![]() “Labor disgraces no man unfortunately, you occasionally find men who disgrace labor.”. ![]() “Although a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace.”.She earned $450,000 in royalties from sales of the book. Grant was released that December, it was a resounding success and acted as a kind of inheritance for his widow, Julia. Twain supervised Grant's writing, and on July 20, 1885, the memoirs were finally finished. The new royalty rate would be 20 percent, and Twain gave Grant $1000 for living expenses (the former president wouldn't accept a bigger advance out of fear that his book would lose money for Twain). Webster & Co., the publishing house he established in 1884. ![]() Twain offered to publish the memoirs at Charles L. When he was going to sign a publishing deal that would award him 10 percent royalties, his friend Mark Twain, who Grant had grown close to after several meetings during and after his presidency, was appalled. Broke and newly diagnosed with throat cancer, Grant turned to his sole remaining source for funds-writing his memoirs. Turns out, his partner, Ferdinand Ward, was embezzling money from his clients and partners, including Grant and his son Buck. Hulton Archive/Getty Imagesįollowing his two terms as president, Grant decided to start a career in investment banking, but the firm he was involved in wound up being disreputable. “It was a shameful thing that a man who had saved his country and its government from destruction should still be in a position where so small a sum-$1,000-could be looked upon as a godsend," Twain said of the advance he gave Grant. Grant's presidency was not without controversy. ![]() And in 1872, he signed legislation that named Yellowstone the country’s first national park. He signed the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, granting black men the right to vote, and supported improved government relations with Native Americans. He was said to look to Congress for guidance, as well as numerous military servicemen he brought to the White House.Įven so, Grant still implemented positive changes while in office. But his history was in military service, not politics, and some felt Grant was lost in the role as a world leader. When then-President Andrew Johnson was impeached following a controversy over the inappropriate firing of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Grant was elected to office in 1868. Grant." / GeorgiosArt/iStock via Getty Images Plusįollowing his contributions to winning the Civil War, Grant had unmatched support among Union states and Republicans. Grant went from a hero during the Civil War to a president who was given the unflattering nickname "Useless S. Losing men rapidly, Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865, ending the war.Ģ. Army, Grant spent 18 advancing on General Robert E.
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