The President Is a Sick Man

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The President Is a Sick Man Page 25

by Matthew Algeo


  surgery account article, 209–16

  surgery cover–up revelation and, 148, 149–50

  as surgical team member, 63–64, 84, 87, 90, 91, 93, 94, 117

  Keller, Friedrich Gottlob, 133

  kidney disease, 56, 87, 114

  Klondike gold rush, 194

  labor unions, 180–81, 186–90

  Lamont, Daniel S.

  as Cleveland’s private secretary, 33, 33–34

  Cleveland surgery and recovery planning, 53, 54, 55, 74

  death, 210

  meeting Benedict, 101–2

  O’Reilly and, 61

  postoperative cover–up, 105–6, 107–8, 112, 114–15, 116, 148

  storm relief response, 168

  surgery day, 88, 90

  travel day, 83, 84

  laughing gas (nitrous oxide), 87–88, 90, 91

  legal training conventions, 22

  letters of recommendation, 14–15

  Lewelling, Lorenzo, 119

  Leyendecker, J. C., 213

  Liberal Republicans, 157

  Lincoln, Abraham, 56, 75, 156

  Lister, Joseph, 68, 69–70

  Lorimer, George Horace, 211–12

  MacDonald, Carlos, 78, 127–28, 142

  Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (Crane), 139

  Maine (battleship), 81

  “Ma! Ma! Where’s My Pa?” (song), 37

  mantras, 30

  March, Alden, 215

  Marshall, Thomas, 57

  mayoral positions, 30–31

  McClure, Alexander K., 155–64, 203, 215–16

  McKinley, William, 192, 193, 193, 208, 209

  McLaughlin, Frank, 156

  medical schools, 67–68, 72

  medicines, 40, 42, 152–53

  metal detectors, 60

  meteors, 166

  Miller, Judith, 204

  Mills, Roger, 203

  modesty conventions, 170

  money debates, 10–13, 51–52, 121–22, 192. See also Sherman Silver Purchase Act

  Morgan, J. P., 190–91

  Mott, Frank Luther, 133, 134, 158

  moustaches, 75–76, 77

  muckraking, 137

  mudsill, 83–84

  mugwumps, 37

  Mütter Museum, 223

  names, baby, 50, 172

  National Cordage Company, 15

  nephritis, 87

  Nevins, Allan, 197

  Newcomb, Simon, 60

  Newspaper Row, 132

  newspapers. See also press; specific names of newspapers

  battles between, 158–64, 161

  as Cleveland supporters, 135–36, 157–58

  disaster relief donations, 169

  header styles, 144

  newsroom descriptions, 132, 133

  news transmission and paper distribution, 134

  New York competition, 129–32, 134–37

  Philadelphia competition, 137–39, 155–58

  popularity and circulation, 133, 134–35

  printing technology, 133–34

  reporters, descriptions of, 130–33

  writing styles and conventions, 130–31, 134, 135, 158

  New York Evening Post (newspaper), 48

  New York Evening Sun (newspaper), 136–37

  New York Institute for the Blind, 20

  New York Mail and Express (newspaper), 204

  New York Stock Exchange, 15, 178

  New York Sun (newspaper), 129, 130–33, 135, 136–37

  New York Times (newspaper), 158, 204

  New York Tribune (newspaper), 158, 178

  New York World (newspaper), 134–36, 150, 169

  Niagara Falls stunts, 93

  nitrous oxide (N2O)2 87–88, 90, 91

  O’Brien, Robert Lincoln

  on Cleveland’s postoperative personality change, 185–86

  on Cleveland’s pre–surgery condition, 74

  on Cleveland’s working arrangements, 13

  postoperative cover–up, 107, 108–9, 112, 115, 116

  obstetrics, 170–71

  obturators, 115–16

  Ochs, Adolph, 215, 216

  office seekers, 14–15, 84, 86

  O’Hanlon, Virginia, 131

  Olney, Richard, 113–14, 188

  Oneida (yacht)

  crew, 79, 89, 150

  deck view with Cleveland and Benedict, 87

  history of, 85, 85, 221

  second surgery location, 117

  as surgery location, 55, 79, 88–89, 97, 104, 105

  One Thousand Beards (Peterkin), 77

  O’Reilly, Robert M.

