Official Home States?

[Schmitz in 1972]

I've made a little booklet which contains the candidates, their homestates, and their electoral vote totals for each election. Needless to say I want this reference to be as accurate as possible, but determining the home state of various candidates oftern proves very difficult.

Nixon and Eisenhower are the most famous examples. This site and NARA have Nixon's homestate as New York for both 1968 and 1972 but I see many other sources which list California as his home state for either one election or both. Eisenhower is also listed as a New Yorker for both elections in this sites election results and NARA, but on this website (and in another source) under the list of presidents in election info it states his homestate for '56 was Pennsylvania. Upon further examination I have discovered two further questions as to official homestate. Curtis LeMay is listed on this website (and NARA) as being from California, but EVERY OTHER source I've ever seen lists him as from Ohio. George McClellan is listed on this website as from New York (like most other sources), but on NARA and one other source he is listed as from New Jersey.

Can anyone help?

[ijohn57s]

I've made a little booklet which contains the candidates, their homestates, and their electoral vote totals for each election. Needless to say I want this reference to be as accurate as possible, but determining the home state of various candidates oftern proves very difficult.

Nixon and Eisenhower are the most famous examples. This site and NARA have Nixon's homestate as New York for both 1968 and 1972 but I see many other sources which list California as his home state for either one election or both. Eisenhower is also listed as a New Yorker for both elections in this sites election results and NARA, but on this website (and in another source) under the list of presidents in election info it states his homestate for '56 was Pennsylvania. Upon further examination I have discovered two further questions as to official homestate. Curtis LeMay is listed on this website (and NARA) as being from California, but EVERY OTHER source I've ever seen lists him as from Ohio. George McClellan is listed on this website as from New York (like most other sources), but on NARA and one other source he is listed as from New Jersey.

Can anyone help?

PBrunsel could probably help you.

[minionofmidas]

I think Nixon would correctly be listed as from California in '52, '56, '60 and '72, but from New York in '68.
I'm not sure about Eisenhower, and even have another choice I've seen printed elsewhere to offer, namely Maryland.

[Fritz]

Hmmmm...

The book I have lists California as the home state dor Nixon in all five elections he was a candidate in.  Ike is listed in New York for both of his elections.

I don't see how anyone could get elected President, and then change home state.  How could Nixon be from New York in 68 but not in 72???

[muon2]

Hmmmm...

The book I have lists California as the home state dor Nixon in all five elections he was a candidate in.  Ike is listed in New York for both of his elections.

I don't see how anyone could get elected President, and then change home state.  How could Nixon be from New York in 68 but not in 72???

Elected officials move within their districts all the time. The President's district is the entire nation, so why not move if it makes sense?

Nixon had set up a law practice in NY in the mid-60's. He was registered there at the time of the 1968 election. At some point he moved his registration back to his home in CA. GHWB kept a voting residence in Houston, but for all practical purposes made his home in ME.

Both men had such long stays in Washington as VP that the home state was not a factor in the eyes of many voters. They were seen as Washington first, home state second. Ask Al Gore.

[Schmitz in 1972]

I've been doing some further research on the matter and the following are my findings:

1. George McClellan was officially from New Jersey for the 1864 election
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsj&fileName=057/llsj057.db&recNum=148&itemLink=D?hlaw:22:./temp/~ammem_sMX1::%230570149&linkText=1
I advise Dave to correct his 1864 page for the sake of accuracy

2. Theodore Frelinghuysen was officially from New York* for the 1844 election
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsj&fileName=036/llsj036.db&recNum=162&itemLink=D?hlaw:24:./temp/~ammem_K2Xq::%230360163&linkText=1
I advise Dave to correct his 1844 page for the sake of accuracy

*Vermont cast their votes for Theodore Frelinghuysen of New Jersey

3. The mysteries of Eisenhower, Nixon, and LeMay remain unresolved. Anyone who wishes to help me solve them is welcome to

END

[??????????]

Woodrow Wilson is a Virginian.

