"But the President has paid dearly..."

[hfojvt]

8. Emerson (1803-1882)

lived through many Presidencies.

Without a date on the quote, there's no way to know if he's talking about Buchanan, Lincoln, Grant, etc.

Lincoln, of course, paid with his life, dying at age 56 instead of living to be 79 or older.

Ah ha, the date says 1841, so that would be Tyler. Or perhaps Tippecanoe, who was President for a month before he died at age 68

Here's a nice quote from Wiki, describing all the dust Harrison was eating.

"Harrison rebuffed his aggression, saying "Mr. Clay, you forget that I am the President."" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Harrison