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TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

March 4, 1780, Captain Abraham Lincoln received a land grant for his service in the Revolutionary War along the Green River in what is now Lincoln County.

March 4, 1793, President George Washington took his 2nd oath for the presidency in the Senate Chamber of Congress Hall in Philadelphia and was administered by Associate Justice William Cushing.

Inauguration Trivia:  Robert Livingston, Chancellor of the State of New York, administered President Washington’s 1st oath as prescribed by the Constitution in New York City’s Federal Hall in April of 1789.

March 4, 1795, Frankfort native Humphrey Marshall became Kentucky’s 2nd Class III U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1797, Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth swore in John Adams as America’s 2nd president, the 1st president to receive the oath of office from a U.S. Chief Justice.  The ceremony occurred in Philadelphia at Congress Hall in the House of Representatives Chamber.

On March 4, 1801, Chief Justice John Marshall swore in Thomas Jefferson as the 3rd U.S. president, the 1st inauguration in Washington, D.C.. Lexington native John Breckinridge became Kentucky’s 3rd Class III U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1805, Virginian Buckner Thurston became Kentucky’s 2nd Class II U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1807, Virginian John Pope became Kentucky’s 6th Class III U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1809, Chief Justice John Marshall swore in James Madison as the 4th U.S. president.

March 4, 1811, on Henry Clay’s 1st day as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, his colleagues elected him Speaker.  Clay would spend a majority of his career in the House even though he had several terms as Senator.  George M. Bibb took Henry Clay’s Senate seat.

March 4, 1813, Virginia native Jesse Bledsoe became Kentucky’s 7th Class III U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1815, Henry Clay remained the U.S. Speaker of the House.

March 4, 1817, Chief Justice John Marshall swore in James Monroe as the 5th U.S. president.  John Jordan Crittenden became a U.S. Senator for the 1st time as Kentucky’s 8th Class II Senator.

March 4, 1819, William Logan, born within the walls of Fort Harrod, became Kentucky’s 9th Class III U.S. Senator.  He spent most of his childhood in St. Asaphs Fort.  

March 4, 1823, Henry Clay remained the U.S. Speaker of the House.

895px Henry Clay
Henry Clay in 1818
By Matthew Harris Jouett

March 4, 1825, Chief Justice John Marshall swore in John Quincy Adams as the 6th U.S. president.  Henry Clay became the 9th U.S. Secretary of State, and John Rowan became Kentucky’s 11th Class III Senator.

March 4, 1829, Chief Justice John Marshall swore in Andrew Jackson as the 7th U.S. president, and George M. Bibb became Kentucky’s 4th Class II U.S. Senator for his 2nd and final term.

March 4, 1830, John Floyd, born in Floyd’s Station, became Virginia’s 25th governor.

March 4, 1831, Jefferson County native Alexander Buckner became a U.S. Senator from Missouri.

March 4, 1835, John Jordan Crittenden became Kentucky’s 11th Class II Senator for the 2nd time.  He would go onto serve as a Class III Senator as well.

March 4, 1837, Richard Mentor Johnson became the 9th Vice President of the U.S. under President Martin Van Buren.  Born in Beargrass, Virginia, now Louisville, Richard had an unremarkable VP term with little influence over President Van Buren.  However, he cast the tie-breaking vote in the senate 14 times, more than his predecessors save John Adams and John Calhoun.

March 4, 1841, Chief Justice Robert B. Taney swore in William Henry Harrison as the 9th U.S. president and James T. Morehead became Kentucky’s 12th Class II Senator.

March 4, 1843, Kentucky created LaRue County from Hardin County and was named in honor of John Larue, one of the county’s original settlers and the grandfather of Governor John L. Helm.  The county seat is Hodgenville.  Other localities include: Upton, (partly in Hardin County) Buffalo, Magnolia, Athertonville, Lyons, Mount Sherman, and Tonieville.  the 96th county created, LaRue County covers 263 square miles.

