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Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1822 - 1885

Biographical History

Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) was the 18th President of the United States of America, and an Army general.

Hiram Ulysses Grant was born April 27, 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio to Jesse Root Grant and Hannah Simpson Grant. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Upon his arrival, he was registered as Ulysses S. Grant, the "S" standing for his mother's maiden name, Simpson. Grant continued to go by that name, though he said the "S" did not stand for anything. Grant graduated from West Point in the summer of 1843. He fought in the Mexican War as a calvaryman. On August 22, 1848, after a four-year engagement, Grant married Julia Boggs Dent in St. Louis, Missouri. Together they had 4 children: Frederick Dent Grant, Ulysses S. "Buck" Grant, Jr., Ellen Wrenshall "Nellie" Grant, and Jesse Root Grant. Grant was promoted to captain in the summer of 1853, but on July 31, 1854, he resigned from the army with little notice. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was working in his father's leather store in Galena, Illinois. He was appointed by the Governor to lead a volunteer regiment. By 1861, Grant had risen to the rank of brigadier general of the volunteers. In March 1864, after leading his volunteers to a number of key Union victories, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Grant General-in-Chief. The war ended on April 9, 1865 with General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. Grant was the 18th President of the United States of America, and served two terms as president, from March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1877. After his presidency, Grant became a partner in a financial firm that went bankrupt in 1884. At about that same time, Grant learned that he had cancer of the throat. In order to pay off debts and provide for his family, Grant began writing his recollections. The cancer quickly spread throughout his body. His memoirs, which he finished writing on July 19, 1885, eventually earned $450,000. He died just four days later, on July 23, 1885 in Wilton, New York.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

John J. Henry certificate of appointment

 File — Oversize-folder 1: [Barcode: 31197233245049]
Identifier: MSS SC 659
Scope and Contents

Oversized printed documents with handwritten notations. Collection includes legal documents, the appointment of Henry as Register of the Land Office at Fair Play, Colorado, 1875, signed by Ulysses S. Grant, and at Leadville, Colorado, 1880, signed by Rutherford B. Hayes.

Dates: 1875-1880

Filtered By

  • Subject: Legal instruments X