Presidential footsteps through Waltham, from Washington to Carter

While no presidents have roots in Waltham, the city has hosted several presidents, dating back to the founding of the nation: 

In October 1789 President George Washington was escorted through Waltham by the Waltham Cavalry Troop as part of his inaugural New England tour to bolster support for the new federal government.

“At the time of the New England Tour, only eleven states had ratified the Constitution,” according to the website at Mount Vernon, Washington’s estate. “The Constitution was an untried document, having only been in use for five months at the time of the tour. Washington was well aware that as president he was the symbolic representation of the new government, and he fully intended to show on the tour that the federal government cared about all of its citizens.”

The fifth president, James Monroe, visited Waltham in 1817 to tour Boston Manufacturing Co., which was then a revolutionary model of industrial production. Monroe toured the factory to witness the industrial advancements of the nation firsthand. The visit was part of a 2,000-mile tour intended to boost national morale and bridge political divides following the War of 1812. Monroe’s 1817 tour was highly successful, with the Columbian Centinel in Boston, a Federalist newspaper, famously declaring the beginning of an “Era of Good Feelings” after his visit.

Ulysses S. Grant visited the world-renowned Waltham Watch Co. factory in 1870, according to the Waltham Museum. The factory was a major attraction known for high-quality, mass-produced watches, and it hosted notable figures, including Grant and the king of Hawaii, the museum stated. Waltham Watch, established in 1854, was celebrated for its advanced precision, specialized labor and workforce housing.

Although not yet president, John F. Kennedy visited Waltham on Jan. 2, 1960, the same day he announced his candidacy for the presidency. Kennedy, then a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, traveled to Waltham to appear on the television show “Prospects of Mankind,” hosted by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at Brandeis University.

President Jimmy Carter visited Waltham on Jan. 23, 2007, to speak at Brandeis University about his book, “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid.” Carter was greeted with a standing ovation. He spoke for 15 minutes and answered questions for about 45 minutes in Shapiro Gymnasium to more than 1,700 Brandeis students, faculty and staff members.