Name Quiz

[Claire]

OK, I'm not much for this stuff, but I happened to be looking something up and came across this: what do these men have in common?

George Clinton
Elbridge Gerry
Hannibal Hamlin
Schuyler Colfax
Levi Morton

If you cheat and google or some such, you'll find it in a second, but personally I never heard of any of these men before I looked something up and found it.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Jazz Musicians...and I didn't Google.

 

[GB]

The only musician I recognize from the list is George Clinton. but I am guessing that is a pretty common name. I don't think this is a list of musicians, but I do not know the answer to the question. I am curious though.

 

[Barbara L]

Did they sign the Mayflower Compact? I think I remember seeing the name George Clinton when I was reading about it the other day.

Barbara

 

[Barbara L]

Or were counties somewhere (Virginia?) named after them? You're driving me nuts now!

Barbara

 

[Andy M.]

Elbridge Gerry was a MA politician who came up with the idea of redrawing the boundries of voting districts to favor his political party. The process was named after him - Gerrymandering.

I think he was also a VP of the USA. Hamlin was also a VP so that's my guess.

 

[Claire]

Andy, you got it. I learned Gerrymandering in my senior high school civics class, and know what it means, but didn't realize who/what it was named after. I was looking this up because some show my husband was watching named a VP I'd never heard of. So I googled and realized how many I was truly clueless, would never recognize the names, and made up that list of the most obscure. (by the way, the TV show had a correct VP name, but had it in the wrong era, wrong president). I sent this to my friends and relatives list as well, and one said she thought it might be men who ran for, but did not win, presidential elections. I'll have to get back into research mode, because she may very well be right ... aren't a lot of, historically speaking, many former VPs also-rans ans well?

 

[Andy M.]

It was just luck you included one name from my home state so I recognized it. The other, Hamlin, was just an obscure fact stuck in my brain. Otherwise, I would never have guessed.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

This was fun! Let's do more!

 

[Barbara L]

I knew about Gerrymandering, but I couldn't figure out where the rest of the names fit in. I know now why I ran into George Clinton's name the other day though. I have an American Patriot's NKJV Bible and came across the list of vice presidents evidently. I knew I had run across his name in my Bible, I just couldn't remember where!

Yes, this was fun!

Barbara

 

[Andy M.]

OK here's another:

Morgan Bulkeley
Ben Johnson
George Wright
Charles Comiskey
Buck Ewing

 

[PrincessFiona60]

All built Baseball Parks.

 

[Andy M.]

No, Ma'am

 

[Barbara L]

Were they baseball commissioners?

 

[Andy M.]

No, Ma'am

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Baseball team owners

 

[Andy M.]

No, Ma'am

 

[roadfix]

Coaches?

 

[Andy M.]

Nope

 

[roadfix]

They belong to the Baseball Hall of Fame?