KY 1843
640px Map of Kentucky highlighting LaRue County.svg
Public Domain

March 4, 1845, Chief Justice Robert B. Taney swore in James K. Polk as the 11th president in at the East Portico of the D.C. Capitol.  Bourbon County native Thomas Corwin became a U.S. Senator representing Ohio.

March 4, 1847, Joseph R. Underwood became Kentucky’s 13th Class II U.S. Senator.

Sunday, March 4, 1849, Henry Clay took the U.S. Senator oath for the 3rd and last time.  President Zachary Taylor refused to be inaugurated on a Sunday for religious reasons.  Without a vice president to fill the void, Kentucky native, President pro tem, Senator David Rice Atchison was U.S. President for a day, as David likes to claim.  Although Atchison was not formally sworn in during his extremely brief tenure as president, he did sign some official papers during the day.

Kentucky Trivia:  U.S. Senators are either in Class I, II or Class III.  Kentucky Senators are in Class II or III. Today, Senator Paul is in Class III and Senator McConnell is Class II.  There have only been five Kentucky Senators who have been elected to both classes.  They are: Henry Clay, John J, Crittenden, Thomas C. McCreary, Joseph Blackburn, and Alben W. Barkley.

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Henry Clay in 1848 By Julian Vannerson or Montgomery P. Simons

March 4, 1851, Danville native Henry Smith passed over.  One of four governors born in Danville, three governed Kentucky while Henry oversaw Texas.

March 4, 1853, Chief Justice Robert B. Taney swore in President Franklin Pierce as the 14th president.  John B. Thompson became Kentucky’s 14th Class II U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1855, John Jordan Crittenden became the 18th Class III U.S. Senator.  This was his 4th and final term.

March 4, 1857, Lexingtonian John C. Breckinridge became the 14th Vice President of the U.S.  He was and still is the youngest person to take the oath for this office when he served under James Buchanan, the 15th U.S. president.

Inauguration Trivia:  James Buchanan’s Inauguration on March 4, 1857, was the 1st one known to have been photographed.

March 4, 1859, Lazarus W. Powell became Kentucky’s 15th Class II U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1861, Chief Justice Robert B. Taney swore in Abraham Lincoln for his 1st term as president.  John C. Breckinridge began as Kentucky’s 19th Class III Senator; they would expel him by the end of the year.  John Jordan Crittenden became a Representative from Kentucky’s 8th district, the last time he held public office.  Bath County native Henry Smith Lane became a U.S. Senator for Indiana.

March 4, 1865, Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase swore in President A. Lincoln for his 2nd term.  The inaugural address went to a cold, wet crowd on the Capitol grounds.   Victory was within days and slavery was near an end.  Lincoln did not speak of happiness but of sadness.  As he stood on the East Portico to take the executive oath, the newly completed Capitol dome over the President’s head was a physical reminder of his Administration’s resolve throughout the years of Civil War.

Later that Saturday evening, Mrs. Lincoln’s assistant recalled the occasion when the President came in a while attending Mrs. Lincoln.  “It was the 1st time I had seen him since inauguration, and I went up to him, proffering my hand with words of congratulation.  He grasped my outstretched hand warmly and held it while he spoke: “Thank you. We do not know what we are destined to pass through.  But God will be with us all. I put my trust in God.”  He dropped my hand, and with a solemn face, walked across the room and took his seat on the sofa.  I finished dressing Mrs. Lincoln, and she took the President’s arms and they went below. 

It was one of the largest receptions ever held in Washington.  Thousands crowded the White House’s halls and rooms, eager to shake Mr. Lincoln by his hand and receive a gracious smile from his wife.  The jam was terrible, and the enthusiasm great.

March 4, 1865, James Guthrie became the 16th Class II U.S. Kentucky Senator.  Warsaw native Richard Yates became a U.S. Senator for Illinois.

March 4, 1869, Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase swore in Ulysses S. Grant as the 18th president.

