Trivia 4-26-16 Small World

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General Henry A. Wise, an ex-governor of Virginia and a Confederate general, had married the sister of General Ulysses S. Grant.

Edit - The question asked for a general who was maritally related to a past president.

I think this has to be interpreted as meaning someone who was president prior to the Civil War. If it was supposed to be interpreted as meaning someone who would be considered a past president today, that would open it up to every president up through George W. Bush, and I can't believe that was the intent of the person who composed the question.

Under the interpretation that the correct answer had to be related to someone who was president prior to the Civil War, Wise is not a correct answer, since Grant, of course, didn't become president until after the Civil War.

Hoosier
 
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I´m not sure if I´m misunderstanding and mixing up the maritally thing, so all I say could be right in content but wrong for the question. Anyway here is my answer; it is (sigh) Robert E. Lee.

George Washington was a great grandfather-in-law via adoption.
Thomas Jefferson was a second cousin-in-law twice removed.
James Madison was a first cousin-in-law twice removed via adoption.
James Monroe was a second cousin once removed of Arthur A.M. Payne, who in turn was a third cousin-in-law via adoption.
Martin van Buren was a third cousin-in-law twice removed of Douglas Robinson Jr., who in turn was a third cousin-in-law twice removed of Mary C.M. Fitzhugh, who in turn was a third cousin-in-law.
James K. Polk was a third cousin of Mary Townsend Polk, who in turn was a third cousin-in-law of Mary C.M. Fitzhugh, who as said was a third cousin-in-law.
Zachary Taylor was a third cousin, once removed.

Source would be Robert E. Lee: A Life Portrait by David J. Eicher.

Edit - Oh, mercy! :eek:

I'll accept your first answer as correct. I don't even want to try to check into second and third cousins at various degrees of removal.

Hoosier
 
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Lt. General Richard Taylor - son of former President, Zachary Taylor (and brother in law of one Jefferson Davis who became a former president)


http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/richard-taylor.html

Edit - You're correct that Richard Taylor was Zachary Taylor's son and that he was the brother in law of Jeff Davis, but the first was not a marital relationship and Davis was not a past president at the time of the Civil War.

Hoosier
 
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Robert E. Lee was married to Mary (Custis) Lee. Great-granddaughter of Martha Washington by first husband and step-great-granddaughter of President George Washington.

Edit - Correct, Discipulus. Welcome to the trivia game.

Hope you'll come back and play again.

Hoosier
 
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General Lee was married to the granddaughter of George Washington's wife Martha.

Jefferson Davis wasn't a general, but his first wife was the daughter of Zachary Taylor.
 
Jefferson Davis was son-in-law, briefly, of Zachary Taylor before Taylor became president
Sarah Knox "Knoxie" Taylor Davis
They married in 1835 and she died three months later of malaria.

On January 23, 1861, before Jefferson was appointed C.S.A. President, Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus
made Davis a Major General of the Army of Mississippi.[15]
Therefore it could be implied; he was a "C.S.A. General", before he was inaugurated on February 18, 1861.


My answer is hinged on the Trivia God's interpretation of the phrases; "maritally related", "past President" and
"C.S.A. General"

Davis was an ex-son-in-law of a past President, "past" = before civil war ?

Another interesting fact, but does not qualify as "past President""
CSA General Benjamin Harden Helm, killed at Chickamauga
Helm was married to Emilie Todd, the half-sister of Mary Todd Lincoln.
Lincoln's brother-in-law but Lincoln was not a "past (?)" president

Edit - I will accept Jefferson Davis as a correct answer.

I am interpreting "maritally related" to mean there has to be an "in-law" involved, and Davis was Taylor's son-in-law.

I am interpreting "past" president to mean before the Civil War, so Taylor was a past president.

"C.S.A." could stand for "Confederate States Army" or "Confederate States of America." It isn't clear which was the intent of the questioner, so I have to accept either interpretation. Davis was named President before the Confederate States Army was officially created, so he was not a general in the Confederate States Army - but the Confederate States of America was officially created before Davis was named President, so since he was a general in the Mississippi militia and Mississippi was a Confederate state, he was a general in the Confederate States of America.

Hoosier
 
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Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), was the son of Henry Lee III, and probably the most famous member of the Lee family. He served as Confederate general in the United States Civil War and President of Washington and Lee University, which was named for him and for George Washington. Washington and Lee University houses Lee Chapel, burial site of several members of the Lee family, as well as the Lee Family Digital Archive.

He was married to Mary Anna Randolph Custis,[6] who was a granddaughter of Martha Washington
That would make R.E. Lee the great grand son in law of Pres. George Washington
 
Robert E. Lee was married to Mary Anna Custis, son of George Washington Parke Custis who was the adopted grandson of President George Washington?

Edit - You have all the right names here, so I'll give you credit for a correct answer, although Mary Anna Custis was, of course, the daughter, not the son, of George Washington Parke Custis.

Hoosier
 
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President Jefferson Davis, who held the rank of Major General, Army of Mississippi, was one time married to Sarah Knox Taylor, daughter of Zachary Taylor which made him that previous Presidents son-in- law.
 
Robert E Lee, who's wife Mary Anna Randolph Custis (1808–73), great-granddaughter of Martha Washington by her first husband Daniel Parke Custis, and step-great-granddaughter of George Washington, the first president of the United States.
 
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