[Schmitz in 1972]

Further research has given me the following findings

1. I retract my previous statement that Theodore Frelinghuysen was from New York

2. I retract my request for Dave to change Frelinghuysen's home state on the 1844 page

3. Dave is correct that Curtis LeMay's official homestate is California

4. The persons whose home states are still in question are Theodore Frelinghuysen (1844), Dwight D Eisenhower (1952, 1956), and Richard Nixon (1968, 1972)

5. Any help would be greatly appreciated

END

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and Eisenhower is a Kansan...
I know as well as you (having visited Staunton) that Wilson was truly a Virginian at heart, but this study is concerned with what state they officially resided in for the election instead of what state was truly their home.


Lewis Trondheim, I've heard from several other forum members that Eisenhower was elected from Maryland but have yet to see it in print. Could you please tell me where you saw him listed as from Maryland?

[??????????]

What part of Virginia are you in?

[Schmitz in 1972]

Around Richmond, it's in the profile...

[??????????]

My wife is from Manassas.

[Schmitz in 1972]

Further research has yielded the following

1. Richard Nixon was from New York for the 1968 election and California for the 1972

2. Dwight D Eisenhower was from New York for the 1952 election and Pennsylvania for the 1956 election

END


The only mystery I haven't solved is the one I happened to stumble on while researching the four others, this is the mystery of Theodore Frelinghuysen. The first place to go for election results is NARA, the site given on many listings as the source for the data. Dave's homestates correspond completely to those given on NARA with the exception of George McClellan, 1864 (which Dave lists as New York but NARA lists as New Jersey). I noticed that the source for NARA's data was the senate manual, so I immediately checked that out. The senate manual agrees with NARA with the exception of Eisenhower, 1956 and Nixon, 1972 (which NARA lists both as New York but the senate manual lists as PA and CA respectively). The one thing that neither the Atlas, nor NARA, nor the senate manual will admit is that Frelinghuysen was from New York. This is baffling since in the original congressional journals from 1845 (link in response #5) say he was from New York. Why every source save the primary one refuses to acknoledge his residence in New York was such a mystery to me that I retracted my official statement that he was a New Yorker until I did further research. Further research I have done, but I still can't figure this out. Once again, anyone who wishes to offer tips or help for these long complicated investigations is welcome to.

[Schmitz in 1972]

It would seem as though an eighth question as to someones home state has surfaced. Sources seem split almost 50-50 about whether John W Davis (1924) was from West Vriginia or New York. Indeed, in Dave's page of site updates one of the more recent ones was correction of Davis's homestate from New York to West Virginia. West Virginia certainly seems to have the stronger argument as it is backed by both NARA and the senate manual, but then again the argument that Frelinghuysen is from New Jersey is also backed by both NARA and the senate manual. Will this madness ever end?

[ElectionAtlas]

Hi,
Thanks for exploring this further.  You are correct in that I have a discrepancy between my presidential list on the Information page and the home state pages for Nixon in 1972 and Eisenhower in 1956.

Some of the official results that I have include addresses for the Candidates:
According to the Maryland Manual 1973-1974 page 405:
in 1972: Nixon was 4100 Calle Isabella San Clemente, CA
According to the Maryland Manual 1969-1970 page 473:
in 1968: Nixon was 810 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

For the 1956 Election, the MD Manual 1957-58 p 325 has:
in 1956: Eisenhower was R.F.D.2 Gettysburg, PA
For the 1952 Election, the MD Manual 1953-54 p 305 has:
in 1956: Eisenhower was New York, NY

Dave

[minionofmidas]

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and Eisenhower is a Kansan...

Texan.

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The somethingorother (Harvard?) Companion to American History, ed. Eric D Foner.
AS to Frelinghuysen: I don't know what his registered home state was, but he had held elected office from New Jersey - like all the Frelinghuysens. That political dynasty has survived from the colonial era to the present day.

[??????????]

Lewis,

Eisenhower was born in Kansas.

