Massachusetts and presidency
From the "Wolf Blitzer Reports" staff
CNN
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- From the Boston Tea Party to Paul Revere's ride to the battles of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts helped give birth to America's independence.
So it's probably not surprising that two of the first six U.S. presidents were from Massachusetts: John and John Quincy Adams, the only father-and-son presidents until George and George W. Bush.
But after John Quincy Adams left office in 1829, there was a bit a drought.
There was one vice president, Henry Wilson, who served all of two years until he died in his chambers at the U.S. Capitol in 1875.
And Calvin Coolidge, who was born in Vermont, was governor of Massachusetts before he became president.
But it wasn't until 1961 that another Massachusetts native became president.
There was no mistaking John F. Kennedy's Massachusetts background. His Boston accent was an inspiration for comedians and mimics.
There was talk, for a time, of a Kennedy dynasty.
Robert Kennedy challenged incumbent president Lyndon Johnson for the Democratic nomination in 1968, but was assassinated after winning the California primary.
Edward Kennedy also challenged an incumbent for the Democratic presidential nomination, but his attempt to unseat Jimmy Carter in 1980 ended in defeat.
It wasn't until 1988 that Massachusetts again became a player in the presidential sweepstakes, but in that year, both major party candidates had Massachusetts roots.
George Bush and Michael Dukakis were both born in the Bay State, just a few miles from each other.
Bush, who had long since moved to Texas, of course, won that election. Dukakis, who had remained in Massachusetts, lost.
The late Senator Paul Tsongas made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992, but he lost to Bill Clinton.
This year, as Boston gets ready to host its first presidential nominating convention ever, Massachusetts is getting another chance to put a favorite son in the White House. The convention is scheduled to conclude with the nomination of Senator John Kerry.
