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Winfield Scott Hancock (1824 – 1886) was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War. Known to his Army colleagues as "Hancock the Superb", he was noted in particular for his personal leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. His military service continued after the Civil War, as Hancock participated in the military Reconstruction of the South and the Army's presence at the Western frontier. After the Civil War, Hancock's reputation as a soldier and his dedication to conservative constitutional principles made him a quadrennial Presidential possibility. This nationwide popularity led the Democrats to nominate him for President in 1880. Although he ran a strong campaign, Hancock was defeated by Republican James Garfield by the closest popular vote margin in American history. Following the election, Hancock carried on as commander of the Division of the Atlantic, and was elected president of the National Rifle Association in 1881. (more...)
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Today's featured picture
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A stonemason at work in 1909, stonecutting an angel at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York.
The craft of stonemasonry—creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone—has existed since the dawn of civilization. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures. Some famous products of stonemasonry include the Taj Mahal, Easter Island's Moai statues, the Egyptian pyramids, Angkor Wat, Tihuanaco, Tenochtitlan, the Iranian Persepolis, the Greek Parthenon, Stonehenge, and Chartres Cathedral.
Photo credit: Bain News Service
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