  background, 61

  death, 210

  as surgical team member, 53, 55, 78, 84, 91, 117

  as White House physician, 17, 61–62

  Origin of Species, The (Darwin), 66

  Palmer, John, 193

  Pan–American Medical Congress, 153

  “Panic–Monger’s Degradation, The” (Philadelphia Times article), 159

  Panic of 1893

  Cleveland’s inaugural speech on, 8–9

  Cleveland’s popularity and, 191

  currency debates, overview, 10–13, 184

  financial crisis and bankruptcies, 5–6, 12–13, 15, 81, 118–19

  paternalism opposition, 8, 119, 168, 184

  relief programs, 119–20

  robber barons during, 198

  shantytowns, 83–84

  suicides, 177–80

  unemployment, 119

  union organizations and strikes, 180–81, 186–90

  vagrancy, 83–84, 119

  paper banknotes, 11–12

  papermaking technology, 133

  Park Row (Churchill), 129, 130

  partying pastimes, 23

  Pasteur, Louis, 69

  paternalism, 8, 119, 168, 184

  paternity scandals, 27–28, 35–36

  patronage, 14

  Peary, Robert, 81

  Pendleton Act, 14, 136

  Perkins, Edwin, 177–80

  Perkins, Hosea, 177–78

  Perry, Charles, 179–80

  Peterkin, Allan, 77

  Peterson, Charles, 89, 150

  Philadelphia Inquirer (newspaper), 161, 226

  Philadelphia Press (newspaper)

