“PRESIDENTIAL FACTS”
Howie Bendau
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1. WASHINGTON, GEORGE 1789-1797
1. Home State: Virginia
2. “Father of the American Mule” - successfully bred a donkey and
horse.
3. Sent the first air-mail letter (to Jean-Pierre Blanchard of France),
it was carried by hot-air-balloon from Philly to New Jersey.
4. He was elected unanimously (without any dissenting votes).
5. DID YOU KNOW: Many stories about Washington were fiction:
He never chopped down a cherry tree (Parson Weems invented
the story about young Washington chopping down a cherry tree
to illustrate his honesty) and no wooden teeth (made of ivory,
lead, human, sheep, and cows)
2. ADAMS, JOHN 1797-1801
1. Home State: Massachusetts
2. He was a teacher before becoming a lawyer.
3. Everyone in his family refused to attend his inauguration.
4. He defended Preston and the British soldiers in the Boston
Massacre.
5. DID YOU KNOW: He was the first President to live in the White
House. (He used to be the only Chief Executive whose son also
served as President - no longer true with election of G.W. Bush)
3. JEFFERSON, THOMAS 1801-1809
1. Home State: Virginia
2. Nicknamed - “Red Fox” and “Father of the American Dollar”
(devised the decimal system for money).
3. His VP Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
4. Wrote the Declaration of Independence
5. He was an architect, (Monticello, Virginia capital, University of
Virginia), musician, (violin) and inventor (folding chair and dumb
waiter).
6. DID YOU KNOW: He had so many books, they used his collection
to begin the Library of Congress.
4. MADISON, JAMES 1809-1817
1. Home state: Virginia
2. President during the War of 1812
3. “Father of the American Constitution”
4. In 1814 he had to flee the White House because it was burned by
the British.
5. DID YOU KNOW: Shortest President – 5 feet 4 inches tall.
5. MONROE, JAMES 1817-1825
1. Home State: Virginia
2. Ran unopposed and got all electoral votes, but one.
3. During War of 1812 he was both the Secretary of War and the
Secretary of State (under Madison).
4. He wrote the Monroe Doctrine (it warned European countries not
to take over or settle on any land in North or South America) Keystone of American Foreign Policy today.
5. DID YOU KNOW: His wife died of severe burns when she fainted
into their fireplace.
6. ADAMS, JOHN QUINCY 1825-1829
1. Home State: Massachusetts
2. Son of Second President - John Adams.
3. Installed the first pool table in the White House.
4. Negotiated the Treaty of Ghent to end the War of 1812.
5. DID YOU KNOW: He used to skinny dip in the Potomac River
every morning on his way to work at the White House - 5:00am.
7. JACKSON, ANDREW 1829-1837
1. Home State: Tennessee
2. Many firsts: First to be victim of assassination attempt, first
president to take a train ride, first President born in a log
cabin, first President to pay off all national government debt.
3. Gambler, quick tempered, tough, dueled often - “Old Hickory”
4. Enacted the “Indian Removal Act” that sent Eastern Native
Americans on “Trail of Tears” to Oklahoma.
5. DID YOU KNOW: Fought in the Revolutionary War at age 13 and
was a prisoner of war (captured, refused to shine a British
soldier’s boot, was then struck with a sword scarring his face).
8. VAN BUREN, MARTIN 1837-1841
1. Home State: New York
2. Nickname was Old Kinderhook (town in New York where he was
born) - signed official papers O.K. (this is most likely the origin
of today’s “okay”)
3. Because he was President during the 1837 Depression, he was
often referred to as Van RUIN.
4. First President to be born as an official U.S. citizen.
5. DID YOU KNOW: First began working as a lawyer at age 14.
9. HARRISON, WILLIAM H. 1841
1. Home State: Ohio
2. Only served one month in office - caught a cold at his inauguration
and died of pneumonia one month later.
3. His wife never saw the inside of the White House.
4. He ran under the slogan “Tippicanoe and Tyler too!”
5. First President elected from the new “Whig” party.
6. DID YOU KNOW: The only President whose grandson also became
President.
10. TYLER, JOHN 1841-1845
1. Home State: Virginia
2. Educated at William and Mary College
3. He had 15 children.
4. Texas and Florida were admitted to the union under Tyler.
5. He split with Whig party because he vetoed every major bill they
sent him (very little accomplished/Whigs tried to impeach him).
6. DID YOU KNOW: He was the first president to get married while
in office - his second marriage.
11. POLK, JAMES 1845-1849
1. Home State: Tennessee
2. A former slave owner with little concern for social problems.
3. He started the tradition of playing “Hail to the Chief” whenever
the President arrives at official meetings or functions.
4. His wife served as his official secretary – they had no children.
5. DID YOU KNOW: Because of his wife’s strong religious beliefs there was no drinking, dancing, or card-playing at White House
functions.
