Hunting for Hotties... Presidential Hotties

THIS close to a president

2012-02-08T13:29:00.001-05:00

John Tyler has two grandsons still alive!

This site has great stories, some of which involve presidents, and the close connection we have to those "long ago."

Scrapping the Coins

2011-12-14T09:10:00.001-05:00

No more for the presidential dollar coins! They are putting a halt to the production - unfortunately, ending well before TR's was to come out in 2013 (I was counting). My dad tried to keep these in circulation, too, giving them as tips for waiters. However, you have to appreciate the government trying to do some cost saving measures.

Story here

Do President Age More Quickly?

2011-12-07T13:21:00.001-05:00

Nope...they don't. Even though most of them look to age more than usual during their presidency:

http://news.yahoo.com/aging-office-u-presidents-often-outlive-peers-124048923.html

JQA Tweets

2010-12-22T07:44:00.001-05:00

Could it be? Does John Quincy Adams Tweet? Kind of...

JQA Tweets

A Presidential Christmas

2010-12-20T13:05:00.001-05:00

As we enter into the Christmas season, here's a nifty little site!

White House Holidays

Presidential Walk

2009-12-11T07:55:00.001-05:00

From Ms. F:
Presidential Walk

Amazing!

Ranking the Pres-es

2009-02-16T18:43:00.002-05:00

Here it is, the new rankings by C-SPAN!
Ranking of U.S. Presidents article
The actual Ranking

Happy Presidents' Day and Happy Belated 200th to Abe!

Presidential Status

2009-02-11T18:39:00.002-05:00

We all know about George W's ranking among the citizens now, but what about the others that were below him in American eyes (Nixon, Truman)?
Here it is! From the Wall Street Journal...

Morphing Presidents

2008-12-29T09:10:00.002-05:00

This link was sent by the wonderful Dennis. Very presidential and he knew who to send it to!

Election of 44

2008-11-10T08:11:00.006-05:00

While I usually don't post my political, religious or many other personal feelings online, I really liked this version. I really don't care for pegging myself to a party that, as any institution is, is shifting, corrupt and pandering; you attach yourself to a changing thing and not to the people. John McCain is a good guy, definately proved by his heartfelt concession speech, where he became himself again. He could have been a good president, but not at this time. The Democrats are not saviors and Republicans are not devils. It is not an all or nothing scenario, just like it never has been. Obama is not going to solve as much as some what him to and that's okay. He is steady, focused and, dare I say, conservative in his moves. And with that Roger Ebert's conclusion:

This land was made for you and me
By
Roger Ebert on November 4, 2008 8:47 PM
As the mighty tide swept the land on Tuesday night, I was transfixed. As the pundits pondered red states and blue states, projections and exit polls, I was swept with emotion. Not because America was "electing its first Black president." That comes a little late in the day. It was because America was electing the right President.
Our long national nightmare is ending. America will not soon again start a war based on lies and propaganda. We will not torture. We will restore the rights of freedom of speech, freedom of privacy, and habeas corpus. We will enter at last in the struggle against environmental disaster. Our ideas will once again be more powerful than our weapons. During the last eight years, the beacon on the hill flickered out. Now the torch will shine again.
We will bring our troops home, in the right way. Am I against the war? Of course. Do I support our troops? Of course. They were sent to endanger their lives by zealots with occult objectives. More than 4,000 of them have died. Even more lives have been lost by our coalition forces than by our own.
Do I blame George Bush? At the end of the day, I don't know that I really do. I agree with Oliver Stone that Bush never knew he had been misled until it was too late. I blame those who used him as their puppet. The unsmiling men standing in the shadows. On Tuesday the righteous people of America stood up and hammered them down.
Lots of people stayed up late Tuesday night. They listened McCain's gracious, eloquent concession speech. He was a good man at heart, caught up in a perfect storm of history. He had the wrong policies and the wrong campaign. At the end, let me tell you about a hunch I have. In the privacy of the voting booth, I think there is a possibility that Condoleezza Rice voted for Obama.
I stayed up late. As I watched, I remembered. In 1968 I was in the streets as a reporter, when the Battle of Grant Park ended eight years of Democratic presidents and opened an era when the Republicans would control the White House for 28 of the next 40 years. "The whole world is watching!" the demonstrators cried, as the image of Chicago was tarnished around the world. On Tuesday night, the world again had its eyes on Grant Park. I saw tens and tens of thousands of citizens with their hearts full, smiling through their tears. As at all of Obama's rallies, our races stood proudly side by side, as it should be. We are finally, finally, beginning to close that terrible chapter of American history
President Obama is not an obsessed or fearful man. He has no grandiose ideological schemes to lure us into disaster. He won because of a factor the pundits never mentioned. He was the grown-up. He has a rational mind, a steady hand, and a first-rate intelligence. But, oh, it will be hard for him. He inherits a wrong war, a disillusioned nation, and a crumbling economy. He may have to be a Depression president.
What gives me hope is that a great idealistic movement rose up to support him. Some say a million and a half volunteers. Millions more donated to his campaign. He won votes that crossed the lines of gender, age, race, ethnicity, geography and political party. He was the right man at a dangerous time. If ever a president was elected by we the people, he is that president.
America was a different place when I grew up under Truman, Eisenhower and, yes, even Nixon. On Tuesday that America remembered itself, and stood up to be counted.

