The 1st US Prez Ever Arrested (The Untold Story)

This is one of those “boys just one have fun” stories.

A story about a U.S. president who knew he might be punished if he continued his reckless behavior.

A story that was covered up for years but eventually got out. 

A story about…

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Ulysses S. Grant

It happened in 1872.

Grant loved horses. He loved to go fast. And he loved to gamble. 

No surprise, then, that U.S. Grant and his pals liked to race their horse-drawn buggies on 13th Street in Washington, D.C. — not far from the White House. 

The first time officer William West pulled Grant over, he let off the president with a warning. 

Two days later, Officer West pulled over Grant again…

…and arrested the president and his pals. (The first time a U.S. president was arrested)

Grant and his fellow-racers each paid $20 “collateral”  (equivalent to $500 today) to escape a night in the pokey. 

Grant did not appear at the next morning’s scheduled court hearing. So he surrendered the $20 and was guilty as charged. 

The story was buried…

…until Officer West shared it with the The Sunday Star newspaper, 36 years after the fact. Here’s the article. 

I forgive the president…

In fact, I admire him…

…not for his racing skills…

…but for his determination and perseverance. 

During the darkest days of the Civil War, Grant was relentless. 

He believed…

…you win when you take the initiative. You lose if you wait for the action to come to you.

Good to remember as inflation boils, banks collapse, financial markets teeter, and uncertainty reigns. 

Darker days ahead? Maybe. 

As clouds gather, I see so many business people who retreat and take cover. They press pause, stop moving, lose initiative, hope for the good things to come to them, wait for the storm to pass.

I see others who — like Grant — recognize dark days but still move forward, inch by inch.

They’re relentless. They choose to act, rather than react. They take the initiative. They implement. They don’t sit still, praying for good outcomes, while bad outcomes approach.

Those are the leaders looking for ways to improve their operations, improve their sales, improve their marketing…

…improve their stories so their business can move forward and thrive. 

If you’re one of those leaders, keep moving down the page where you’ll see ways I can help.