12. TAYLOR, ZACHARY 1849-1850
1. Home State: Louisiana
2. He was a career military man - been in military for 40 years before
becoming President. (Never held a political office)
3. He became a national hero after the Mexican War.
4. He created the Department of Interior (Roads, bridges, etc.)
5. DID YOU KNOW: He died in office after only a year when he
developed a stomach ailment (cholera from food bacteria after dining on pickled cucumbers, cherries and buttermilk.)
13. FILLMORE, MILLARD 1850-1853
1. Home State: New York
2. His first profession was a tailor.
3. He was the last President from the Whig party.
4. Passed the Compromise of 1850 (delayed Civil War for about ten
more years)
5. DID YOU KNOW: We don’t know much about him - his son burned
most information about him after his death.
14. PIERCE, FRANKLIN 1853-1857
1. Home State: New Hampshire
2. Lawyer and politician – heavy drinker
3. Went to college with the famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne (author of SCARLET LETTER & HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES).
4. He became unpopular because his stance on slavery kept changing.
5. White House got hot and cold running water during his term.
5. DID YOU KNOW: His wife was called “The Shadow in the White
House” - she stayed in her room for 2 years mourning the death
of her son hit by a train (this was the third child to die).
15. BUCHANAN, JAMES 1857-1861
1. Home State: Pennsylvania
2. Not a successful President – (bought slaves just to free them, but
followed the ruling in Dred Scott - slaves are property not
people)
3. 7 of 15 states left the union while he was President (he did
nothing - didn’t want to be President who started Civil War).
4. He had one good eye for each type of vision (turned his head
depending on which eye he needed to use).
5. DID YOU KNOW: He was the only unmarried Pres. (used niece)
16. LINCOLN, ABRAHAM 1861-1865
1. Home State: Illinois (KY)
2. Nicknamed “Honest Abe: because of his integrity.
3. Shot during his second term by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s
Theater while watching Our American Cousin.
4. He was the first Republican President.
5. Wrote all his own speeches including the Gettysburg Address.
6. DID YOU KNOW: First President to be photographed at
inauguration and John Wilkes Booth is in the photograph.
17. JOHNSON, ANDREW 1865-1869
1. Home State: Tennessee (N.C.)
2. He was the only southern Senator who did not resign and secede
with his state, so Lincoln made him Vice President.
3. President during the reconstruction after the Civil War.
4. First President to have an impeachment trial (acquitted by 1 vote he vetoed bills and fired Sec. of State Stanton)
5. DID YOU KNOW: During his term, we bought Alaska for $7.2
million. (People had 3 yrs. to decide if they would stay or go)
18. GRANT, ULYSSES S. 1869-1877
1. Home State: Illinois (Ohio)
2. Educated at West Point.
3. Civil War hero known for smoking cigars during battle (smoked 20
cigars a day)
4. The S stands for Simpson - his mother’s maiden name (His real
name - Hiram Ulysses Grant - but he changed it because he
didn’t like his initials.)
5. DID YOU KNOW: He got several slaves as a wedding gift, but set
them free.
19. HAYES, RUTHERFORD 1877-1881
1. Home State: Ohio – (home in Fremont is open to public for touring)
2. Traveled around country in disguise to talk to people about politics.
3. His wife was the first FIRST LADY to have a college degree.
4. His motto - “He serves his party best who serves his country best.”
- based appointments on merit rather than favoritism/influence.
5. First President to use a telephone.
6. DID YOU KNOW: He wrote his speeches and did his work in the
bathroom. (it was the only place to get peace from kids/guests)
20. GARFIELD, JAMES 1881
1. Home State: Ohio (home in Mentor is open to the public)
2. Major General in the Civil War.
3. Assassinated by Charles Guiteau only four months into his term.
4. First left-handed President.
5. His presidential staff was the first to use typewriters.
6. DID YOU KNOW: At the age of 26 he became President of Hiram
College.
21. ARTHUR, CHESTER A. 1881-1885
1. Home State: New York
2. He became President when Garfield died – best known for
modernizing the American Navy (with 4 new steel warships).
3. His wife died just before becoming President (used his sister)
4. He was the first man to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (1883).
5. DID YOU KNOW: He refused to move into the White House until
it was redecorated and a bathtub was installed.
22. CLEVELAND, GROVER 1885-1889
1. Home State: New York
2. Only President to serve non-consecutive terms.
3. Only President to get married inside the White House.
4. His wife was the youngest first lady - 21 years old (daughter of a
deceased friend and he was 49).
5. DID YOU KNOW: Candy Bar “Baby Ruth” was named after
Cleveland’s daughter.