This land is your land,
This land is our land,
From California, to the New York island.
From the redwood forests, to the Gulf Stream waters--
This land was made for you and me.

TR's 150th

2008-10-29T14:38:00.000-04:00

A little late, but sent to me by my aunt, Mary!

Remembering RooseveltCelebrate TR's 150th Birthday
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing save by effort." - Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United StatesTheodore Roosevelt didn't just carry a big stick; he waved it vociferously. And as a man of his word, he didn't back down. It's no wonder that—in light of his laundry list of successes—Teddy Roosevelt is remembered as one of our nation's greatest presidents. In honor of the sesquicentennial of his birth (today, Oct. 27, 2008), The History Channel Magazine editors put together a short list of accomplishments that commemorate the legacy of TR:
As lieutenant colonel of the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War, he led the charge at the battle of San Juan.
He provided federal protection for almost 230 million acres and doubled the size of the national park system.
By building up the U.S. Navy, he established America as a major world power.
He negotiated U.S. control of the Panama Canal and its construction in 1904.
He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for negotiating peace in the Russo-Japanese War. Honor Theodore Roosevelt today by learning more about the accomplishments and philosophies of one of America's greatest presidents! Learn more about TR at history.com/presidents/teddyroosevelt.

Most Bad-Ass Presidents of All-Time

2008-08-24T13:40:00.003-04:00

From my friend Andy... and it's pretty flippin' great...

http://www.cracked.com/article_15895_5-most-badass-presidents-all-time.html

Martin Van Buren

2007-10-25T19:42:00.000-04:00

I visited Martin Van Buren's home, Lindenwald, in Kinderhook, NY. The guide wasn't that great, but still a nicely restored house of the eighth president.

Michigan and Roosevelt

2007-05-02T08:05:00.001-04:00

Yep...uh, huh!

http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17445_19273_19313-167386--,00.html

Roosevelt's visit to Michigan!

2007-04-12T19:51:00.000-04:00

-And here we are at Presidential Park in Williamsburg, VA. I couldn't decide which presidents to put up, so I put up all I had (not all the presidents). Steph, maybe you have the rest?

Geo. Washington. First in so many things.

-John Adams. Visit Quincy/Braintree, MA for his homes, it's pretty amazing.

-Thomas Jefferson. Although not one of my favorites, still one of the most intriguing.

-James Madison, the shortest president at 5'4" - and apparently not much the socializers. Well, he did have his wife...

-James Monroe. Monroe doctrine...hmmm...dashing. Perhaps a runner near Pierce?

-John Quincy Adams. Very stern looking, a genius. He liked to swim naked (was in a lake or pool?). The trendsetter which more presidents should follow about what to do after the presidency.
-Andrew Jackson. Well, Steph, no matter what you think he is the only one to have an era named after him and the Hermitage is pretty cool. Not the nicest guy though.

-Martin Van Buren. Really, side burns, very charming. Plus, the eighth president (for those of you in the "8" club).