March 4, 1871, John White Stevenson became Kentucky’s 18th Class II Senator.

March 4, 1873, Owensboro native Thomas C. McCreery became Kentucky’s 22nd Class III Senator.  Floydsburg native Richard James Oglesby became a U.S. Senator for Illinois.  Floydsburg is in Oldham County.

March 4, 1877, Chief Justice Morrison Waite swore in Rutherford B. Hayes as the 19th president.  Also sworn in was the European James B. Beck, as Kentucky’s 19th Class II U.S. Senator.  Fleming County native Alvin Saunders became a U.S. Senator for Nebraska.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Paris native Garrett Morgan, born in 1877.  He blazed a trail for African-American inventors with patents on gas masks, the traffic signal and many other inventions.

March 4, 1879, John Stuart Williams became Kentucky’s 23rd Class III U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1881, Chief Justice Morrison Waite swore in James A. Garfield as the 20th U.S. president.

March 4, 1883, Monticello native Shelby Moore Cullom became a U.S. Senator for Illinois.

March 4, 1885, Joseph Blackburn became Kentucky’s 24th Class III U.S. Senator.  Mr. Blackburn would later become a Class II Senator.  Chief Justice Morrison Waite swore in Grover Cleveland for the 1st time to be the 22nd U.S. president.

March 4, 1889, Chief Justice Melville W. Fuller swore in Benjamin Harris as the 23rd U.S. president.

March 4, 1891, Eagle Creek native John McAuley Palmer became a U.S. Senator for Illinois.  Eagle Creek is in Scott County.

March 4, 1893, Christian County native Adlai Ewing Stevenson became the 23rd Vice President under President Grover Cleveland who entered his 2nd term as the 24th President.

March 4, 1897, Chief Justice Melville W. Fuller swore in William McKinley as the 25th president.  Crittenden County native William J. Deboe became Kentucky’s 25th Class III Senator.

March 4, 1901, Joseph Blackburn became Kentucky’s 22nd Class II U.S. Senator.  He is one of a few from the Kentucky delegation to serve in both classes.

March 4, 1903, James B. McCreary became Kentucky’s 26th Class III Senator.  Madison County native William Joel Stone became a U.S. Senator for Missouri.

March 4, 1904, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky (UK) played the 1st basketball team located out of state.  Kentucky hosted Cincinnati in the State College Gymnasium and won 25-21.  This was Kentucky’s last game of the season and the only win.

March 4, 1907, Thomas H. Paynter became Kentucky’s 23rd Class II U.S. Senator.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Murray native Dr. Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard, born in 1908.  The civil rights leader, fraternal organization leader, entrepreneur, and surgeon helped founded Mississippi’s leading civil rights organization in the 1950s.  He was also president of the National Medical Association, chairman of the National Negro Business League board, and a leading national advocate of African-American businesses.

March 4, 1909, Melville W. Fuller swore in William Howard Taft as the 27th president.  William O. Bradley became Kentucky’s 27th Class III Senator.

March 4, 1911, Williamsburg native Caleb Powers became a member of the U.S. House representing Kentucky’s 11th district.  He took his seat two years after Governor A. Willson pardoned him in 1908 for accessory to the murder of Governor Goebel.  Powers had served eight years in jail. While in prison, Powers authored the 1905 book My Own Story.

March 4, 1913, Chief Justice Edward D. White swore in Woodrow Wilson as the 28th president.  Marion native (Crittenden County) Ollie M. James became Kentucky’s 24th Class II U.S. Senator.  Lowes native (Graves County) Alben Barkley took his 1st job representing Kentucky as U.S. Congressman from the 1st District.

March 4, 1915, Wickland (Nelson County) John C. W. Beckham became the 29th Class III Kentucky U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1916, State University, Lexington (UK) played their last game of the season, the last time under the school name, their last basketball game in Woodland Park Auditorium, and the last game for Coach James P. Park.  The Cats lost on Senior Day to Marietta 23-27.  Kentucky played 22 games in Woodland, located on East High Street and Kentucky Avenue, over three years with a 15-7 record.