23. HARRISON, BENJAMIN 1889-1893
1. Home State: Indiana
2. His grandfather was William Henry Harrison – 9th President.
3. More new states were admitted into the union during his term than
any other - 6 (ND, SD, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming brought total to 44)
4. His nickname was “Little Ben” - he was only 5’6” tall
5. DID YOU KNOW: Electric Lights were first installed in the White
House during his term, but they were seldom used for fear of
being shocked.
24. CLEVELAND, GROVER 1893-1897
1. Home State: New York
2. Only President to serve non-consecutive terms.
3. He was the first Democratic President elected after the Civil War.
4. He paid a Polish immigrant $150 to fight in his place in the Civil
War (was legal – made him the first President since the Civil
War who had not fought in that conflict).
5. DID YOU KNOW: During this term as President, he got mouth
cancer - he kept his illness a secret, had surgery aboard a yacht
- it changed his appearance only slightly. Public didn’t know until
24 years later.
25. McKINLEY, WILLIAM 1897-1901
1. Home State: Ohio (McKinley Birthplace Memorial and Museum
open to public in Niles, Ohio)
2. His wife was an invalid, and he never left her side, so he became
famous for his “Front Porch” campaign for Presidency.
3. Nicknamed the “Idol of Ohio”
4. He was the third Chief Executive to be assassinated, six months
into his second term, by Leon Czolgosz.
5. DID YOU KNOW: He was the first man in his home town to
volunteer for the Civil War, and the last Civil War Veteran to
become President.
26. ROOSEVELT, THEODORE 1901-1909
1. Home State: New York
2. His motto on foreign policy was: “Speak softly and carry a big
stick”.
3. Led the Rough Riders cavalry through the Spanish-American War.
4. First President to fly in a plane - 4 minutes long - built by Wright
Brothers.
5. First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize (negotiating peace
between Russia and Japan).
6. DID YOU KNOW: There was an attempted assassination on his
life, and it didn’t stop him from delivering a campaign speech.
(He later went to the hospital - the bullet was never removed a metal eyeglass case and a speech in his pocket kept the bullet
from reaching his heart).
27. TAFT, WILLIAM 1909-1913
1. Home State: Ohio (Home in Cincinnati is open for touring)
2. He weighed over 330 pounds as the President.
3. Childhood nickname “Big Lub”. (Did get stuck in the bath tub)
4. Taft was the first President to open the major league season by
throwing out the “honorary first pitch”.
5. His wife is responsible for the famous Cherry Trees planted on the
White House lawn.
6. DID YOU KNOW: He considered his appointment as Chief Justice
to the U.S. Supreme Court a greater honor than when he was
President of the U.S.
28. WILSON, WOODROW 1913-1921
1. Home State: New Jersey
2. He was the first President to cross Atlantic Ocean to attend the
Paris Peace Conference.
3. He had a major stroke in 1919, became paralyzed, and his 2nd wife
helped him to continue serving as President.
4. He set up the Federal Reserve System (controls nation’s money).
5. First President to have a Ph.D.
6. DID YOU KNOW: During WWI, to conserve on gas and manpower,
a flock of sheep was brought to the White House to keep the
grass “mowed” short naturally.
29. HARDING, WARREN G. 1921-1923
1. Home State: Ohio
2. First President elected when women could vote.
3. Campaign slogan: “Return to Normalcy” (after WWI).
4. First time election returns were broadcast on the radio.
5. DID YOU KNOW: He died suddenly (pneumonia or a heart attack)
in 1923 after a trip to Alaska just when rumors of corruption
surfaced (Teapot Dome scandal, Secretary of Interior, Albert
Fall, rented our oil reserves to businesses and kept profits).
30. COOLIDGE, CALVIN
1923-1929
1. Home State: Massachusetts
2. Nicknamed “Silent Cal” because he rarely spoke.
3. Charles Lindbergh had first solo flight across Atlantic during his
Presidency.
4. Chief Justice Taft gave him the oath of office when he was
elected. - First time a former President had done that.
5. Born on the fourth of July.
6. DID YOU KNOW: When Harding died, Coolidge took the oath of
office from his own dad (notary public/justice of the peace).
31. HOOVER, HERBERT 1929-1933
1. Home State: California
2. First President elected from west of the Mississippi.
3. President during Great Depression (never accepted his Presidential
salary).
4. One of only four Presidents to live to 90. (Reagan/Ford/Adams)
5. DID YOU KNOW: Star Spangled Banner became our official
National Anthem during his term.
32. ROOSEVELT, FRANKLIN D. (5th cousin of Teddy) 1933-1945
1. Home State: New York
2. He was the first President to appoint a woman to his cabinet.
3. Served for more than 12 years (4 terms).
4. He gave radio broadcasts called “Fireside Chats” to inform public.
5. First President to appear on television.
6. Declared war on Japan after Pearl Harbor.
7. DID YOU KNOW: He contracted polio (later he was able to take
steps with the aid of leg braces and crutches. He
was not photographed unless seated or standing still).