-Ahh, James K. Polk. How could I forget him? I was at his house once... Thanks, Steph! The only president who promised certain things in his bid for the presidency and came through with them all. Truly amazing. People should take a page from his book.

-Franklin Pierce. Most dashing. And most depressing.

-Abraham Lincoln. Has a great face, really.

-U.S. Grant. Going to start his memoirs soon.

James Garfield. Best beard. If anyone used to read "Bloom County" he has one of the best comic strips when the characters go on strike and scabs come into take their places - with this guy taking over the strip "Garfield." ("Garfield. James Garfield.")
-Rutherford B. Hayes. Second best beard and the name of the street I grew up on.

-Chester Arthur. For Jenny.
-Theodore Roosevelt. For me. The man is it! The intrigue, the stories, the drive, the complex contradictions. Amazing.
-William Taft. The largest of the presidents. I saw his bathtub at an exhibit in Grand Rapids. It was large. Nice guy though.

-Franklin Roosevelt. Distant cousin of TR, but was Eleanor's uncle. Great president, but not a good husband. Hmmm...this really doesn't look too much like him, eh?

-Harry S. Truman. The "S" stands for nothing at all. Gosh darn good midwestern boy.

I like Ike. Irving Berlin wrote the song. Stephen Ambrose stayed with him at his farm in Gettysburg to write his biography. Said he'd concentrate on listening to you with steel blue eyes.

-I'm beginning to warm up to J.F.K. a bit. A lot of bravado for him. Liked Robert better.

-Richard Nixon. If you read one chapter in David Halberstam's The Fifties it explains a whole lot about Tricky Dick.

-Gerald "Our" Ford.

Jimmy Carter, the most active of the newer presidents. See, he took after John Quincy!

-Ronald Reagan. Phil Hartman played him best on SNL.

George H.W. Bush. I like him. Really, I do. The only one who sat for his sculpture.
-George W. Bush. Yeah, not so much. Yep, Steph, the elephants on the tie are a bit too much.

I left out Clinton. I really don't care for him too much. Presidentially or otherwise.

Not perfect!

2007-03-13T16:34:00.000-04:00

A great article from last week's Time magazine that I thought fit this site:

Barack Obama is growing into the responsibilities of a modern presidential candidate--he has promised his wife Michelle that he will try to quit smoking. "I've quit periodically over the last several years," he says. "I've got an ironclad demand from my wife that in the stresses of the campaign I don't succumb. I've been chewing Nicorette strenuously." Obama is learning what many aspirants to the White House have learned before him--we expect our Presidents to be perfect.

Also perfectly normal. Eccentricity can play as badly on the campaign trail as vice. If Obama has any weird habits along with his unhealthy one, now is the time to chuck them. The ideal candidate in the age of no offense might be the abstemious Mitt Romney--except that his Mormon faith, even though it is 177 years old and made in America, puzzles Evangelicals and liberals.

There are peculiarly modern reasons why Americans watch their presidential candidates with eagle eyes. One is that they can: an omnipresent media and blogosphere try to be omniscient as well, to fill the 24/7 attention hole. Another reason is that as special interests proliferate, so do the trip wires that set off criticism.

Yet Presidents and presidential candidates have long felt pressured to conform to unnatural and confining standards. Those who couldn't meet them often pretended that they had. One of the strictest requirements, since Andrew Jackson inaugurated the era of the common man, has been that the President fulfill what historian Edward Pessen called the log-cabin myth: the personal-creation narrative that begins with humble roots. For some Presidents--the Roosevelts and J.F.K. spring to mind--the effort was clearly impossible. But other patricians in the White House have passed as plebians. In 1840 the supporters of William Henry Harrison called him the Log Cabin and Hard Cider candidate, after his presumed abode and favorite drink. In fact, Harrison was the son of Benjamin Harrison V, a wealthy Virginia planter who had signed the Declaration of Independence. The Bushes, father and son, used Texas as a font for washing away Ivy League associations. Presidents must have simple manners too, concealing pride and other prickly emotions. Thus Dwight Eisenhower, an ambitious and brilliant general, became, in his political incarnation, smiling Ike, whom one Liked.

