Picture by Alvimann

On this day, the day we celebrate the beginning of our country, there will be many blogs doing just that.

They will show all the different wonderful parts of our country – the beautiful vistas, the bustling cities, flag pictures, houses with red, white and blue potted flowers, past firework displays.

I thought about celebrating the Fourth in this manner or explaining some great historical bit of fascinating trivia. However, I am not doing that at all. I am going to celebrate this day by celebrating historical hunks.

Alexander Hamilton by Alonzo Chappell; Image from Wikipedia

It started when I did my post on Alexander Hamilton and someone noted his wonderful eyes.

Here are the facts about Hamilton. He created the banking system of our country, was the first secretary of the Treasury,  wrote parts of the constitution and married into the historic and politically connected Schuyler family of New York.

He was a hunk of his time and allegedly had several affairs. When the husband of Maria Reynolds tried to blackmail him over their affair, Hamilton effectively ended his political aspirations for higher office by publicly admitting to the affair and apologizing to his family.

Joseph Smith was a descendant of a Mayflower passenger; Image from Mayflowerhistory.com

Next up on the hunk list is Joseph Smith, the founder of the mormon church. He said he found golden tablets that established the Latter Day Saints movement, tried create various settlements in Illinois and Missouri, privately stated polygamy was a great way to live, ran for President of the United States and was killed by a mob in Illinois in 1844 when he was 38.

What you have to know about this handsome devil is that he grew up during the Second Awakening religious movement of our country. But there was a tradition of folk magic that influenced him as well. As a young man he was a ‘treasure hunter’ who would find treasure for you when he would put a magic stone in a white stovepipe hat.

Plus, he was handsome and charming. This allowed him to pull the wool over a lot of eyes, although his in-laws hated him.  Look at his coolly assertive eyes and those handsome cheekbones. After reading his history, I am not sure what to call him but a christian is not one name I would pick.

So you want another good-looking man from history. How about Ulysses S. Grant?

Image from clangrant-us.org

This image is from 1863 in the middle of the civil war. Grant has the reputation as a drinker. According to the Clan Grant website this is not true. Abraham Lincoln was once quoted as saying “If this is what helps him win, then send a case to the other generals. ”

Grant was known as a throughly charming although unpretentious man. His behavior towards Robert E. Lee at the end of the war did much to heal the wounds of the war. If that was not enough it was Grant who established the first National Park in Yosemite in 1873. He would not allow his generals to decimate the Indian population. When his family had suffered a huge financial loss due to theft, Grant made sure that all of his debts were paid back. Near the end of his life, Grant wrote a memoir despite dealing with the pain of throat cancer that would support his family for the rest of their lives. There is a lot to respect in those actions. For me, it is this straight on look that makes him handsome. There is something there that one can trust. You are reassured just by his steadiness. And his two vices in the world? His horses and his kids. Yep, I have become a big fan. Now it is your turn. Who in American history do you find incredibly handsome?