WEBVTT - William King

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the podcast. Short stuff, I should say,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Josh, there's Chuck, there's Jerry. Let's get to it,

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<v Speaker 1>and they're off And another shorty. So, um, I were

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<v Speaker 1>about to talk about something I had no idea about

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<v Speaker 1>previous to this. Yeah, and this one has a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of layers that are super interesting to me. Is it

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<v Speaker 1>is an onion for sure? Um, So we're going to

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<v Speaker 1>dive into the history of a guy named William Rufus

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<v Speaker 1>Devane King, and he was an early senator. He was

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<v Speaker 1>a diplomat for the United States. Um, well, I think

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<v Speaker 1>he was a congressman first, then he was a diplomat,

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<v Speaker 1>and then he was a senator for like twenty nine

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<v Speaker 1>years or something like that, and then eventually he became

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<v Speaker 1>vice president. And the way that he apparently progressed through

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<v Speaker 1>the ranks in the Democratic Party was by being pretty

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<v Speaker 1>middle of the road, vanilla mediocre. Yeah, and I interpreted

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<v Speaker 1>that as also he was a a good guy that

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<v Speaker 1>you know, he wasn't one of these blustery blowhards of

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<v Speaker 1>the day. Um. He was an attorney first, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>probably like most of these dudes were and still are.

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<v Speaker 1>And he he was described as various things tall prim

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<v Speaker 1>Wig topped mediocrity, but other things that they said were

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<v Speaker 1>like he he wanted people to address each other with decorum,

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<v Speaker 1>and whenever people were arguing, he was known to come

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<v Speaker 1>in and kind of try and reconcile things. So I

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<v Speaker 1>kind of like this guy's style the more I read

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<v Speaker 1>about him. Yeah, no, I'm with you, Like you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I think to be middle of the road at this

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<v Speaker 1>time was actually kind of, um, a badge of honor. Interesting.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, this is during the lead up to the

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<v Speaker 1>Civil War. The country is not getting along very well, right, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>so he he um. He started out again in Congress. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>And then he went on to service diplomat to Russia

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<v Speaker 1>and then Naples, the Kingdom of Naples, no less in France.

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<v Speaker 1>At one point too, I think, oh, oh, yeah, you're right.

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<v Speaker 1>And then by eighteen eighteen he returned to the US

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<v Speaker 1>and he said, I'm going to find my fortunes way

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<v Speaker 1>out west. So we went to Alabama, which is way

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<v Speaker 1>out west at the time, and he was he was

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<v Speaker 1>born the son of a plantation owner, and he became

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<v Speaker 1>a plantation owner there. He owned five hundred slaves. Um

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<v Speaker 1>became one of the largest slaveholders in this um newly

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<v Speaker 1>formed state, and he named as the state Chestnut Hill.

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<v Speaker 1>And and from there that's where he became the senator

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<v Speaker 1>for twenty nine years. He was a senator from Alabama

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<v Speaker 1>for twenty nine years UM and actually was instrumental in

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<v Speaker 1>UM ironically naming the town of Selma. Oh did you

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<v Speaker 1>see that? So there was a poem, a book of

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<v Speaker 1>poems about called like Songs of Selma, UM that he was,

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<v Speaker 1>that he loved. And when they were naming the county

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<v Speaker 1>seat of the county where his his plantation was, he

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<v Speaker 1>was basically instrumental in getting it named Selma, the city

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<v Speaker 1>of Selma, Alabama. Yeah. So he would eventually go on

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<v Speaker 1>through the Democratic Party at the time to be vice president,

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<v Speaker 1>to be a presidential running mate to UM hopeful Franklin

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<v Speaker 1>Pierce Uh. And this is things where things get a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit interesting because many historians and it says some

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<v Speaker 1>but I did some research on this, and most historians

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<v Speaker 1>now look back and say President James Buchanan was clearly

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<v Speaker 1>a gay man, right, And it's interesting to think about

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<v Speaker 1>our past being a little more open to that. But

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<v Speaker 1>there's a guy that wrote a book Jim Lohan called

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<v Speaker 1>um lies, teachers lies. My teacher told me everything. You're

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<v Speaker 1>American history teacher got wrong. And he clearly states that

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<v Speaker 1>that James Buchanan was gay, and not only that it

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<v Speaker 1>was not a big secret and America was actually a

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<v Speaker 1>little more open to that kind of thing and premisses

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<v Speaker 1>of that kind of thing back then, right right, It

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't like like his career, his political career wasn't ruined.

