While the U.S. presidency is one of the most important jobs in the land, it’s not without its less-serious side. Do you know which President had a dog named Veto, or who kept a giant wheel of cheese on display at the White House? The facts below, culled from around our website, include some historic firsts, some notable contributions, and at least one pygmy hippopotamus. Read on for 25 of our most share-worthy facts about the commanders in chief.
The grandson of 10th President John Tyler is still alive
More than 200 years after the 10th President of the United States was born, one of his grandsons is still alive. As impossible as that may seem, the math — and biology — checks out. John Tyler, who was born in 1790 and became President in 1841, had a son named Lyon Gardiner Tyler in 1853. This son was born to the then-60-something Tyler and his second, much younger, wife, Julia Gardiner. Lyon then had two sons of his own in his 70s (also with a much younger second wife), one of whom — Harrison Ruffin Tyler, born in 1928 — is still gracing the Earth in his early 90s. It may make this feat slightly less surprising to know that Tyler had 15 children, more than any other POTUS in U.S. history.
More than 200 years after the 10th President of the United States was born, one of his grandsons is still alive. As impossible as that may seem, the math — and biology — checks out. John Tyler, who was born in 1790 and became President in 1841, had a son named Lyon Gardiner Tyler in 1853. This son was born to the then-60-something Tyler and his second, much younger, wife, Julia Gardiner. Lyon then had two sons of his own in his 70s (also with a much younger second wife), one of whom — Harrison Ruffin Tyler, born in 1928 — is still gracing the Earth in his early 90s. It may make this feat slightly less surprising to know that Tyler had 15 children, more than any other POTUS in U.S. history.
Lincoln had considered joining the Donner Party Expedition
In the spring of 1847, American newspapers printed horrifying reports about an ill-fated group of pioneers who had become trapped in the Sierra Nevada over the winter. With few provisions and facing unbearable cold, nearly half of the group’s 81 members perished before rescue parties could find them. Eventually, the Donner Party’s tragic tale became embedded in American history, but it could have had a much greater impact had a young Illinois lawyer chosen to join the group.
In the 1840s, emigrants were itching to go westin search of gold, new beginnings, and a glimpse of the West Coast’s famed beauty. So it wasn’t strange that Abraham Lincoln, then working as a lawyer, helped at least one traveler settle his affairs before beginning the journey. An Irish entrepreneur named James Reed had known Lincoln from their days serving together in the Black Hawk War in 1832. According to the historian Michael Wallis, Reed — a founder of the Donner Party — extended an invitation to the 37-year-old lawyer and his family to join the voyage. Lincoln was likely tempted: He reportedly had a lifelong interest in visiting California. But his wife, Mary Todd, was adamant they should remain in Illinois, considering the difficulty of 2,000 miles of wagon travel with a young son and a baby on the way. Lincoln ended up trading his dream of westward travel for political ambitions that took him much further in history when he became the 16th President 15 years later.
Van Buren was the only one whose first language wasn’t English
Having grown up in the Dutch-speaking community of Kinderhook, New York, Van Buren was the only President whose first language was not English. Although Van Buren worked hard to mask his original tongue, observers claim his accent would surface whenever he became visibly excited.
Martin Van Buren was also the first President born a U.S. citizen. Though his seven predecessors were also born in what’s now the United States of America, they came into the world as British subjects. Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782 — six years after the Declaration of Independence was signed and less than a year before the Revolutionary War officially ended.
No one in the military will ever outrank Washington
While every acting President serves as the commander in chief of the U.S. military, nobody will ever outrank George Washington. He was posthumously given the rank of General of the Armies of the United States, sometimes compared to being a six-star general. Although General John J. Pershing also held the title for his service during WWI, when President Ford appointed Washington in 1976 — 200 years after Washington’s heyday — he specified that our first President would always rank first among all Army officers past and present.
The “S” in Ulysses S. Grant doesn’t stand for anything
Ulysses S. Grant is one of the most important figures in U.S. history, so it’s strange that many Americans don’t know his real name. Born Hiram Ulysses Grant on April 27, 1822, Grant went by the name “Ulysses” from a young age (even when boys teased him with names like “Useless Grant”). So where does the “S” come from?
In mid-June of 1864, during the height of the Civil War, Congressman Elihu B. Washburne had the same question and wrote to Grant in search of an answer. “In answer to your letter,” Grant wrote in response, “I can only state nothing.” Twenty-five years earlier, when U.S. Congressman Thomas Hamer nominated Grant to the prestigious military academy West Point, he wrote the then-17-year-old’s name as “Ulysses S. Grant,” thinking his middle initial was “S” for his mother’s maiden name, “Simpson.” Grant tried to remedy the error, but to no avail — the “S” even appeared on his diploma. The mistake proved prophetic as the object of his lifelong devotion became embedded within his very name: U.S. Grant.
