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THE 20 YEAR CURSE
Beginning in 1840, and in each consecutive twenty-year presidential
administration through 1960, the incumbent President has died
in office. The "Twenty Year Curse" was supposedly cast
upon the presidency at the hands of an unknown Indian Chief.
1840 - William Henry Harrison......pneumonia
1860 - Abraham Lincoln......assassination
1880 - James Garfield......assassination
1900 - William McKinley.......assassination
1920 - Warren Harding........heart failure
1940 - Franklin Roosevelt.......cerebral hemorrhage
1960 - John Kennedy.....assassinated
1980 - President Reagan...Although he did not die in office,
he was shot and nearly killed by an assassin.
The President was also diagnosed by some as having developed
Alzheimer's disease while in office.
TOMPKINS
In the two administrations previous to the start of the cycle
in 1840, and before the Indian curse, it is interesting to note
the following. Vice President Daniel Tompkins, re-elected in
1820, was wrongly accused of defrauding the government while
he served as Governor of New York. The accusation, in connection
with funds dispersed for the War of 1812, was never proven
He was ordered to pay over $120,000 when in fact he had financed
most of the war effort with his own money. He was so despondent
over the accusation by congress, he returned to New York and
for all intents and purposes never participated in the end of
his second term. Years later, after careful inspection of Tompkins
records, the accusation was proven incorrect. No money was returned
to the Tompkins survivors who petitioned for such, and Congress
has never cleared his named in the alleged wrongdoing.
BURR
In the election of 1800, Aaron Burr was elected vice president
for Thomas Jefferson While in office, Burr challenged Secretary
of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton to a duel and killed him.
Dueling was a legal form of address, but adverse publicity over
the event eventually led to Jefferson dropping him from the ticket
in 1804. Charges against Burr were dismissed.
In addition, Burr was later charged with treason in connection
with a scheme to form a new government separate from the United
States. He was acquitted at trial.
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