  on confidential source protection, 204

  correspondents for, 138–39

  Curtis purchase of, 216

  founding and history, 137–38

  newspaper competition, 155

  Sugar Trust scandal article, 199–200

  surgery revelation article, 144–48, 145

  surgery revelation discredit and response, 158–64, 161

  Philadelphia Public Ledger (newspaper), 150, 216

  Philadelphia Times (newspaper), 155–64, 161, 215, 216

  physicians

  female patients and modesty conventions, 170–71

  and obstetrics, 170–71

  selection of White House, 58–62

  surgical team, 63–64, 77, 78, 84–93

  Plame, Valerie, 204

  Post Office Department fraud, 136

  Pott, Percivall, 41

  pregnancy, 104

  presidential campaigns

  Cleveland’s first term, 34–38

  Cleveland’s reelection attempt, 49–52

  Cleveland’s second term, 51–52

  running mate selection practices, 52

  “President is a Very Sick Man, The” (Philadelphia Press article), 144–48, 145

  presidents. See also names of specific presidents

  assassinations of, 14, 30, 59–61

  cancer and, 15–17, 39–44, 197, 225–26, 227–28

  facial hair of, 75

  illness concealment of, 56–58, 164

  pensions, 194

  physician selection and health care quality, 58–62

  transfer of power procedures, 54

  press. See also newspapers

  Cleveland’s relationship with, 36, 48–49, 196

  and
First Lady’s pregnancy, 104

  Grant’s cancer coverage, 42

  Sugar Trust scandal, 197–205

  surgery cover–up, 84, 96–97, 103–9, 111–14, 117, 148–52

  surgery revelation, 142–48, 147

  surgery revelation discredit and rebuttal battles, 158–65, 161

  Preston, Thomas J., 210–11

  Princeton University, 196

  printing press technology, 133–34

  public works projects, 119

  Puck (magazine), 48

  Pulitzer, Joseph, 134–36, 137

  Pullman, George, 186

  Pullman Palace Car Company, 186–87

  railroads, 5–6, 12–13, 111, 118, 180–81, 186–90

  Randolph, James Madison, 171

  reading law, 22

  Reading Railroad, 5–6, 12–13

  Reagan, Nancy, 227, 228

  Reagan, Ronald, 227–28

  recommendation letters, 14–15

  Red Badge of Courage, The (Crane), 139–40

  relief programs, 119–20, 168–69

  reporters, 130–33. See also newspapers; press

  Resolute (British warship), 13

  retractors, cheek, 70–71, 91, 222

  Riis, Jacob, 137

  riots, 24–25

  Roach, John, 85–86

  robber barons, 198

  Rockefeller, William, 40

  Rockwell, Norman, 211

  Rogers, Henry W., 22

  Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 46, 52, 194, 219

  Roosevelt, Theodore “Teddy,” 75, 137, 138

  running mate selection practices, 52

  Saturday Evening Post (magazine), 211–15

  Sawyer, Charles, 58–59

  Sayre, Francis B., Jr., 171

  Schermerhorn Building, 139

  Sea Islands storm, 167–70

  secrecy. See surgery cover–up

  Secret Service, 83

  shantytowns, 83–84

  sheriff positions, 26–27

  Sherman Silver Purchase Act opponents of (goldbugs), 13, 14, 82, 83, 120

  passage of, 11–12, 51

  repeal of, 113, 114, 122–26, 181–84, 190

  supporters of (silverites), 12, 51–52, 108, 111, 120, 124–26, 181–82, 192

  Shriver, John, 204

  silver. See also Sherman Silver Purchase Act

  books as currency debate allegories, 121–22

  currency standard debates, overview, 10–12

  supporters of (silverites), 12, 51–52, 108, 111, 120, 124–26, 181–82, 192

  silver certificates, 11, 190, 194

  Simpson, James, 69

  Sims’ position, 170

  skin cancer, 228

  slavery, 24

  smallpox, 56

  Smith, Charles Emory, 138, 155, 215

  smoking, 23, 34, 41, 45, 133

  Socialist Party of America, 190

  Sousa, John Philip, 47

  Spanish–American War, 194

  Speakes, Larry, 227–28

  squamous cell carcinoma (epithelioma), 17, 39–40, 41, 91, 95. See also cancer; surgery, Cleveland’s

  St. Louis Post–Dispatch (newspaper), 134–35

  St. Paul Daily Globe (newspaper), 178

  Stevenson, Adlai

  currency debates and, 182

  family background, 6

  recommendation letters for office seekers, 15

  surgery cover–up and, 54, 110–11

  as vice president, 52, 110, 111

  stockjobbers, 162

  storms, 166–70

  Strauss, Nathan, 179

  strikes, 180, 186–90

  strokes, 56–57, 59

  Sugar Trust scandal, 197–205

  suicides, 177–80

  surgery. See also surgery, Cleveland’s; surgery cover–up

  brain, 71

  germ theory and antiseptic, 69–70

  mortality rates, 53, 68–69, 70

  nineteenth–century conditions and practices, 68, 88, 89

  presidents and, 89

  surgery, Cleveland’s. See also surgery cover–up

  effects of, 185–86, 190

  Keen’s published account, 209–16

  moustache and, 75

  patient risk factors, 72

  physician team recruitment, 63–64, 77, 78

  postoperative condition, 93–96

  postoperative recovery, 113–18, 123–24, 151–53, 184–85

  preoperative examinations, 86–87, 89

  preparation and planning, 53–55, 62, 64, 77–79

  surgical tools used, 92

  travel day, 81–86

  tumor removal and study, 89–93, 92, 95, 221–26, 222

  surgery cover–up

  childbirth events assisting, 170–72

  Cleveland’s letter on, 172–73

  confidants of, 74, 103–4, 107, 114

  natural disasters assisting in, 166–70

  preparations for, 53–55

  press coverage, 84, 96–97, 103–9, 111–14, 148–52

  prosthesis and voice quality, 115–16

  purpose of, 54, 72

  revelation, 127–28, 142–48, 145

  revelation discredit, 158–64, 161

  surgical team instructions, 106

  yacht crew, 79, 89, 150

  “Surgical Operations on President Cleveland in 1893, The” (Keen), 209–16

  syphilis, 95, 224, 226

  Taft, William Howard, 75, 208

  Teller, Henry, 182

  Thompson, Frank, 83

  Thornton’s Banking House, 118

  Thurber, Henry, 158–59

  Tilden, Samuel, 15

  Tillman, Ben “Pitchfork,” 168, 192

  Torrance, Cyrenius, 24

  Transactions & Studies of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (medical journal), 226

