This Week in History

1899 April 21 | Off the Record At a major gathering in the Clubhouse, the officers of the first ship from Admiral Dewey’s fleet to return from his victory at Manila Bay cause an international incident when speaking too plainly about the German Kaiser and his navy. Since then all Union League Club Public Affairs events have been off the record.

1865 April 25 | President Lincoln’s Funeral Procession President Lincoln’s funeral train arrives in New York City. Sadly, the city government prevents any African-American organization from marching in the funeral procession. Club member, Peter Cooper intervenes and organizes a Memorial Meeting at Cooper Union for New York City’s African-American citizens to which the Club sends a large delegation. In another Club connection, a photograph is discovered more than seventy-five years later of the funeral march down Broadway in which two boys are seen watching the procession from a second story window of a residential mansion. The mansion is identified as that of Teddy Roosevelt’s grandfather and the former First Lady, Edith Roosevelt, identifies the boys as a then six year old President Roosevelt and his brother Elliot.

1897 April 22 | Grant’s Tomb The dedication of Grant’s Tomb is held on the seventy-fifth anniversary of President Grant’s birthday. It is the culmination of twelve years of work by our fellow Club members including the Grant Monument Association’s first president, U.S. President Chester Arthur. The day of dedication is a public holiday with sixty thousand people marching in the Grant Day Parade. The ceremony is presided over by President McKinley and the Grant Monument Association’s fifth president and our fellow Club member, General Horace Porter. The day’s events end with a dinner in our Clubhouse for one thousand people including President McKinley.

2011 April 27 | Visit to Club by U.S. Representative Eric Cantor House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia addresses our membership at a Public Affairs Committee luncheon in the Main Dining Room and focuses on the fiscal crisis confronting the country.