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Presidential visits have history

Bush's upcoming visit won't be the first to the area this year

BY ELLEN BILTZ

Date published: 12/17/2007

BY ELLEN BILTZ

President George W. Bush's visit to Stafford County today will be his second to the Fredericksburg area this year.

In September, he had lunch with Marines at Quantico Marine Corps Base.

Around noon, Bush will speak to the three local Rotary clubs and the Chamber of Commerce. The luncheon speech, which is not open to the public, will be at the Holiday Inn on U.S. 17 in Falmouth.

Bush's visits to the region follow those of many of his presidential predecessors.

The following United States presidents have made visits to the Fredericksburg area either while in office or before:

George H.W. Bush-1992 The current president's dad campaigned for re-election here, visiting Goolrick's Modern Pharmacy, where thousands packed Caroline Street, both in support and opposition. He also stopped in the now-closed Fredericksburg Hardware.

The elder Bush also visited Montpelier in Orange County for a fundraising event, at which he spoke to a group of 450.

GERALD FORD-1975

Gerald Ford played in a Pro-Am golf tournament at Lake of the Woods.

DWIGHT EISENHOWER-1954

Dwight D. Eisenhower came to visit Fredericksburg and pay tribute to Mary Washington, George Washington's mother, in honor of Mother's Day. Eisenhower's wife, Mamie, accompanied him on the trip.

Franklin Roosevelt-1930s

A man serving tea and water to a man and woman in a limousine realized he was pouring tea for the president. Franklin D. Roosevelt was accompanied by "a very beautiful woman," the server later said. Roosevelt also made a brief stop at the train station while campaigning for president in 1932.

Calvin Coolidge-1928

Coolidge came to Fredericksburg to dedicate what's now Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, which commemorates the area's four major Civil War battles.

warren g. harding-1921

Both Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania were stops for Harding, who was greeted by council members and the Fredericksburg mayor. While here, he watched a mock Civil War battle on the Spotsylvania and Orange county line put on by Marines.

william mckinley-1900 McKinley was escorted from the Fredericksburg train station to the courthouse by Marines when he visited to commemorate the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House.

grover cleveland-1894

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Date published: 12/17/2007