Plenty of would-be presidents have called Pennsylvania home, from Philander Knox and Milton Shapp to William Scranton and Rick Santorum.
But James Buchanan, long regarded by scholars as the worst or close-to-worst president in the countryâs history, is the only Pennsylvanian to make it all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
The state hasnât fared much better when it comes to vice presidents.
Only one Pennsylvanian has stood a heartbeat away from the presidency. In March 1845, George Mifflin Dallas of Philadelphia was sworn-in to become President James Polkâs second-in-command. He came to the job with a sterling pedigree and a prodigious resume: the son of Alexander Dallas, the sixth U.S. Treasury secretary, Dallas was raised in privileged circumstances, and went on to serve in a host of appointed positions, including Philadelphia mayor, district attorney, attorney general of Pennsylvania and envoy to Russia. He was also a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania when they were
For sale: Washington s hair, JFK s sweater
This undated photo released by RR Auction shows a Harvard University letter sweater that once belonged to former President John F. Kennedy, up for auction between Feb. 11-18, 2021, by the Boston-based auction firm. (Nikki Brickett/RR Auction via AP)
This undated photo released by RR Auction shows locks of hair from the heads of the first United States President George Washington, right, and from his wife Martha, left, up for auction between between Feb. 11-18, 2021, by the Boston-based auction firm. (Nikki Brickett/RR Auction via AP)
This undated photo released by RR Auction shows a shadowbox display featuring locks of hair from the heads of the first United States President George Washington, top right, and from his wife Martha, top left, up for auction between Feb. 11-18, 2021, by the Boston-based auction firm. (Nikki Brickett/RR Auction via AP)
Washington s Hair Up For Sale At Quirky President s Day Auction
Other items being auctioned include John F. Kennedy s Harvard sweater and the pen that Warren Harding used to end U.S. involvement in World War I.
RR Auction
This undated photo released by RR Auction shows locks of hair from the heads of the first United States President George Washington, right, and from his wife Martha, left, up for auction between between Feb. 11-18, 2021, by the Boston-based auction firm.
It’s almost Presidents Day, and now there’s a chance to own a quirky piece of White House history.
Locks of George and Martha Washington’s hair, Andrew Johnson’s order of a national day of mourning after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and the pen that Warren Harding used to end U.S. involvement in World War I are among a trove of nearly 300 presidential artifacts hitting the auction block.