33. TRUMAN, HARRY S. 1945-1953
1. Home State: Missouri
2. Became President when Roosevelt died.
3. He never went to college.
4. He gave order to have Atomic Bomb dropped on Japan to end
WWII.
5. Signed legislation that ended segregation in the Armed Forces.
6. DID YOU KNOW: He had no middle name. The S. was to please
his grandparents, named Solomon Young and Anderson Shippe.
34. EISENHOWER, DWIGHT D. 1953-1961
1. Home State: New York
2. Campaign Slogan – “I Like Ike”
3. Commander of Allied European Forces in WWII (Led D-Day
invasion of France - June 6, 1944)
4. First President over all 50 states.
5. Sent Federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to integrate schools.
6. DID YOU KNOW: First President to be on color TV.
35. KENNEDY, JOHN F. 1961-1963
1. Home State: Massachusetts
2. First Catholic to become President.
3. Youngest man ever elected President.
4. Started the Peace Corps
5. Wrote book - PROFILES IN COURAGE about brave deeds
performed by Senators - won a Pulitzer Prize for it.
6. DID YOU KNOW: He was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.
36. JOHNSON, LYNDON B. 1963-1969
1. Home State: Texas
2. Became President when Kennedy was killed/took oath of office on
Air Force One (the Presidential plane).
3. President during most of the Vietnam War.
4. Created the Food Stamp System.
5. DID YOU KNOW: First space walk took place during his term.
37. NIXON, RICHARD 1969-1974
1. Home State: New York
2. Originally ran against Kennedy and lost - very close race.
3. First President that 18 year olds could vote for.
4. First President to visit China while in office (1972 - “Journey of
Peace”).
5. DID YOU KNOW: Only President to resign office on Aug. 8, 1974.
38. FORD, GERALD 1974-1977
1. Home State: Michigan
2. Took office when Nixon resigned. Only President to serve without
ever being elected - appointed VP, appointed President.
3. His wife, Betty, was an alcoholic, and started the Betty Ford Clinic.
4. He pardoned Nixon and this is why he did not get re-elected.
5. DID YOU KNOW: There were 2 assassination attempts on his life,
both in September 1975.
39. CARTER, JIMMY 1977-1981
1. Home State: Georgia
2. Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy.
3. He was a successful peanut farmer from Plains, GA.
4. Canceled US participation in 1980 Summer Olympic Games in
Moscow, because Russia invaded Afghanistan.
5. Speed Reader - 2000 words per minute
6. DID YOU KNOW: He won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping found
Habitat for Humanity and for other efforts for world peace.
40. REAGAN, RONALD 1981-1989
1. Home State: California
2. Oldest man ever to be elected President at 69 years of age.
3. Only President to have been divorced.
4. March 1981 - shot by Hinckley, who was found not guilty by reason
of insanity.
5. He was a film and television actor before entering politics.
6. DID YOU KNOW: He appointed the first woman to the US
Supreme Court - Sandra Day O’Connor.
41. BUSH, GEORGE (H.W.) [SR.] 1989-1993
1. Home State: Texas
2. Youngest commissioned fighter pilot during WWII.
3. Refused to eat broccoli at the White House - upset broccoli
growers in USA.
4. Asked Congress to declare war on Iraq for invading Kuwait in 1990
- this became the Persian Gulf War.
5. DID YOU KNOW: He is a distant cousin of Princess Diana.
42. CLINTON, BILL 1993-2001
1. Home State: Arkansas
2. He was a Rhodes Scholar - studied at Oxford (England) for 2 yrs.
3. Signed into law the Brady Bill, which requires a waiting period
before purchasing a handgun.
4. Second President to be impeached - not guilty.
5. Was inspired at 16 to become President when he met Pres. Kennedy
6. DID YOU KNOW: He is a talented musician - plays saxophone.
43. BUSH, GEORGE W. [JR.] 2001-2008
1. Home State: Texas
2. Only second time in U.S. history the son of a President also
becomes President.
3. He served as an F-102 pilot in the Texas Air National Guard.
4. He was President during World Trade Center bombings and the
current War in Iraq.
5. DID YOU KNOW: He was an owner/partner of the Texas Rangers
baseball team until he became governor of Texas.
44. O Bama, Barack
2008-present
1. Home State: Illinois
Born in Hawaii
2. First African American President of the USA (he is bi racial)
3. Was formerly an Illinois senator
4. Brings 2 young daughters to live in the White House, the first time
young children live there in a along time.
5. DID YOU KNOW: His favorite sport is basketball & can bench
press 300 lbs!!!