Damning With Faint Praise

Trivia Time! Who was the first U.S. President born outside the original 13 colonies?

Make your guesses. I'll wait.

And while I'm waiting, let me fill you in on a wonderful summation of the career of our 13th U.S. President:

In his rise from a log cabin to wealth and the White House, Millard Fillmore demonstrated that through methodical industry and some competence, an uninspiring man could make the American Dream come true.

Source: White House website.

Wow! What a ringing non-endorsement that is! Locally, there is a Millard Fillmore Society dedicated to the "achievements" of this most overlooked of Presidents. Perhaps this pattern of overlooking Fillmore is appropriate, if the official PR organ of the U.S. Presidents can't muster up anything more enthusiastic than "methodical industry and some competence."

Oh, and the first U.S. President born outside the original 13 colonies? was Abraham Lincoln.

I'll bet you guessed right. Unless, like me, you overthought the question and said Andrew Jackson. In which case you would be wrong.

Also on this date, in 1800--John Adams becomes the first president to move into the White House. Who knew?