I’m slowly making my way through Nancy Isenberg, Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr.
On page 215, she writes:
When Albert Gallatin arrived in Washington in early January 1801, he immediately perceived just how unhealthy and claustrophobic the city was. Nearly all the elected officials inhabited the same eight boarding-houses near the Capitol.
Wow! This gives a perspective on just how wealthy we are relative to those who lived two centuries ago. And remember that the politicians who lived in boarding houses were not typically among the poorest Americans.
READER COMMENTS
Kurt Schuler
Jan 29 2020 at 12:26pm
If I recall correctly, when first elected to the House of Representatives, Lyndon Johnson lived in a boarding house. Here is a fun map showing where all the vice presidents have lived; click on the markers for short descriptions. Many of them lived in boarding houses, or later hotels.
https://ggwash.org/view/40653/vice-city-a-map-of-where-all-the-vice-presidents-have-lived
David Henderson
Jan 29 2020 at 6:02pm
Fascinating.
Don Boudreaux
Jan 31 2020 at 9:21pm
A documentary on James Garfield has him sharing a Chicago hotel room with a stranger when he, Garfield, attended the 1880 Republican National Convention. Garfield was nominated and in November of that year won the U.S. Presidency.
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