March 4, 1919, Governor Augustus Stanley became Kentucky’s 26th Class II U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1921, Chief Justice Edward D. White swore in Warren G. Harding as the 29th U.S. president and Richard Pretlow Ernst became Kentucky’s 30th Class III Senator.

Inauguration Trivia:  Harding’s inauguration was the 1st to use loud speakers for those who attended the public ceremony.

March 4, 1925, Fred M. Sackett became Kentucky’s 27th Class II U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1927, Alben W. Barkley became the 31st Class III Kentucky Senator.  This was his 1st of two inconsecutive terms, his 2nd term he would be a Class II Senator.

March 4, 1929, Chief Justice William H. Taft swore in Herbert Hoover as the 31st U.S. president.

March 4, 1931, Marvel M. Logan became Kentucky’s 30th Class II U.S. Senator.

March 4, 1933, Chief Justice John Marshall swore in President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the 32nd U.S. president, the last inauguration to be held in March; also, the last time the V.P. took the oath of office in the Senate chamber, until Nelson Rockefeller’s swearing-in on December 19, 1974.

Inauguration Trivia:  Thirty-six inaugurations have been held in March.  With Biden’s inauguration, 22 will have been held in January and the first one was held in April.  The 20th Amendment to the constitution changed it to January.  

March 4, 1942, Sheriff Ralph Ward Haycraft, Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, succumbed to injuries sustained four days earlier when he was struck in the face by a rock.  The Sheriff tried to stop some civilians from harassing soldiers visiting Caneyville.

March 4, 1950, Deputy Sheriff Jerry Stamper, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot as he and several other deputies attempted to disarm a man in a bar fight.

March 4, 1952, Marine Corps PFC Joseph J. Meyer from Brooksville in Bracken County died fighting in the Korean War.

March 4, 1979, Deputy Sheriff Claude E. Flinchum, Wolfe County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot while waiting for his backup units to arrive after responding to a disturbance call.

March 4, 1994, Bowling Green native William Natcher received the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Bill Clinton.

March 4, 1995, LSU scored 127 points in Rupp Arena, hitting 20 three-pointers.  Both stats are arena records for an opponent.

March 4, 2011, Police Officer James Philip “Stumpy” Sticklen, Alexandria Police Department, suffered a fatal heart attack due to restraining a juvenile earlier in the week.

March 4, 2011, at 10:09:43 UTC, Kentucky Space launched their KySat-1 Satellite.  It was meant to operate for eighteen to twenty-four months.  Unfortunately, the Taurus rocket carrying the payload, failed to make orbit.

March 4, 2012, Kentucky closed out the 2011-12 season with a 74-59 win at Florida capping a perfect 16-0 run through the SEC.  It marked the 3rd time a UK team went 16-0 in league play and the 1st time since the 2003 squad turned the trick.

March 4, 2017, a Keeneland graduate exacta won the GII $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes.

March 4, 2020, the Kentucky Department of Public Health announced they had the resources to test for the coronavirus.  They tested three people, two were negative and one was still waiting for results.  As of March 4, eleven U.S. citizens had died from the virus.  The federal government continued to tell the pubic not to wear masks.

March 4, 2021, in his daily briefing, Governor A. Beshear told Kentucky, the mask mandates won’t end soon, while governors in Mississippi and Texas repealed their mask mandates.  Meanwhile, Roberta Mason received Kentucky’s 100,000th vaccine at Kroger Field.

March 4, 2022, while workers found a WWII bomb in the Buffalo Trace Distillery, officials assured Kentucky teachers their pension didn’t lose $13 million in Russian banks as the xenophobia continued.  Meanwhile, a jury backed a whistleblower and ruled that Kentucky’s whistleblower law protected him.