Given our national love affair with the exalted average, it is remarkable how many men with knobs on their characters have reached the presidency. Thomas Jefferson was a Deist who believed that Jesus was a great moral thinker--rather like Jefferson himself, only better. He assembled his own version of the Gospels, slicing out everything miraculous with a razor. Jefferson kept his Gospels private while he lived, but his views were suspected; archenemy Alexander Hamilton bluntly called him an "Atheist." Andrew Jackson had a more public problem: he married his wife Rachel before her divorce from her first husband had gone through. In later years, Jackson said he had not known at the time that Rachel was technically unavailable. But historian Andrew Burstein argues that Jackson did know and that jumping the gun was socially acceptable on the remote frontier where he and Rachel lived. As presidential candidates, Jefferson was hammered for his lack of religion and Jackson was hammered for his wife's surplus of husbands--yet both men were elected twice. Partisanship and ideology made a space for singularity. Jefferson's and Jackson's supporters cared more about what their champions stood for than what they thought about theology or the divorce laws.

As long as we can find loopholes and make exceptions, maybe it's not so bad that we make Presidents try to fit a mold. In a democratic republic, there must be some community of feeling between the leaders and the led. Warriors have traditionally found it in combat, despite class differences. But the mild norms of politics are a functional equivalent in peace and in war. Our first President set the standard. The Rules of Civility, the etiquette primer that George Washington copied as a teenager, began with this admonition: "Every action done in company ought to be done with some sign of respect to those that are present." So put out that butt.

And for an update....

2007-01-09T08:01:00.001-05:00

Some unfinished business! For Jenny - charismatic Chester Arthur.

Although the Tweed association has its downfall on character...

He was the president during the time in which we depict Fort Mackinac (1881-1885). And apparently he changed his pants several times a day; he owned over 80. Not sure why, but whatever. He never saw Garfield until the day Garfield was shot. He also destroyed all his personal papers before he died, sooooo...maybe we'll just never know about him!

Halloween!!!!

2006-11-02T22:48:00.000-05:00

With Halloween on Mackinac Island, as with any time on Mackinac Island, you can never be too sure of who or what you will find. Even more, imagine our surprise when Katie and I saw three people dressed as Abe Lincoln walk into a local establishment. Excited, we approached the trio and got our picture taken with them. They were very obliging and informed us that there were actually a total of ten of them scattered around town. Shortly thereafter, the remaining seven joined the first Abes, thus resulting in the picture below. One Abe actually gave us his business card: a shiny new penny. History is just so cool.

Happy Bday #2!!!

2006-10-30T23:19:00.000-05:00

On the anniversary of the birth of the second president...

"It's the birthday of the second president of the United States, John
Adams, born in Braintree, Massachusetts (now part of Quincy,
Massachusetts) (1735). Though he was one of the most important founders
of our country, he has long been overshadowed by the president who came
before him, George Washington, and the president who came after him,
Thomas Jefferson.

He made a name for himself as a young man by arguing against the
British right to tax the colonies. When the British passed the Stamp Act
in 1765, Adams argued that people should just stop buying stamps, and
they did. When the British began taxing paint, lead, paper, and tea,
Adams said people should stop buying those things as well. Colonists in
Massachusetts stopped painting their houses and switched from drinking
tea to drinking New England rum.

The British sent troops to Boston to keep the peace, as the colonists
grew more and more disobedient. A riot in 1770 led to several colonists'
getting shot by British troops, the incident that became known as the
Boston Massacre. Adams took the surprising step of defending the British
troops in court, because no one else would take the case. He argued that
the violence was the fault of the British government, not the soldiers,
and he managed to get most of the soldiers acquitted. Adams later said,
"[Taking that case] was one of the most gallant, generous, manly and
disinterested actions of my whole life, and one of the best pieces of
service I ever rendered my country."

Adams's defense of the soldiers made him unpopular among the radical
wing of the American revolutionaries, but it also gave his a reputation
as a man of great principle. He was elected to the First Continental
Congress in 1774, and began to argue that the British Parliament lacked
any legal authority over the colonies. He quickly became the most
respected advocate for breaking with Great Britain. People began to call
him the "Atlas of Independence."

