Dead presidents : an American adventure into the strange deaths and surprising afterlives of our nation's leaders

**An entertaining exploration into the __death__ stories of our nation’s greatest leaders―and the wild ways we choose to remember and memorialize them.** To public radio host and reporter Brady Carlson, the weighty responsibilities of being president never end. As Carlson sees it, the dead presidents (and the ways we remember them) tell us a great deal about ourselves, our history, and how we imagine our past and future. For American presidents, there is life after death―it’s just a little weird. In __Dead Presidents__, Carlson takes readers on an epic trip to presidential gravesites, monuments, and memorials from sea to shining sea. With an engaging mix of history and contemporary reporting, Carlson recounts the surprising origin stories of the Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore, Grant’s Tomb, and JFK’s Eternal Flame. He explores whether William Henry Harrison really died of a cold, how the assassin’s bullet may not have been what killed James A. Garfield, and why Zachary Taylor’s remains were exhumed 140 years after he died. And he explains the strange afterlives of the presidents, including why “Hooverball” is still played in Iowa, why Millard Fillmore’s final resting place is next to that of funk legend Rick James, why “Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?” became a running gag for Groucho Marx, why Ohio and Alaska fought for so long over the name of Mt. McKinley (now known as Denali), and why we exalt dead presidents not just with public statues and iconic paintings but with kitschy wax dummies, Halloween costumes, and bobblehead dolls. With an infectious passion for history and an eye for neglected places and offbeat characters reminiscent of Tony Horwitz and Sarah Vowell, Carlson shows that the ways we memorialize our presidents reveal as much about us as it does about the men themselves. 25 illustrations An Entertaining Exploration Into The Varied Ways We Remember And Memorialize The American Presidents. --publisher. Monument Man : On George Washington's Transformation From Mortal Man To Immortal Icon -- Well-timed Exits : On The Postmortem Fortunes (and Misfortunes) Of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, And Andrew Johnson -- The First Patient : On James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Zachary Taylor, And The Doctors Who Keep Presidents Alive (and Occasionally Make Them Worse) -- Farewell, Mr. President : On William Henry Harrison, Woodrow Wilson, Gerald Ford, And Richard Nixon, And How The Presidential Funeral Was Born -- Death Trips : On The Posthumous Travels Of James Polk, James Monroe, John Tyler, And Abraham Lincoln -- His Good Name : On William Mckinley, Ronald Reagan, And Calvin Coolidge, And The Large (and Small) Ways Presidents Are Remembered -- Robots And Sphinxes : On Lyndon Johnson, Rutherford B. Hayes, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, And Chester Arthur, And America's Presidential Libraries -- Unintended Legacies : On William Taft, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, And How Presidents' Reputations Change Over Time -- Eternal Flame : On John F. Kennedy, The City Of Dallas, And What Ties Them Together Every November 22 -- The Rest Of The Set : On The Many Types Of Presidential Obscurity And Mediocrity, With Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, And Warren Harding -- Family Reunion : On The Adamses, The Harrison, And Presidential Descendants. Brady Carlson. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 253-310) And Index. To public radio host and reporter Brady Carlson, the weighty responsibilities of being president never end. As Carlson sees it, the dead presidents (and the ways we remember them) tell us a great deal about ourselves, our history, and how we imagine our past and future. For American presidents, there is life after death -- and it's just a little weird. Carlson takes readers on a trip to presidential gravesites, monuments, and memorials from sea to shining sea. With a mix of history and contemporary reporting, Carlson recounts the surprising origin stories of the Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore, Grant's Tomb, and JFK's Eternal Flame. He explores whether William Henry Harrison really died of a cold, how the assassin's bullet may not have been what killed James A. Garfield, and why Zachary Taylor's remains were exhumed 140 years after he died. And he explains the strange afterlives of the presidents, including why "Hooverball" is still played in Iowa, why Millard Fillmore's final resting place is next to that of funk legend Rick James, why "Who buried in Grant's Tomb?" became a running gag for Groucho Marx, why Ohio and Alaska fought for so long over the name of Mt. McKinley (now known as Denali), and why we exalt dead presidents not just with public statues and iconic paintings but with kitschy wax dummies, Halloween costumes, and bobblehead dolls. With a passion for history and an eye for neglected places and offbeat characters, Carlson shows that the ways we memorialize our presidents reveal as much about us as it does about the men themselves An entertaining exploration into the death stories of our nations greatest leadersand the wild ways we choose to remember and memorialize them. In Dead Presidents , public radio host Brady Carlson takes readers to presidential gravesites, monuments, and memorials to tell the death stories of our greatest leaders. Mixing biography and travelogue, Carlson explores whether William Henry Harrison really died of a cold, why Zachary Taylors remains were exhumed 140 years after his death, and how what killed James A. Garfield wasnt an assassins bullet. He tells the surprising stories of the Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore, and Grants Tomb. And he explains why Hooverball is still played in Iowa, why Millard Fillmores final resting place is beside that of funk legend Rick James, and why Ohio and Alaska continue to battle over the name of Mt. McKinley. With an eye for neglected places and offbeat people reminiscent of Tony Horwitz and Sarah Vowell, Carlson shows that the ways we memorialize our presidents reveal as much about us as about the men themselves. In *Dead Presidents*, NPR host Brady Carlson takes listeners to presidential gravesites, monuments, and memorials to tell the death stories of our greatest leaders. Mixing biography and travelogue, Carlson explores whether William Henry Harrison really died of a cold, why Zachary Taylor's remains were exhumed 140 years after his death, and how what killed James A. Garfield wasn't an assassin's bullet. He tells the surprising stories of the Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore, and Grant's Tomb. And he explains why "Hooverball" is still played in Iowa, why Millard Fillmore's final resting place is beside that of funk legend Rick James, and why Ohio and Alaska continue to battle over the name of Mt. McKinley. With an eye for neglected places and offbeat people reminiscent of Tony Horwitz and Sarah Vowell, Carlson shows that the ways we memorialize our presidents reveal as much about us as about the men themselves. "Entertaining...Carlson shifts deftly among sombre, macabre, and playful stories and shows how the death-tourism industry reveals more than amusing trivia." —The New Yorker In Dead Presidents, public radio host and reporter Brady Carlson takes readers on an epic trip to presidential gravesites, monuments, and memorials from sea to shining sea. With an engaging mix of history and contemporary reporting, Carlson explores the death stories of our greatest leaders, and shows that the ways we memorialize our presidents reveal as much about us as they do about the men themselves.