[Schmitz in 1972]

Lewis,

Eisenhower was born in Kansas.

Actually Lewis is correct, Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas in 1890. I referred to him as a Kansan since he spent nearly his whole life there in Abilene.

[minionofmidas]

Lewis,

Eisenhower was born in Kansas.

Actually Lewis is correct, Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas in 1890. I referred to him as a Kansan since he spent nearly his whole life there in Abilene.

"his whole life"? Hardly. His whole youth is what you wanted to say.
The Eisenhowers moved south from Kansas in search of work about a year before Ike was born. They returned to Kansas a week after his birth. All his brothers, both older and younger, were born in Abilene.

[patrick1]

Ike always considered himself a Kansan. Right before D-DAY operations he was walking around trying to find some fellow Kansans

[jimrtex]

Elected officials move within their districts all the time. The President's district is the entire nation, so why not move if it makes sense?

There is a constitutional restriction on who electors can vote for based on state of residence.

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Not really, the Bushes had lived in bunches of houses in Odessa, Midland, and Houston, even before he ran for office.  As ambassador to the UN, he would have had a residence in NY, as CIA director somewhere in the DC area, as quasi-ambassador a residence in Beijing.  The summer place at Kennebunkport was from his mother's family.  When he was VP, he would have lived at the Naval Observatory, and as President at the White House.  For practical purposes - sleeping and eating, this is where he made his home.   It really doesn't make sense to keep a house when you have a number of jobs around the country, many of which come with a residence.  After 1992, they built a new house in Houston.

I don't think the Clinton's ever owned a house until the one they moved to New York.  Their legal residence in Arkansas was owned by Hillary's parents.

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Gore was born in Washington and grew up there.  I doubt that most young children of congressmen and senators really see much of a residence in their home state, unless the non-elected parent stays there.  If the congressman goes home for a long weekend it is really a business trip, and the kids would have to get pulled out of school.  If the family goes home over the summer or at Christmas, it is more like a vacation.

[Dr. Cynic]

Perhaps I can help out?

Eisenhower was born in Denison TX, and never really settled down until after WWII. He would be officialy from NY, but, was from PA in 56.

[J. J.]

I believe Eisenhower was president of Columbia University in NY and maintained an address there.  He was a resident of Gettysburg, PA in 1956.

Actually the way the 12th Amendment is worded, the Electors from a given state have to vote for a President OR Vice President not in the same state as those Electors.

For example, if would have been fine for FL Electors to vote for George W. Bush of TX for President and Richard B. Cheney of TX for Vice President, but TX Electors could only vote for one.

Interestingly, this was excuse for Reagan not choosing Ford for VP in 1980.  As it turned out, the CA Electors could have abstained, or voted for someone else and Reagan/Ford could have been elected.

[jimrtex]

Eisenhower was born in Denison TX, and never really settled down until after WWII. He would be officialy from NY, but, was from PA in 56.

His father had lost his job in Kansas, and was working for the railroad in Texas when Dwight was born.

He wasn't aware that he was from Denison, his brothers having told him he was born in Tyler, TX where the family had lived a longer time.  When he became prominent during WWII, someone remembered his family's short time in Denison.  Soon after his family moved to Abilene, KS where he grew up before he went to West Point.  He was later stationed at San Antonio, TX where met and married Mamie (though she was from Denver).

[minionofmidas]

Eisenhower was born in Denison TX, and never really settled down until after WWII. He would be officialy from NY, but, was from PA in 56.

His father had lost his job in Kansas, and was working for the railroad in Texas when Dwight was born.

He wasn't aware that he was from Denison, his brothers having told him he was born in Tyler, TX where the family had lived a longer time.  When he became prominent during WWII, someone remembered his family's short time in Denison.  Soon after his family moved to Abilene, KS where he grew up before he went to West Point.  He was later stationed at San Antonio, TX where met and married Mamie (though she was from Denver).

but an Iowa native.

[J. J.]

This one is for Mr. Watson.  In what Mon Valley town did a brother of General Eisenhower live in?