In Memoriam: Ulysses S. Grant V, great-grandson of 18th U.S. president
This cabinet card picturing Ulysses S. Grant is said to have come from the family. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Kaminski Auctions.
Ulysses S. Grant V spent part of his youth in the home of his grandfather, Jesse Grant, who was the late president’s youngest son. Jesse Grant’s wife, Elizabeth, is credited with helping to save the artifacts.
As an adult, Grant V became a custodian to the items – including his famous relative’s letters, his will, his China and even the flag said to have flown over the Appomattox Court House when Robert E. Lee surrendered. Some of the items have been sold in recent years.
“It was everywhere growing up,” said Grant V’s grandson, Ulysses S. Grant VI. “It was an everyday part of our life.”
Grant VI said his grandfather died March 2 at age 90 at his home near the Springfield-area town of Battlefield, which received its name for its proximity to a Civil War clash. He had suffered a stroke previously.
Grant VI said Grant V was “proud of his heritage” and “the smartest man I ever met.” He said they had a special relationship because he was born on his grandfather’s 50th birthday.
Grant V called him Sam – a nickname the late president’s West Point classmates gave him because his initials, “U.S.,” reminded them of “Uncle Sam.” In reality, the general was actually born Hiram Ulysses Grant, but the congressman who submitted his name to West Point mixed it up. Grant adopted the new name.
His great-grandson, Grant V, followed in his great-grandfather’s footsteps, serving in World War II and Korea. He later owned an avocado-growing operation in California and designed buildings before moving to Missouri to be closer to family.
Keya Morgan, who collects Grant memorabilia and is writing a book and making a film about the general, struck up a friendship with Grant V. Morgan called his death “the end of an era.”
“He was a historian,” said Morgan, who also is serving as a spokesman for the family. “He kept his family’s history intact.”
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-CS-03-07-11 2130EST
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
A carte de visite of the Grant family pictures youngest son Jesse Grant standing to the right of his father, Ulysses S. Grant. Jesse was the grandfather of Ulysses S. Grant V, who died recently. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.
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