Wednesday, September 26, 2007

September 25, 1846:

Zachary Taylor Takes Monterrey


A number of presidential events happened on September 25. After of hard-fought battle against Mexican forces, Gen. Zachary Taylor, later 12th President of the United States, captured the Mexican city of Monterrey on this day in 1846. President Polk, mindful of Taylor winning too much military glory, did not reward Taylor for his success, but in fact removed most of his command from him and gave it to Winfield Scott. Nevertheless, the following spring, Taylor won another signal victory at Buena Vista, and by 1848 the formerly apolitical general was the Whig candidate for the presidency -- and won.


On this day in 1957, President Eisenhower used the US Army to enforce desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas -- the 50th anniversary has been well publicized. In 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor of Arizona was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court. The first Supreme Court appointee of President Reagan, she has the distinction of being the first woman to hold the position.

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