It was Adams who nominated Washington to serve as commander of the
Continental Army, and it was Adams who chose Jefferson to write the
Declaration of Independence. And it was he who persuaded the delegates
from the colonies to adopt the resolution in favor of independence. He
stood up on July 1, 1776 and spoke without notes for about two hours in
favor of independence. No one knows exactly what he said that day,
because no one transcribed his words, but Thomas Jefferson later said,
"[Adams spoke] with a power of thought and expression that moved us from
our seats." The resolution was adopted the following day, on July 2,
1776. It was probably the greatest day of Adams's life.

He was only 5 feet 6 inches tall, and he was overweight. Unlike Ben
Franklin, he was not a great wit. He had no talent for flattery, and
instead was always ruthlessly honest in his opinions. He also wasn't a
wealthy man, and spent much of his later life struggling with debts.

John Adams said, "In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one
useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a
congress." "

Charisma

2006-08-09T17:06:00.000-04:00

Okay, nitty-gritty again. Who are the most charismatic presidents? Not the good-looking, but who were made into good-looking fellows because of their charisma? So, the not-based-on-looks-alone. You don't have to agree with what they believed in, just that they were attrative people based on who they were.

I'm throwing out some names...by no means my final answers!

-Theodore Roosevelt (this is a final answer for me. One of my all time favorite people to read about!). LIke him or not, the man's got charisma!

-Thomas Jefferson

-Dwight Eisenhower

-Abraham Lincoln

-Ulysses S. Grant

-Harry Truman

Side Burns

2006-07-15T17:09:00.000-04:00

Just a fun one...although there's really only John Quincy Adams, Chester Arthur and Martin Van Buren to pick from, I have to say Martin Van Buren wins.

Portraits

2006-07-15T17:06:00.000-04:00

Okay, portraits from the National Portrait Gallery to prove the point:
Franklin Pierce
James Polk
John Kennedy

Runners Up

2006-07-14T08:27:00.000-04:00

I have to say I think Polk and, as much as I don't want to, JFK - depending on the picture. Polk still has the stoic look even if he has funky hair.

FUN FACTS:
Polk (11th president, 1845-49) had a nickname of "Young Hickory." First president to serve the nation coast-to-coast and have his photograph taken!

JFK (35th president, 1961-63) was the youngest elected president and the first Catholic to serve. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Profiles in Courage. In a very weird sort of connection, he was shot on my dad's 16th birthday.

Looks alone runners up...?

2006-07-08T17:45:00.000-04:00

While Katie and I agreed (though it's still up for debate) that Franklin Pierce won hands-down for looks alone, who would be the rest to round out the top three? Some of our thoughts included James K. Polk, John F. Kennedy, and Thomas Jefferson (all pictured below).

The criteria is that they must be good looking DURING their presidency. There've been quite a few that looked better either before or after (or both) their presidencies. Also, here are some potential categories worth exploring:

• Hottest president who is good looking because he's charismatic (possible examples: Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy...)
• President with the best beard
• President that looks the best in a powdered wig
• President that has aged the best and/or best old man
• Most unfortuante-looking presdient (cruel, I know... but we're all discussing it anyway)

Franklin Pierce

2006-07-07T17:22:00.000-04:00

I'm going to put out there that Franklin Pierce (14th president, 1853-1857), by looks alone, is our hottest president. And here's the picture to add to that statement.

My mind could possibly be changed, however. We're not talking charisma - that's a whole other subject!

FUN FACTS: Franklin's brother, Benjamin, served at Fort Mackinac as a soldier and married Mdme. LaFramboise's daughter, Josette. He also gave his inaugural address completely from memory - no notes!

What the heck?!?

2006-07-07T10:16:00.000-04:00

So the other night, Katie and I were enjoying some fruity beverages when Katie suddenly said, "Ok, top three hottest US Presidents ever." While being quite random, we started thinking and realized that it is truly a difficult question, as many of our nation's leaders have not been the most physically attractive men. We started discussing this question even more the next day and even started searching the internet for portraits. While online, we googled things like "hottest president," on the off-chance that some nerd like us had thought to ever comment on this on the web. Realizing the void of public debate on this question, we decided to create a blog to discuss the answer to our main question and others (who is the hottest president due to charisma? who has the best beard?) while providing general commentary on presidential portraits, etc. Hope you enjoy and please feel free to comment!