Hail to the Chiefs! (Buffalo-area Presidential Connections)

By Suzanne Kashuba

Through the years, several U.S. presidents have slipped in and out of the Queen City for campaign tours or quick visits, most recently President Barack Obama in May 2010.

But several U.S. presidents have lived, worked, made history — or died — right here in Western New York.

Take this fun quiz to learn how up to speed you are on Buffalo’s presidential connections. (The answers are below, but don’t peek until you guess!)

1. Which U.S. president lived and built a prominent law firm in East Aurora, and later served as chancellor of the then-private University of Buffalo?

2. Which U.S. president’s resume included the positions of sheriff of Erie County and mayor of Buffalo?

3. Which U.S. president was shot and mortally wounded while visiting the Temple of Music at the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo?

4. Which U.S. president took the oath of office at the Wilcox Mansion on Delaware Avenue?

5. WNED-TV will air a two-part biography of which controversial U.S. president on Feb. 20 and 21? (OK – it’s not really a direct Buffalo connection, but it’s a great documentary.)

And the answers are…

1. Millard Fillmore (You can visit his gravesite in Buffalo’s Forest Lawn Cemetery and his statue at Buffalo City Hall.)

 

2. Grover Cleveland (His statue stands guard at Buffalo City Hall; the administration building at Buffalo State College is named after him; and Buffalo’s former War Memorial Stadium was named Grover Cleveland Stadium in 1937-38.)

 

3. William McKinley (The prominent obelisk in Buffalo’s Niagara Square memorializes him.)

 

Several sites in Buffalo, N.Y. have historic connections to U.S. presidents.

4. Theodore Roosevelt (The mansion is now the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site.)

 

5. William Jefferson Clinton (In this latest installment of the critically acclaimed series of presidential biographies from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, explore the fascinating story of a successful, yet scandal-plagued, president. Tune in Monday, Feb. 20 – President’s Day – at 9 p.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m.)

Learn More: George Washington’s birthday was Feb. 22 and Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was Feb. 12. So how did we come to celebrate President’s Day on the third Monday in February? (It’s a long story. Read all about it here.)

How do you celebrate President’s Day? Do you have to work? Do you shop the sales? As an interesting alternative, consider tuning in to “Clinton” or visiting one of the several sites with presidential connections in Western New York.