Quiz: Name the 3 U.S. vice presidents that were from Indiana.

You might have guessed two fairly recent ones. The third is rather obscure: Schuyler Colfax from South Bend, VP to U.S. Grant (1869-1873).

I just completed reading a biography of Colfax, written by Willard H. Smith in 1951 (no relation to me). Before becoming vice president, he was Speaker of the House of Representatives. Here's an interesting tidbit from the book (and reason for the blog title).

"When Congress reconvened in December for the short session, there was seen the unusual spectacle of a Vice-President-elect presiding over the deliberations of the House. An unfortunate, stormy scene presented itself in these closing days of the speakership. When the Senate and House met in joint session to count the electoral vote, there was disagreement and hot debate over counting the vote of Georgia. The vote was challenged because the Georgia legislature, on September 3 (1868), had expelled its Negro members, replacing them with whites on the ground that Negro suffrage did not include Negro officeholding." (Chaos, confusion, disorder, defiance, etc., followed.) "A compromise was worked out which provided that the vote should be announce both with and without the Georgia vote, Grant and Colfax being elected in either case." (Electoral results were 214 to 80.)

So, as in 1868, Georgia was again in the headlines during our recent election. Remarkable, eh?

(By the way, Dan Quayle and Pence were the other two VPs from Indiana--not something to brag about.)