CollegeJohn Quincy Adamsgerald fordDwight Eisenhower

America's Baldest Presidents: A President's Korner Slideshow

America's Baldest Presidents
|
Open Image Modal
Description Dwight D. Eisenhower while a major in the US Army. | Source http://www. eisenhower. archives. gov/Research/Audiovisual/ ...

Hello everyone! The presidential election is Tuesday, which means it's time for HuffPost College's original series "President's Korner." In this edition, a tale of men united by one thing: no hair!

Americans historically have been resistent to the idea of a bald president. In fact, in our tenure as a sovereign democracy, we have only elected five brave souls that have been follicularly challenged, much to the chagrin of the many bald men who have wanted to be president in the past 200-odd years.

In honor of Tuesday's election, we want to celebrate this group of men that overcame such profound adversity. So we give to you: America's baldest presidents!

Support HuffPost

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.

Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your will go a long way.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

Bald Presidents
John Adams(01 of06)
Open Image Modal
John Adams, second president of the United States, was in fact the first bald president. However, bald was considered an insult way back in 1798, when Benjamin Franklin Bache (Ben Franklin's grandson) referred to Adams as "old, querulous, Bald, blind, crippled, Toothless Adams." For his statement, Bache was indicted under the Alien and Sedition Acts. (credit:Alamy)
John Quincy Adams(02 of06)
Open Image Modal
Proving that baldness could have some kind of undiscovered patrilineal genetic link, John Quincy Adams became the second bald president in history in 1825. (credit:Alamy)
Martin Van Buren(03 of06)
Open Image Modal
In the presidential election of 1840, Martin Van Buren was reportedly mocked for his baldness and shortness in a popular song which goes as follows (side note: "Tip" is Van Buren rival William Henry Harrison):Old Tip he wears a homespun suit, He has no ruffled shirt -- wirt, wirt;But Mat he has the golden pate, And he's a little squirt -- wirt, wirt. (credit:Alamy)
James Garfield(04 of06)
Open Image Modal
Garfield, the fourth bald president, was unfortunately dogged by many incidents of similar bad luck. Read his President's Korner profile here. (credit:Alamy)
Dwight D. Eisenhower(05 of06)
Open Image Modal
General Eisenhower was the only bald president elected in modern times, but boy did he have a sense of humor about it! When he met his balding treasury secretary, George Humphrey, for the first time, he said "George, I see you comb your hair the way I do." Har Har. (credit:Alamy)
Gerald Ford (Not Elected)(06 of06)
Open Image Modal
Ford had lost some hair by the time he assumed the country's highest office, but he was never elected to the post, so is somewhat disqualified from the parameters of this celebration/slideshow! (credit:WikiMedia:)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip