Ulysses Grant III: Maintaining a Family Legacy

As famed Civil War General and two-termed U.S. President Ulysses Grant faced terminal illness and financial disaster, his focus turned to fulfilling his final duty to his family.  One of the actions General Grant took was to leave a letter of recommendation to attend West Point Military Academy for his three-year old grandson Ulysses S. Grant III. The elder Grant would pass away without ever knowing whether his grandson would choose to carry on the family military tradition or not.  Not only did U.S. Grant III follow in the military footsteps of his grandfather and father, but he also strove to preserve the family legacy. His impressive career included serving through three wars, serving as a presidential aide, Director of Parks in Washington, D.C., and President of George Washington University.  In his later years, he dedicated himself to historic preservation concerns, served on the Civil War Centennial Commission, and even authored a biography of his grandfather. Join Grant Cottage Site Coordinator Ben Kemp as he examines Ulysses Grant III’s extraordinary life starting as a young boy on the steps of his grandfather’s final home at Mt. McGregor to becoming a Major General in the US Army striving to preserve the heritage of his family and his country.