Presidents and Their Hobbies

 by Chris Lucas

Guest Column

The Keating Files – April 22, 2021

 

Former President George W. Bush has published a book of portraits he created of immigrants to the United States, called Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants.

 

It’s Bush’s second book of such portraits. Many are surprised to see his aptitude for painting, which - along with long distance running - is his hobby.

 

Presidents are just like everyone else and enjoy a variety of unique hobbies to blow off steam from the pressures of the job. Many of the presidents have even had the White House and Camp David modified to allow them easy access to pursuing their hobbies during downtime. 

 

President Biden, whose father ran an automobile dealership when he was a boy, is an avid vintage car enthusiast and collector. 

 

Biden still has the first car he ever owned, a 1967 green Chevy Corvette, which sits in his garage at his home in Delaware. When he’s there, President Biden can often be found either working on the 1967 car or driving it around (though his route is more limited now.) 

 

The four presidents whose faces are on Mount Rushmore also had hobbies that distinguished them.

 

George Washington was a skilled ballroom dancer.

 

Thomas Jefferson collected rare French wines.

 

Abraham Lincoln wrestled to relax, and out of hundreds of recorded bouts only lost one time.

 

And Teddy Roosevelt was an avid boxer who held matches at the White House. In one of those fights, the president’s opponent in the ring - a professional pugilist - connected with Roosevelt’s head and detached his retina, permanently blinding him in one eye. 

 

Teddy’s cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, chose a tamer White House hobby. FDR was a philatelist, with an impressive stamp collection that he would go over every night when time permitted. He also consulted with his Postmaster General on the designs for new stamps during his 13 years as president. 

 

Here are some of the main hobbies of the presidents since FDR:

 

Harry Truman - piano playing 

Dwight Eisenhower - golfing, painting

John F. Kennedy - sailing, golfing

Lyndon B. Johnson - horseback riding

Richard Nixon - bowling, piano playing 

Gerald R. Ford - tennis, golfing

Jimmy Carter - fishing

Ronald Reagan - horseback riding

George H. W. Bush - horseback riding, playing horseshoes

Bill Clinton - saxophone playing, crossword puzzles

George W. Bush - running, painting

Barack Obama - comic book collecting, golfing 

Donald Trump – golfing

 

What are your favorite hobbies?

 

__________

 

Chris Lucas is a writer, something of a cultural historian, actor, and the author of Top Disney: 100 Top Ten Lists of the Best of Disney, from the Man to the Mouse and Beyond.

 

On the PRESS CLUB C Podcast, enjoy Ray’s recent discussion with Chris Lucas about his career as an actor, author and Disney expert. Tune in right here!