Like the twelfth president, Major General Zachary Taylor, President Ulysses S. Grant was a celebrated war hero. He held the rank of Commanding General of the United States Army during his time in the military and successfully subdued the insurrectionists in the Confederate States of America under former United States Colonel Robert E. Lee. Unlike President Taylor, by the time President Grant was done with his time in office he was the first president since President Jackson to have served a full two terms in office. President Grant received a speeding ticket while in office making him the first president to have been charged with a crime.

Though President Grant was never a member of the Methodist tradition, he often attended services with his wife Julia. He was most like associated with the Methodists because of this relationship. This relationship greatly influenced his treatment of native populations during his terms in office. He left a note for his wife before his death saying that he hoped they would meet in a “better world.” Despite his Methodist tendencies it should be noted that President Grant was accused of antisemitism during his time in the Army with his implementation of General Order 11.

A moment of personal privilege on my connection to President Ulysses S. Grant: In May of 1869 as Reconstruction struggled to gain any traction, President Grant invited former Confederate General (and my collateral ancestor) Robert E. Lee to visit the White House to discuss Lee’s support of Reconstruction. It was a short and curt visit—and considered very unproductive due to Lee’s unwillingness to go along with his former enemy’s vision.