New York State has given our nation some of its most glorious Presidents, like Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt.
It's also given us some of the most obscure, like Chester Arthur and Millard Fillmore.
This month WMHT will re-introduce, and in some cases introduce, those with New York ties who went on to hold our country's highest office in our hour long documentary PRESIDENTS IN OUR BACKYARD, airing on WMHT on Thursday, May 15 from 9 -- 10pm, Sunday, May 17 from Midnight to 12:30am and Sunday, May 18 from 7 -8 pm.
Columbia County was home sweet home for the first American-born President. In fact, he was so widely associated with his hometown, that it helped coin a popular phrase we use almost everyday! Martin Van Buren, the nation's eighth President, was nicknamed "Old Kinderhook" by friends and rivals alike. In fact when he ran for re-election, his supporters cry of "O.K." meant everything was going to be just fine.
President Chester Arthur's life is a bit of a mystery, right from Day One. Was he really born in Vermont or Canada like some suggest? And why does the year of death on his grave differ from most history books?
We'll try to answer these questions and more as we look at the path from the Empire State to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for these Presidents and others, whose ties to New York are still strong today.
