In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Chapter 28 The Wanderer’s Return In reaching Jacksonville the next morning, Senator Fletcher1 and a few friends met the train. We reached our home in Eustis, Florida, in the afternoon. A comfortable boardinghouse was available, and we stayed there while the home was being repaired. Sometime before the expiration of my tour as chief of staff, a financial corporation in Boston had asked me to join it on retirement . I wanted to do so, but the Depression had so reduced the volume of business that the idea was abandoned. On reaching Florida , I received many letters asking me to run for governor or U.S. senator. I considered the possibilities. Much money would have been required, and we had only some small legacies left to my dear wife. They would not have been enough, and I would not have used them. A man offered me $25,000 for a campaign to be governor, but I declined on the ground that he would control me. My dear wife also objected to a political career. I was also offered the position of road commissioner in a Southern state at a large salary. It was involved in politics, and my dear wife strongly advised against it. But, when a telegram arrived that offered me the presidency of the Citadel,2 the military college of South Carolina, she thought well of this, and, after visiting the college, I accepted. Some months later, I was invited to address the joint session of the South Carolina general assembly. In the meantime, the city of Tampa gave us a large reception, and the Florida legislature invited me to address a joint session. We stayed with the governor while in Tallahassee. We also drove to various places in the state at some of which I was invited to speak. Our winter in Florida was one of the happiest periods of our lives. While we had been in Washington, my wife bought a Chevrolet for her personal use, as the official car should not be used for private purposes. She learned to drive, but a driver in Washington took the car to Eustis. I learned to drive, and we thus became independent. The people in Eustis and the nearby towns were most friendly, and we saw much of them. The Wanderer’s Return 217 My retirement was effective March 31, 1931. In June, we drove to Charleston for the commencement at the Citadel. Colonel Bond,3 the retiring president, and Mrs. Bond gave us a reception. We then drove to Washington for a visit to our son’s family at Fort Myer and returned to Vella Crucis, North Carolina, where we spent the summer. My dear wife was not well, and, when we returned to Charleston on September 1 to take up my duties at the Citadel, she became quite ill. I took her to Walter Reed Army Hospital, where she remained for some weeks until she recovered. I returned to Charleston and entered on my duties as president of the Citadel on September 12, 1931. ...

Share