Donald Trump is the first of many things: He’s the first twice-impeached president; He’s the first twice-divorced president; and Trump is also the first former president to be indicted on criminal charges. But Trump is not the first president to be arrested.
That distinction goes to 18th president of the United States and Civil War hero Ulysses S. Grant. According to a 2018 story in the Washington Post, president Grant was arrested “at the corner of 13th and M streets in Washington,” in 1872. Grant was the president at the time of his arrest on a misdemeanor charge of “speeding in his horse-drawn carriage.”
The history behind the incident shows far more integrity on the part of participants in the event, than crybaby-in-chief Trump. The story begins with the problem D.C. police faced, after the Civil War, with people speeding.
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In 2012, Cathy Lanier, D.C.’s police chief at the time, was interviewed for the 150th anniversary of the D.C. police department. She relayed the story that “The metropolitan police department actually stopped and cited Ulysses S. Grant three times for speeding” before the arrest incident.
According to the Post, an early Washington Evening Star story from back in 1908 related the arresting officer's account—who, in retirement, decided it was okay to tell. Civil War veteran and policeman William H. West, a Black man, was sent to investigate reports of speeding carriages. Officer West was interviewing witnesses at a site where a mother and her child had been hurt by a speeding carriage when a collection of speeding carriages approached him.
West stopped the carriages and it turned out that President Grant was one of the drivers. According to the Washington Post’s retelling of the story:
"Well, officer,” he said, “what do you want with me?"
West replied: “I want to inform you, Mr. President, that you are violating the law by speeding along this street. Your fast driving, sir, has set the example for a lot of other gentlemen."
President Grant was only warned that night, but Officer West was forced to stop the President again the following evening for speeding. According to the account, Grant began the exchange:
He said, “Do you think, officer, that I was violating the speed laws?”
“I do, Mr. President,” West said.
Grant had an excuse for his speeding, not unlike one no doubt being given somewhere right now: He had no idea he had been going so fast.
West was sympathetic but firm.
“I am very sorry, Mr. President, to have to do it,” he said, “for you are the chief of the nation, and I am nothing but a policeman, but duty is duty, sir, and I will have to place you under arrest.”
Cathy Lanier told WTOP that the D.C. police “ended up letting him pay a fine and walk back to the White House.” John Marszalek, executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, told NPR in 2018, “Grant puts down $20. West is a little embarrassed because, after all, this is the president of the United States. But he did his duty. And nothing is heard of it again.” In today’s dollars, Grant paid just under a $500 fine. Of course, Grant was speeding, and Donald Trump is possibly facing a relentless barrage of fraud, tax evasion, and obstruction. Twenty bucks might not cover the fines this time.