Top 10 Fascinating Facts About the American Presidency

Everyone knows that the United States has a new President in Barack Obama. However, the office of President is one that has a number of quirky secrets that not everyone knows. Until now that is….

10.The Presidency is a Lasting Office

The United States is a young country when compared with other countries. At just over 220 years old, the United States pales in comparison to the histories of such countries as France, Russia, China, and Japan. However, the United States could be said to have more luck in setting up a chief executive. When George Washington became President in 1789, France was ruled by a king (King Louis XVI), Russia was ruled by a czarina (Catherine the Great), China was ruled by an emperor (Emperor Kao Tsung), and Japan was ruled by a shogun. The only one of these executive offices that is still in existence today is President. Go ahead and brag, Americans!

9. The President Can Go to War, but Not “War”

Under the Article I of the United States Constitution, only the United States Congress can make an official declaration of war. This was meant to prevent the President from simply declaring war on his own. Even without this official power to “declare” war, Presidents have sent troops to “trouble spots” over the world, Vietnam being the most dramatic example of this. In response (but still seeking to find middle ground), Congress responded in 1973 by passing the War Powers Act, which provided that the President can send U.S. armed forces into action abroad only by authorization of Congress or if the United States is already under attack or serious threat. The War Powers Resolution gives the President the power to send troops without an official declaration of war, but requires that the use of forces must be terminated within 60 to 90 days, unless Congress authorizes such use (or extends the time period), and that the President attempt to consult with Congress beforehand (and provide updates thereafter). Since 1973, this provision has come into play in instances ranging from evacuations of U.S. embassies, intervention in Kosovo, the Persian Gulf War, and the Iraq War.

8. Presidents May Be Down, but Not Always Out

Usually, a President who leaves office (whether because of a failed re-election attempt or retirement) simply fades into the sunset, content to work on his memoirs and make speeches (for substantial fees, of course). However, not all outgoing Presidents were willing to give up – some even ran for President again. Five of these Presidents (Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, and Herbert Hoover) were unsuccessful in their bids to recapture the Presidency. However, President Grover Cleveland was able to mount a successful comeback attempt, and served for four more years – the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms.

7. S Marks the Spot

Although you may know him as President Harry S. Truman, technically speaking, there is no need to put a period after the “S” when speaking of him. Why is that? Because the letter “S” is the full middle name of President Truman. The “S” represents his two grandfathers, both of whom had names prominently including the letter “S” (Truman’s paternal grandfather Anderson “S”hippe Truman, and his maternal grandfather “S”olomon Young). It appears that compromise-minded parents led to the unusual middle name for Harry. If you do use the period after the S, don’t worry — President Truman used letterhead bearing the name “Harry S. Truman.” If it was okay by Harry, it’s probably fine for you, too.

6. Twenty-Year Curse

Sometimes called the “Curse of Tippecanoe,” there was a disturbing pattern that began in 1840, in which each President who won election in a year ending in zero (such as 1860 or 1920) died in office. It began in 1840 with President William Henry Harrison (a.k.a. “Tippecanoe”), who died just 32 days after taking the oath of office. From there, the “Curse” fell upon President Lincoln (who was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865), President Garfield (who was assassinated by Charles Guiteau in 1881), President McKinley (who was assassinated by Leon Czgolgosz in 1901), President Harding (who died in office in 1923), President Roosevelt (who died in office in 1945), and President Kennedy (who was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald – hey, that is the official word — in 1963). President Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, broke the so-called “Curse” and made it all the way through his entire 8-year term of office, although he had to survive the assassination attempt of John Hinckley to do so.

5. They Elect Presidents, Don’t They?

As everyone knows, the United States holds elections every four years for President and Vice-President. However, for well over a year in the 1970s, the United States had a President and Vice-President who were not elected by the people. This unique situation began in 1973, when Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned (in relation to an investigation to alleged bribes he took when he was the Governor of Maryland). In response, President Nixon appointed Rep. Gerald Ford of Michigan as Vice President. Just one year later, President Nixon resigned the following year in connection with the Watergate scandal, which left Vice President Ford as the new President in August 1974. With the Vice President’s office suddenly vacant, President Ford appointed Gov. Nelson Rockefeller of New York as the new Vice President. Thus, from August 1974 to January 1977 (when President Carter entered was inaugurated), the United States had two unelected individuals leading the country.

4. Being Popular Does Not Make You President

Most people have no trouble remembering the contentious 2000 Presidential election between Republican candidate Gov. George W. Bush and Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore, in which Gore won the popular vote (i.e., total votes cast), but Bush ultimately won the electoral vote (and, thus, the Presidency). However, not many recall that 2000 was not the first time that the candidate that won the popular vote did not win the electoral vote. In fact, it happened three times prior to 2000: in 1824, Andrew Jackson won the popular vote, but lost the election to John Quincy Adams; in 1876, Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote, but lost the election to Rutherford B. Hayes; and in 1888, Grover Cleveland won the popular vote, but lost the election to Benjamin Harrison. Although there have been many calls over the years for an overhaul of the U.S. election process (particularly the dissolution of the Electoral College), the process remains the same.

3. Yes, Virginia, You Do Have the Most Presidents

If there were a competition between the states for most homegrown Presidents, Virginia would win in a walk. You see, Virginia gave us eight Presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, and Wilson). Sadly, thirty-one states have never claimed a native son as President.

2. The Presidency is Swimsuit Optional

President Lyndon Johnson enjoyed swimming in the White House pool, but he enjoyed it a bit more than some might have liked. You see, LBJ swam nude in that pool (which was super-heated, allowing for this to occur), but that was not his only quirk. Old LBJ often held policy meetings with his staff while swimming in the pool, and required that all aides (all males, presumably) who were attending also swam nude as well. You can call it a strange motivational technique, but it could also be said that President Johnson was simply carrying on Presidential tradition. Over 100 years earlier, President John Quincy Adams regularly took pre-dawn skinny-dips in the Potomac River – in warm weather, of course.

1. Relatively Speaking, the Presidency is a Family Affair

There is little question that, with under 50 members in over 200 years, the Presidency is an exclusive club. However, the club seems a bit more exclusive the closer you look – all the relatives who have been President might make it seem that you have to check your family tree to get in the door. The most famous relatives were the two father-and-son combinations — President John Adams and President John Quincy Adams, and President George H.W. Bush and President George W. Bush. However, it doesn’t stop there. President William Henry Harrison was the grandfather of President Benjamin Harrison, President James Madison and President Zachary Taylor were second cousins, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a fifth cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt. To keep things simple, we left out the less direct relations (like all the “once removed” connections) – including those would make this a very, very long and complicated list.