Harry J. Sievers (–1977)

1421 Benjamin Harrison: Hoosier Warrior 1833-1865, by Henry J. Sievers, S.J. (read 27 Nov 1976) This is the first volume of a three volume biography of Harrison. It has few faults as a work-a-piece biography, the main fault being that it is laudatory to excess. Harrison was born Aug 20, 1833, in southwestern Ohio and after attending Miami of Ohio and studying law in a law office in Cincinnati he began practice in Indianapolis in 1854. He had a hard struggle at first, but rose fairly rapidly and in 1860 was elected (?) Supreme Court Reporter for the Indiana Supreme Court. He went to war in 1862 and was a one-star general by war's end. The book is well-organized, chronological, well-footnoted--in a word, definitive. So I will read the other two volumes. (And I did, the second one on 11 Dec 1976 and the third on 27 Sept 1992!)… (altro)

1426 Benjamin Harrison: Hoosier Statesman From the Civil War to the White House 1865-1888, by Harry J. Sievers, S. J. (read 11 Dec 1976) This is the second of Sievers' three volume biography of Harrison and is very interesting except that there is very little analysis and it is far too laudatory. But the subject matter is attention-holding. I found it amazing that Levi P. Morton was selected as the nominee for Vice-president in 1888 and apparently no one even asked Harrison whom he wanted as his running mate. How times have changed! (I did not get around to reading Volume III until 27 Sept 1993!)… (altro)

2536 Benjamin Harrison: Hoosier President The White House and After, by Harry J. Sievers (read 27 Sep 1993) On Nov 27, 1976, I said I would read the second and third volumes of Sievers' biography of Benjamin Harrison. I did read volume two on Dec 11, 1976. But I have only now read volume III! The book is simplistically put together and easy to read. The author looks like he looked at an awful lot of material, but there is no profundity in the work. There actually is considerable trivia in the book--like who made the suit Harrison wore when he was inaugurated! It surely was a simple age--when Secretary of State Blaine was sick President Harrison did his work. Harrison appears to have composed his own speeches--there really didn't much happen and he does not appear to have been very busy. After he left office he, in 1897-1899, made $80,000 representing Venezuela in its boundary dispute with Britain--and lost. He died at 4:45 P.M. on March 13, 1901. After his wife died in October 1892 he had married her niece in 1895 and had a baby daughter. I wonder what other President, if any, had a child after he left the White House.… (altro)