  transfer of power, presidential, 54

  Trenton Gazette (newspaper), 164

  Troy Times (newspaper), 165

  tumors of Cleveland, 87, 91, 92, 95, 221–26, 222

  Twain, Mark, 43, 81

  Twenty–Fifth Amendment, 54

  Tyler, John, 171

  unemployment, 119, 180, 186

  unions, 180–81, 186–90

  United States Senate, 181–84, 199–205

  United States Treasury, 11, 12, 190–91

  vagrancy, 83–84, 119

  Van Buren, Martin, 75

  verrucous carcinoma (VC), 225–26

  Vest, George, 202

  veto power, 30, 46

  vice president nomination process, 52

  Voorhees, Daniel, 14, 181, 182, 203

  Waite, Davis H., 120

  Washington, George, 56, 89

  Weaver, James B., 52

  Welch, William, 17

  Wells, Horace, 87

  Westland, 194, 196

  “What’s the Matter with Kansas” (White), 120

  White, Edward, 110

  White, William Allen, 120

  White House

  children born in, 171

  Cleveland reelection and return predictions, 49, 53

  former names of, 6

  staff at, 13

  weddings at, 47, 47

  Wilson, Edith, 57

  Wilson, Woodrow, 56–58, 75, 171, 196, 208–9

  woman’s suffrage, 121, 186

  women

  at inaugural parade, 10

  modesty conventions and health care, 170–71

  as reporters, 132

  right to vote, 121, 186

  Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The (Baum), 121–22

  World’s Fair, 81–82, 96

  yellow journalism, 135, 144

  Yukon gold rush, 194

  Also by Matthew Algeo

  * * *

  Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure

  The True Story of a Great American Road Trip

  One of the Best Books of 2009—Washington Post

  “Utterly likeable.”—Christopher Buckley

&
nbsp; “An engaging account.”—Wall Street Journal

  “[An] enchanting glimpse into a much simpler age.” —Library Journal

  * * *

  Paperback • 978-1-56976-707-8

  Includes a new afterword from the author

  An excerpt from Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure

  * * *

  Hannibal, Missouri,

  June 19, 1953

  On Friday, June 19, 1953, Harry skipped his morning constitutional and devoted himself to packing. He and Bess planned to hit the road that morning—and they would not travel light. Harry would fill the New Yorker with eleven suitcases before he was finished, the luggage spilling out of the trunk and onto the backseat. Most people hate packing, but Harry Truman, true to his obsessive nature, relished the task. “He prided himself on being an expert packer,” his daughter, Margaret, remembered, “and he was.”

  Around 7:15, Harry and Bess climbed into the big black car. Harry slowly backed it through the narrow gate at the end of the driveway and onto Van Horn Road (soon to be renamed Truman Road). He had already scraped some chrome off the car backing through the gate, a process he likened to “the camel and the needle’s eye.” They drove the half-block up Van Horn, turned right onto Delaware Street, went about a mile, then turned right onto U.S. Highway 24. This they would follow 166 miles east to Monroe City, where they would pick up Highway 36.

  A crude early version of air-conditioning was an option on the New Yorker in 1953, but Harry’s didn’t have it. (He never much saw the need for AC.) Missouri was in the grips of a heat wave, and the mercury would top 100 in much of the state that day. In Kansas City it hit 102. So the Trumans rode with the windows rolled all the way down, Harry with both hands on the wheel, Bess resting her elbow on the open window frame. They were, as usual, impeccably dressed: Harry wore a white suit, Bess a rayon print dress. Harry did make one small concession to the heat, however: he drove in his shirtsleeves, his jacket hanging from a hook above the left rear window.

  As Independence faded in his rearview mirror, Harry Truman might have been the happiest man in Missouri, if not all forty-eight states. He loved to drive. Back when he was a county judge, he’d driven thousands of miles touring county courthouses from Colorado to New York before the construction of the new courthouse in Independence. When he ran for the Senate in 1934, he campaigned by car, crisscrossing the Show-Me State in his shiny new Plymouth. He enjoyed it so much, he said he felt like he was on vacation. As a senator, he drove thousands of miles investigating fraud and waste on military bases throughout the South and Midwest and, of course, he regularly drove between Independence and Washington. He always preferred the freedom of the road to the plush confines of a Pullman car. Even when he was president, he would occasionally take the wheel of his limo, much to the consternation of his Secret Service agents.

 

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