Big Steve is now in the white house, and he has his mind on one thing: his dead friend’s daughter. Once married however, he settles down to some good old fashioned tariff debate. Don’t worry though, we talk about plenty of other things: ballbat, the new colossus, rail strikes and open yacht surgery!
Grover Cleveland, or Big Steve to his friends, wanted to be a lawyer. So when he uncle gave him the opportunity he went for it. From then on he goes from one job to the next until he finds himself president! Shame about all the skeletons in the cupboard…
Chester Arthur finds himself the first unwilling president of the United States. The bad news: He has done nothing but embrace a corrupt form of government his whole adult life - and now finds himself pushed to the top by a man who killed another president to allow this system to continue. The good news: He has a mighty moustache. Let's see how we rank him!
Arthur is not the most well known of presidents, but that does not mean he did not achieve much in his early life. Who else managed this level of corruption? Who else could claim to benefit from the patronage system so well? Who else was so much of a Conkling man? He may be a coaster, but damn it, he could coast like the best of them.
Garfield is now president and is ready to deal with all the issues facing modern America. We spend this episode looking into how he deals with the corruption that is rife within the political - Hang on! What’s that!?
Looks like we have something else to focus on this episode…
Our first Viking president! it's James Garfield. He is not very well known, but perhaps he is a hidden gem. Find out how his adventures on the seven seas went, his time during the war and discover just exactly why that money was 'resting' in his account.
We are very lucky this week to be talking to the writers of the amazing 1865 podcast, an audio drama set in the aftermath of the assassination of Lincoln. Steven Walters and Erik Archilla have spent years getting into the heads of the characters of that time, including Lincoln and Johnson, so we decided to ask them their thoughts on the two presidents we have ranked best and worst so far respectively.
Hayes has lived a life of happiness, kittens and rainbows so far - but now the Rock of Hayes’ optimism is about the hit the Hard Place of post war America. Something will have to give: either Hayes’ sunny perspective on life, or an increasingly corrupt, racist and divided govenment. Take your bets…
Rutherford B Hayes may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of presidents, but he was the first with a good beard. He also, in his own words, was the sunniest man around. No event is too tragic for Rutherford not to meet with a smile and a note in his diary. Find out just what he was so cheerful about!
AUDIO: It would seem Jamie's mic dropped out during recording resulting in him seemingly recording his part from a small tin box. I've done the best i can to boost he volume, but I'm afraid he is a bit quiet throughout.
Grant has won the civil war for the US, but now the peace needs to be won - and that apparently is a lot harder job. Surrounded by corrupt businessmen politicians, Grant wants to use his presidency to make the country a better place. But unfortunately the real world gets in the way...
