January 22, 2025

Inaugurations And The Weather

On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump’s second inauguration was moved indoors due to frigid temperatures in the nation’s capital. But this wasn’t the first presidential inauguration to be impacted by weather—not by a long-shot. In fact, just 40 years ago, Ronald Reagan’s 1985 inaugural was also moved indoors due to a -25F wind chill.

But inaugurations have been snakebitten by weather from the very first oneGeorge Washington’s inaugural in 1789. Originally scheduled for March 4, harsh winter weather slowed the travel of the First Federal Congress to New York City—where they were tasked with counting the Electoral College ballots. They finally got to New York from the far-flung 13 states on April 6th. While Washington was unanimously chosen as our first Chief Executive, it took George until April 30th to travel from his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia to New York to finally be formally sworn-in. Then, 120 years later, ten inches of snow and roaring winds forced the inauguration of William Howard Taft indoors in 1909. 

But perhaps the most notorious impact weather had on an inaugural was William Henry Harrison’s swearing-in on March 4, 1841. While the lowest temperature in Washington that day was 34 degrees, a cold rain fell on the proceedings. Harrison at the time was the oldest person to be elected President (68), and felt he needed to prove his heartiness to naysayers. So, he wore no hat, no coat and no gloves in the frigid rain. Plus, he spoke for over two hours and had previously ridden from the White House to the Capitol on a white horse (instead of the traditional carriage). Needless to say, the newly-minted 9th President fell ill and died one month after his inaugural—marking the shortest presidency in history.

So, an inaugural impacted in some way by weather is not an unusual event—in fact, it's fairly commonplace.

December 9, 2024

The Independent State Of Scott

A little-known Civil War phenomenon was the “secession” of a handful of Union-sympathizing counties in the American South in 1861. One of the most notable was Scott County, Tennessee. Located on the Cumberland Plateau in the northeastern corner of the state, it was home to only 61 slaves at the start of the war. Thus, county residents were unenthusiastic about fighting and dying for an institution that only served wealthy plantation owners in the middle and western parts of the state.

So, after Tennessee joined the Confederacy on June 8, 1861 (the last state to do so), the residents of Scott County voted overwhelmingly to secede from the state and create the “Free And Independent State Of Scott”. This enclave community remained supportive of the Union cause throughout the Civil War. Said one local farmer, "If the goddamn State of Tennessee can secede from the Union, then Scott County can secede from the State of Tennessee."

As you might imagine, the Democratic Governor of Tennessee did not look favorably on this “rebellion” and sent 1,700 troops to the county. But before reaching the capital of this new enclave, the troops met harsh resistance and had to retreat. In the end, Scott County became the main source of soldiers for the Union’s 7th Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Infantry. And, in nearly every presidential election since the Civil War, Scott County has voted Republican.

Even though the “secession” of Scott County was never formally recognized by the state of Tennessee (or the federal governments of the Union or the Confederacy), it was ceremoniously “readmitted” to the state in 1986—more than 120 years after the end of hostilities. While other Southern counties created similar Union enclaves (e.g., The Republic of Winston, in north Alabama), the Free And Independent State of Scott stands out as a unique political response to the most divided time in American history.