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<v Speaker 1>It wasn't like blackmail held against him. And that just

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<v Speaker 1>so goes against what most people think of with history,

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<v Speaker 1>that it's like arrow that progresses ever forward and that

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<v Speaker 1>by by default then like the time we live and

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<v Speaker 1>must be more tolerant, more progressive than you know, a

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<v Speaker 1>hundred something years ago, a hundred and fifty years ago,

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<v Speaker 1>And that's just not the case. And this is a

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<v Speaker 1>good example of that. Yeah, So he calls it. This

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<v Speaker 1>author says that the idea that we started great and

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<v Speaker 1>just got greater and greater chronological ethnocentrism, which is a

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<v Speaker 1>fancy way of saying what you just said, which is

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<v Speaker 1>in the nineteenth century it was okay at least too

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<v Speaker 1>you know him he got elected president. Yeah, And speaking

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<v Speaker 1>of fancy, one of the um examples that they point

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<v Speaker 1>to is that this was an open secret or just

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<v Speaker 1>known around d C. Is that Andrew Jackson um had

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<v Speaker 1>a nickname for James Buchanan and William King miss Nancy

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<v Speaker 1>and aunt Fancy. Yeah, because here's the deal, Uh, Buchanan

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<v Speaker 1>never married. He and King lived together and spent a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of time together, and that was basically sort of

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<v Speaker 1>known around town that that was the deal. When Buchanan died,

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<v Speaker 1>he had all of his correspondence is burned upon his death,

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<v Speaker 1>which is sort of a weird thing to do. But

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<v Speaker 1>a few of the letters did survive, and one of

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<v Speaker 1>them from four addressed to a Mrs Roosevelt, said when

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<v Speaker 1>King moved to Paris to be ambassador to France, he said,

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<v Speaker 1>I am now solitary and alone, having no companion in

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<v Speaker 1>the house with me. I've gone wooing to several gentlemen,

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<v Speaker 1>but have not succeeded with any of them. Tough to

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<v Speaker 1>take that the wrong way it is. I mean, of

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<v Speaker 1>course we're saying, you know, it's pretty clear now, but

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<v Speaker 1>you know, who knows. They might make the argument in

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<v Speaker 1>this article that could have just been close male friends.

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<v Speaker 1>But I think most people kind of agree now that

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<v Speaker 1>James Buchanan was our our first gay president. Yeah, which

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<v Speaker 1>is pretty awesome actually, Yeah, of course. Um. And then

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<v Speaker 1>that same letter, Chuck that you just wrote a quote from,

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<v Speaker 1>goes on to say that, um, if this keeps up,

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<v Speaker 1>he may very well just marry an old maid who

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<v Speaker 1>can cook and care for him, and w would expect

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<v Speaker 1>ardent romance from him in return. So yeah, there's just

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<v Speaker 1>the evidence is that what little evidence there is certainly

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<v Speaker 1>points to this, and and the idea that, as this

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<v Speaker 1>article puts it, that this is just like a bromance

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<v Speaker 1>or something, and that seems pretty thin, all signs point

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<v Speaker 1>to him being gay. But also in defense of this

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<v Speaker 1>article on how stuff works, they say that, um, that

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<v Speaker 1>that had zero bearing whatsoever on his political aptitude. U. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>it was just an interesting fact of history that kind

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<v Speaker 1>of makes us examine our own times a little more. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'll tell you one thing, Um, I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>much about the nineteenth century, but I do know that

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<v Speaker 1>gay men existed and bromances did not. You know, that's

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<v Speaker 1>a stupid modern conceit. Yeah. And I think what you

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<v Speaker 1>just said is a T shirt to a long T

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<v Speaker 1>shirt maybe front and back, the sleep shirt all right,

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<v Speaker 1>So we're gonna take a quick break and we're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>come back to let you know why we titled this one. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>how King actually took his oath of office in Cuba

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<v Speaker 1>right after this. So so William King, I want to

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<v Speaker 1>call him Rufus King so bad because it's William Rufus

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<v Speaker 1>Devan King. But it's not not what he's called, Josh

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<v Speaker 1>now what he's called. But William King had another claim

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<v Speaker 1>to fame historically, and that he was the only person

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<v Speaker 1>in the United States history elected to high office, um

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<v Speaker 1>who was sworn in off of US soil. And that

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<v Speaker 1>was the way that it happened. Is it's interesting, but

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<v Speaker 1>it's not anything that William King wanted. No, he got tuberculosis,

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<v Speaker 1>got very sick, and from the time of his election

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<v Speaker 1>in November eighteen fifty two as Pierce's vice president to

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<v Speaker 1>when he would eventually take office in March of eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>fifty three, this was sort of the time when they

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<v Speaker 1>were like, um, go to a good, hot, warm climate

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<v Speaker 1>because that will will help you out, which is, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it probably does help along, but it's not a cure

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<v Speaker 1>all you know. Yeah, the muggy air of Cuba will

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<v Speaker 1>really clear out your tuberculosis. It doesn't that doesn't seem

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<v Speaker 1>it doesn't seem right to me. Yeah, that's true. I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't think about the amity, but that's where he went.