No president has been an only child
In the sibling department, every President has had, at minimum, one half-brother or half-sister. However, a few Presidents are sometimes considered to have been raised as only children — most notably Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose only half-sibling (his father’s oldest son, James) was 28 years FDR’s senior. Bill Clinton’s half-brother, Roger, is about a decade younger than him. Barack Obama also has a 10-year age gap with his younger half-sister Maya, although he learned later in life that he had at least five more half-siblings on his father’s side. Meanwhile, Gerald Ford is the only child his mother and father produced, but he was raised with three younger half-brothers after his mother remarried, and as a teen, he learned that he also had three younger half-sisters, via his father.
4 presidents didn’t have VPs
For about 37 years of its 245-year history, the U.S. has been without a second-in-command. Before the passage of the 25th Amendment in 1967, there was no procedure for filling the role if a commander in chief died in office. Instead, there just wasn’t a VP if that happened — at least not until the next presidential election. Thanks to this legislative quirk, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and Chester Arthur (all VPs under Presidents who died in office) served their entire presidential termswithout a Vice President. Other Presidents have gone without VPs for at least part of their terms, whether through resignation (two) or because their veeps died in office (seven).
FDR served 2 more terms than any other president ever will
Franklin Roosevelt is remembered for many things, but one reason his impact looms so large in American history is because he was elected commander in chief four times — double any other U.S. President. George Washington set a precedent when he served only two terms in the late 18th century, and future Presidents more or less followed this tradition (though FDR’s cousin Theodore Roosevelt ran for a third term). After Roosevelt’s historic 12 years in office (he died early into his fourth term), the U.S. Congress passed the 22nd Amendment, officially limiting any future President’s time in office to two terms.
Garfield had a dog named Veto
James A. Garfield didn’t have the strangest presidential pet — that distinction probably belongs to either John Quincy Adams’ alligator(which he kept in a bathtub) or Martin Van Buren’s two tiger cubs — but his dog Vetomight have had the cleverest name. Named after the presidential power to prevent a bill passed by Congress from becoming law, the black Newfoundland was described by the Lewiston Evening Journal as “a true protector” who once alerted his humans to a barn fire by barking, and who also once “held the reins of a valuable horse on a rampage in the barn” until help arrived to resolve the equine emergency.
This wasn’t just a bit of humor on Garfield’s part. According to the book First Dogs: American Presidents and Their Best Friends, the 20th President “wanted to remind the rambunctious Congress of 1881 that he might not sign all of the bills it passed,” as he considered some of them “a revolution against the Constitution.”
Lincoln was a top-rated wrestler
Honest Abe was an accomplished wrestler. It’s said that, as a young man in Illinois, Lincoln competed in about 300 wrestling contests over 12 years and lost just one match. In 1830, after he was crowned his county’s wrestling champion, Lincoln wasn’t afraid to trash-talk his opponents: “I’m the big buck of this lick,” he reportedly said. “If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns.”
FDR was the first to be seen on television
Although Roosevelt is perhaps most famous for his fireside chats broadcast via radio, the nation’s 32nd President was also the first to ever be seen on television. The President appeared on TV during the world’s fair in New York in 1939, although only a handful of TV sets in the area were able to actually watch the broadcast. As World War II exploded across Europe and Asia, and TVs became more commonplace in American homes, FDR became the first President to really use the emerging medium.
Jackson kept a 1,400-pound cheese wheel on display at the White House
To say that Andrew Jackson’s legacy is complicated would be putting it mildly — he had a particularly horrifying record when it came to enslaved people and Native Americans. But his eight years in the Oval Office did include at least one less painful story: “Old Hickory” kept a nearly 1,400-pound wheel of cheese on display at the White House for more than a year. The enormous block of cheddar was a gift from Colonel Thomas S. Meacham, who made it on his dairy farm in Sandy Creek, New York, in 1835 and presented it shortly thereafter. At 4 feet in diameter and 2 feet thick, the cheese was an imposing presence — and much too heavy to lug around, hence Jackson’s decision to leave it in the foyer. Not wanting to bring it with him upon leaving office, he gave it pride of place at his last public reception, an 1837 celebration of George Washington’s birthday, and succeeded in having his many guests (a reported 10,000) eat the whole thing.
While in office, Grant was arrested for speeding
n 1908, nearly 25 years after Ulysses S. Grant’s death, a peculiar story hit the pages of the Washington Evening Star. Retired police officer William H. West recounted how he had caught the 18th President speeding through the streets of Washington, D.C., and decided the only appropriate course of action was to proceed with an arrest.
