Happy Presidents’ Day! I’ve done many theme weeks about presidents, but I’ve never done one on Vice Presidents. So that’s what we’re kicking off today – I think you’ll be surprised at some of the interesting VPs we’ve had throughout history!
We’re starting out with Charles Dawes, who was the 30th Vice President under Calvin Coolidge from 1925-1929. He’s one of 3 Vice Presidents to win a Nobel Peace Prize. He won it in 1925 for his work on the Dawes Plan for World War I reparations and the resulting reduction in tensions between France and Germany. The other 2 V.P.s to win the award is Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Al Gore in 2007. Dawes was also a self-taught pianist, flutist, and composer. He composed a song called Melody in A Minor, which became a well-known piano and violin piece in 1912. In 1951, songwriter Carl Sigman added lyrics to Melody in A Minor, turning it into the song “It’s All in the Game”. Tommy Edwards recorded a version of the song which topped the Billboard charts for 6 weeks in 1958. Since then, it’s become a pop standard, recorded by the Four Tops, Isaac Hayes, Van Morrison, Elton John, and many many more. Dawes is the only U.S. Vice President credited with a number one pop hit. He and Bob Dylan are the only people credited with a number 1 pop hit to also win a Nobel Prize. Learn more in the audio below.