Ulysses S. Grant Dies: On This Day, July 23, 1885

On July 23, 1885, Ulysses S. Grant, a Union general in the Civil War and the 18th president of the United States, died at the age of 63. He had struggled with throat cancer for a year while rushing to finish his memoirs, the proceeds from which he hoped would support his wife, Julia Grant. Grant died surrounded by his family, including his eldest son, Frederick Dent Grant. Soon after, Frederick  sent a telegram to his brother’s father-in-law:

To Hon J B Chaffee, 

Father died at Eight Oclock this morning, 

F. D. Grant

The news arrived in Denver, Colorado, later that same day. The telegraph in the late nineteenth century allowed relatively rapid sharing of such news, but the format allowed for short messages only, and any explanation of the full circumstances would have to await a letter.