West’s tale harkened back to 1872, when complaints of speeding carriages were on the rise. West had been out investigating a collision when he witnessed Grant — then the sitting President — careening his horse-drawn carriage down the road. The officer flagged down the carriage, issued a warning, and sent Grant on his way. But Grant, who had a reputation for high-tailing horse rides, couldn’t resist the need to speed. West caught him tearing through the city again the very next day. Feeling he had no other option, the officer placed the President under arrest.
At the police department, Grant was required to put $20 (about $490 in today’s money) toward his bond before being released. The situation blew over pretty quickly; Grant owned up to his mistake, though he did choose to skip his court appearance scheduled for the following day, which meant he forfeited his $20. He didn’t face any further consequences, however. Meanwhile, West — a formerly enslaved Civil War veteran who became one of just two Black police officers in Washington, D.C., immediately after the war — was commended for his actions in trying to make the city streets safer.
The earliest presidents didn’t wear pants
The very first U.S. Presidents — George Washington included — led the country through the American Revolution and its earliest days without wearing a single pair of pants. That’s because the Founding Fathers actually wore breeches, pairs of tight-fitting men’s bottoms that cut off at the knee. (Their calves were covered with knee-high stockings.) Breeches were a status symbol; full-length pantaloons were generally reserved for working folk who needed more ease to complete manual labor, which was difficult to do in custom-fitted breeches.
We are the first nation to call its head of state “president”
Once the U.S. finally secured its independence from Great Britain with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the new country had to invent lots of things from scratch, including what to call its leader. The title “president” — derived from the Latin praesidere, which means “to sit before” — had usually been reserved for heads of colleges or ceremonial titles in congresses or committees. Before American independence, leaders of European countries were called kings, queens, emperors, dukes, or even Lord Protectors (during England’s more revolutionary years), but never “president.” Article II of the U.S. Constitution enshrined the title “President,” reflecting the democratic sentiments of post-revolutionary America.
FDR was the first to fly on official business
n October 1910, Theodore Roosevelt soared into the sky, a passenger on a two-person airplane flown above St. Louis’ Kinloch Field. With just three minutes of flight time, Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to fly — what he called the “bulliest experience” he’d ever had — though historians point out that he wasn’t the first sitting President to do so, since he had recently left office. Instead, that honor would go to his cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt, who became the first President to fly on official business some three decades later.
FDR’s history-making flight in January 1943 was made out of wartime necessity. That month, he attended the famed Casablanca Conference, crossing the Atlantic Ocean to meet with Winston Churchill in Casablanca, Morocco, where the two leaders agreed to demand an unconditional surrender from World War II’s Axis powers. But getting to northern Africa was no easy feat at a time when the heavy presence of German U-boats throughout Atlantic waters created perilous travel for American ships. Reluctantly, Roosevelt's advisers agreed to send the President by plane, keeping the journey so secretive that even the flight crew were surprised to see the President when he boarded.
Taft was the last one to have facial hair
On Inauguration Day in 1913, mustachioed President William Howard Taft passed the presidential baton to clean-shaven Woodrow Wilson. What Taft couldn’t have known at the time was that his departure began a long streak of clean-shaven faces occupying the Oval Office. In fact, out of the 46 Presidents in U.S. history so far, only 13 have had any facial hair whatsoever. Although sixth President John Quincy Adams, eighth President Martin Van Buren, and 12th President Zachary Taylor sported impressive mutton chops, the first serious presidential facial fuzz belonged to 16th President Abraham Lincoln — thanks to an 11-year-old girl whose 1860 letter convinced him to grow out his whiskers. After Lincoln, eight of the next 10 Presidents sported some sort of facial hair.
But in the early 20th century, facial hair suffered some serious PR issues; medical experts began to see it as unhygienic, and the introduction of the disposable razor in 1901 encouraged its demise. Although facial hair’s cultural fortunes have ebbed and flowed in the ensuing century, a fuzzy face has yet to return to the Oval Office.
Jefferson was the first to have an ice cream recipe
Though the common claim that Thomas Jefferson introduced the beloved frozen treat to America has been debunked, it is true that the third President was the first known American to write down a recipe for ice cream. A well-known foodie and wine enthusiast, Jefferson is thought to have first tasted ice cream during his time as minister to Francebetween 1784 and 1789, starting a love affair that would last the rest of his life. That includes his time in the White House, where it was offered to guests on at least six different occasions during his presidency. According to accounts from those visitors, Jefferson was fond of serving the delicacy inside of a crust or pastry.
The actual recipe, which may have come from Jefferson’s French butler and has been preserved in the Library of Congress, calls for “2 bottles of good cream and 6 yolks of eggs” in addition to half a pound of sugar.
