two years touring the world. Now they would be wined, dined, and gifted by kings, queens, emperors, kaisers, tsars, and even the mikado of Japan. But gifts are not money, and when Grant’s money ran out, they came home. Bowing to the advice of his supporters, Grant halfheartedly sought a third presidential term, but it fizzled. Julia, who truly wanted a return White House engagement, was disappointed.
Once more, their finest days were when bad-and-worse luck was upon them. Needing a steady income, and guilty only ofnaiveté and poor business judgment, Grant was seduced into a financial brokerage venture. His partner was a total scoundrel who devised a Ponzi scheme, absconded with several hundred thousand dollars, and left Grant holding the bag. The Great General, whose personal integrity was never in question, insisted that all the debts would be paid. Shortly after that fiasco, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer of the throat.
Julia G.’s Legacy
Few presidents have had a more up-and-down career than Ulysses Grant, and through it all, thick and thin, there was Julia, whose ADAPTABILITY was the keystone of her husband’s life. In good times and in some very bad times, you could plunk her anywhere and she would make it a home. Whether it was as an army wife, an impoverished farmer’s wife, an unhappy clerk’s wife, a great general’s wife, or First Lady, Julia was wife first. She could put down roots and thrive wherever she was. Every First Lady needs to acclimate to new surroundings and new challenges. It is even better if they can flourish wherever they land. Some do it better than others.
Julia never left his side, nor did she ever weep in his
The country was delighted with the forty-three-year-old Julia Grant. Still plain and even dowdy in comparison to justabout everybody, she appreciated the cosmopolitan socialites who offered to befriend her and put her fashionable new gowns on their personal accounts. Congress gave her tantamount to a blank check for elaborate redecorating according to Gilded Age standards, and the Grant White House was thrown open for entertaining. Their receptions and dinners were elegant, happy affairs, all the more charming since President Grant always retained his innate understated modesty and Julia her essential niceness. She would learn to put on airs with the best of them, but they would always be airs of her acquired status and never of personal snobbishness. Everyone seemed to be comfortable in her company.
The pinnacle of the gifts and airs turned out to be the White House wedding of their seventeen-year-old daughter Nellie to a titled (albeit alcoholic) Englishman. It was the first White House wedding in decades, and presents poured in from all over the world, including, it is said, a handkerchief valued at more than $500 in Gilded Age pre-tax money.
After their White House tenancy, Julia and her hero spent two years touring the world. Now they would be wined, dined, and gifted by kings, queens, emperors, kaisers, tsars, and even the mikado of Japan. But gifts are not money, and when Grant’s money ran out, they came home. Bowing to the advice of his supporters, Grant halfheartedly sought a third presidential term, but it fizzled. Julia, who truly wanted a return White House engagement, was disappointed.
Once more, their finest days were when bad-and-worse luck was upon them. Needing a steady income, and guilty only ofnaiveté and poor business judgment, Grant was seduced into a financial brokerage venture. His partner was a total scoundrel who devised a Ponzi scheme, absconded with several hundred thousand dollars, and left Grant holding the bag. The Great General, whose personal integrity was never in question, insisted that all the debts would be paid. Shortly after that fiasco, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer of the throat.
Julia G.’s Legacy
Few presidents have had a more up-and-down career than Ulysses Grant, and through it all, thick and thin, there was Julia, whose ADAPTABILITY was the keystone of her husband’s life. In good times and in some very bad times, you could plunk her anywhere and she would make it a home. Whether it was as an army wife, an impoverished farmer’s wife, an unhappy clerk’s wife, a great general’s wife, or First Lady, Julia was wife first. She could put down roots and thrive wherever she was. Every First Lady needs to acclimate to new surroundings and new challenges. It is even better if they can flourish wherever they land. Some do it better than others.
Julia never left his side, nor did she ever weep in his
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