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<v Speaker 1>He went down to Havannah to to restore his health

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<v Speaker 1>between the election and the swearing in, but his health

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<v Speaker 1>just got worse and worse and worse. And by the

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<v Speaker 1>time he was to be sworn in within like a

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<v Speaker 1>week or so, I think maybe even more than that,

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<v Speaker 1>because he wouldn't have been able to make it from

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<v Speaker 1>Havannah to d C within a week of that time

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<v Speaker 1>on a boat. Yeah. Um, but within that time he realized, like,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not going to be able to make it to

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<v Speaker 1>d C. I'm still too sick. The time is too short.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm just gonna have to ask if I can be

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<v Speaker 1>sworn in down here. And Congress said, you know what,

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<v Speaker 1>we like you will. We think you're great. We give

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<v Speaker 1>you a lot of a lot of bs about you

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<v Speaker 1>and Buchanan, but we think you're a pretty great person.

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<v Speaker 1>So yeah, we're gonna pass an Act of Congress to

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<v Speaker 1>make that happen. Yeah, it's pretty amazing. They passed this

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<v Speaker 1>legislation allowing him to be sworn in in Cuba, and

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<v Speaker 1>on March eighteen fifty three, he did just that at

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<v Speaker 1>an office near uh Matanzas. Matanzas has a little more flair. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is a seaport town about sixty miles east

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<v Speaker 1>of Havana. He was so sick he couldn't even stand

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<v Speaker 1>up without help, but he repeated the oath. He became

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<v Speaker 1>our thirteen vice president, which is pretty remarkable on Cuban soil.

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<v Speaker 1>And then after about a month he was like, I

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<v Speaker 1>really would kind of like to get back to the US.

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<v Speaker 1>Set sail for Alabama. Yeah. Yeah, and imagine this, Chuck,

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<v Speaker 1>can't you see like a Cuban sea captain. Go, you

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<v Speaker 1>want to go into Alabama? Okay, I like your Cuban

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<v Speaker 1>sea captain. Thank you. That's great. I've been working on

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<v Speaker 1>it all day. Uh. Oh, is that why you're wearing

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<v Speaker 1>that shirt? Very nice? Now it all makes sense. So

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<v Speaker 1>he set sail and uh. Eventually he would die April eighteen,

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<v Speaker 1>the day after he got back to United States soil. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>he made it back to Chestnut Hill and expired post taste. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's something I didn't know. Apparently you didn't really

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<v Speaker 1>need a vice president back then because we went four

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<v Speaker 1>years without one. Well, I don't know if you didn't

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<v Speaker 1>need it or not, but Franklin Pierce is, in my opinion,

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<v Speaker 1>the worst president of the United States has ever had.

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<v Speaker 1>He and um King were elected because they were so

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<v Speaker 1>middle of the road and so vanilla and so plain

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<v Speaker 1>on the especially on like the slavery issue. That that

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<v Speaker 1>they were elected to try to keep the U s

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<v Speaker 1>from civil war, but they will not. Not King, but

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<v Speaker 1>definitely Pierce laid the groundwork for it almost single handedly

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<v Speaker 1>with this terrible administration. So um he, Franklin Pierce is terrible,

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<v Speaker 1>and I could see him being like, I don't need

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<v Speaker 1>a vice president. Can screw it all up myself like that.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know about your long standing Franklin Pierce scrudge.

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<v Speaker 1>It's it's hot. You got anything else? Now? That's it. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>thanks for hanging out with us for this brief time

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<v Speaker 1>for you while you made it through your bag of

0:11:57.080 --> 0:12:00.360
<v Speaker 1>carrot sticks on your lunch break. Um, if you want

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<v Speaker 1>to hang out with us, go to our home on

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<v Speaker 1>the web stuff you should know dot com and look

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<v Speaker 1>us up. I'm also are you serious? Clark dot com?

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<v Speaker 1>And we're all over social media and we'll see you

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<v Speaker 1>next time. Everybody by