Carter was the first to be born in a hospital
In his nearly 100 years on Earth, Jimmy Carter has set a number of records and achieved almost as many firsts. In addition to being the longest-living President in U.S. history, he was also the first one born in a hospital — an event that occurred on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. It was much more common for babies to be born at home in the early 20th century than it is now, but Carter’s mother was a nurseat what was then known as Wise Sanitarium. There happened to be a room available on that fateful October night, and the hospital has since been renamed the Lillian G. Carter Nursing Center.
JFK donated his entire salary
When JFK took office in 1961, he was the richest individual to hold the role. Kennedy was born into a wealthy family, and while he accepted the President’s annual $100,000 salary, he opted to donate those funds to charity rather than pocketing any for himself.
Kennedy’s decision was reminiscent of a predecessor from several decades prior; Herbert Hoover was independently wealthy too, and decided to donate his presidential salary as well. After taking office on January 20, 1961, JFK’s prorated salary of $94,583.32 for the remaining year was dispersed among several charitable causes.
Throughout Kennedy’s entire political career — a period that included six years as a congressman, eight years in the Senate, and an abbreviated term as President — he donatednearly $500,000 of his various government salaries to charity. Some of the charities he contributed to include the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, the United Negro College Fund, and the Cuban Families Committee.
First Ladies haven’t always been married to the president
Not every President has entered the White House with a spouse ready to take on the demanding job of First Lady. Four Presidents — Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and Chester A. Arthur — entered the executive office as widowers, and one (James Buchanan) never married. For these men, the supporting role was instead filled by someone other than the President’s wife, such as a female family member, friend, or even a Cabinet member’s relative.
Even married Presidents have been aided by “White House hostesses” who weren’t their wives. Take, for example, Margaret Taylor and Abigail Fillmore, who both took so little interest in being First Lady that they appointed their daughters to the job. At least nine presidential daughters (or daughters-in-law), along with two nieces and two sisters, have stepped into the role, performing all the required duties: arranging formal dinners, hosting social events, managing White House renovations, and championing philanthropic and social causes (plus more).
Grant was the first POTUS to receive a raise
Ulysses S. Grant served as President from 1869 until 1877. On March 3, 1873, Congress passed a law that was referred to by its deriders as the “Salary Grab Act.” The law awarded retroactive pay raises to departing members of Congress, raised the salaries of incoming members of Congress, and doubled the President’s salary, to $50,000 per year. It was the first presidential salary increase in American history. The act was signed by President Grant just hours before he was set to be sworn in for a second term. The signing was deeply controversial, but the pay raise stuck, and Presidents continued to earn $50,000 annually until the position’s salary was raised yet again in 1909.
The story about Taft getting stuck in a bathtub is a myth
One of the stranger presidential myths might be chalked up to potty humor. Somehow, 27th President William Howard Taft became associated with an embarrassing incident around getting stuck in a bathtub. While it’s true that he was larger in stature, weighing in at 350 pounds, he never had to be rescuedfrom a tub.
That said, there is a reason he’s associated with baths. During his presidency, a super-sized porcelain tub that was 7 feet long, 41 inches wide, and a ton in weight was installed in the White House. It was so massive that four grown men could fit inside. In another bath incident after his presidency, he filled a tub at a hotel in Cape May, New Jersey, a little too high, and when he stepped into it, it overflowed to the point that the guests in the dining room below got a bit of a shower.
Coolidge kept a Pygmy hippopotamus
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th U.S. President, had one of the most exotic collections of pets of any American chief executive. During his presidency, Coolidge had six dogs, a bobcat, two raccoons, a goose, a donkey, a cat, a bear, two lion cubs, an antelope, a wallaby, and more. But the strangest of Coolidge’s pets was probably Billy, a pygmy hippopotamus, who was given to Coolidge as a gift from businessman Harvey Firestone (as in Firestone tires). Perhaps because of his size (even a pygmy hippo can weigh up to 600 pounds), or because he was one of only a few pygmy hippos in the U.S., Billy was donated to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, where he became the proud father of many hippo calves. In fact, most of the pygmy hippos in the U.S. today can be traced back to his lineage.
Nixon reportedly was descended from King Edward III
America was founded in part to oppose royalty, but some of our leaders were still descended from it. Richard Nixon, for example, is believed to have counted King Edward III among his ancestors on his maternal grandfather’s side (what’s more, he was named for Richard the Lionheart). The legacy of the 37th President is largely defined by its disgraceful end — with Nixon ultimately choosing to resign in August 1974 rather than face impeachment for his involvement in the Watergate scandal — but before that, Nixon was a political force who at times seemed poised to live up to his lineage. He spent three years in the House of Representatives, about two in the Senate, and eight as Dwight D. Eisenhower's Vice President before ascending to the presidency himself.