40 Facts About The US Presidency

Last week saw former Vice President Joe Biden elected as the 46th President of The United States. Mr Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris defeated incumbent President Donald Trump who will leave office in January.

To mark this occasion, I have compiled 40 facts about the Presidency of the United States.

1. William Howard Taft was the first President to use the oval office.
2. Ullyses Grant, John F Kennedy and George W Bush are the only Presidents to have both their parents alive to see them become President.
3. James Polk was the first US President to be photographed whilst in office. 
4. Donald Trump is the first US President without a prior career in politics or the military. 
5. William Henry Harrison holds the record for giving the longest inaugural address (his address was over 90 minutes long. 
6. 19 US Presidents have been Republican, 14 have been Democrat, 4 were Democratic-Republican, 4 were Whig, 1 was a Federalist, 1 was from the National Union party and George Washington was not affiliated with a political party. 
7. Since 2001, the US President has received an annual salary of $400,000.
8. 8 US Presidents have died in office.
9. Every US President since Herbert Hoover has created a Presidential Library and Museum.
10. 3 US Presidents have been impeached – Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. All 3 were acquitted by the Senate.
11. The US President typically uses several pens when signing a new bill into law. These pens are traditionally gifted to politicians, staff members or other people who helped get the legislation passed. 
12. Since 1988 guests of the President are usually gifted Presidential M&Ms. Before then guests were given Presidential cigarettes which was a tradition started by President Kennedy. 
13. John Tyler was the first Vice President to ascend to the Presidency. 
14. The US President is not allowed to drive for security reasons.
15. Woodrow Wilson is the only US President to be buried in Washington DC. 
16. Each month the US President receives a bill for the First Family’s food, laundry, personal travel and any other personal expenditure. 
17. Presidential retreat Camp David is named after the father and grandson of President Dwight Eisenhower who were both called David. 
18. James Garfield was the first President to speak on the telephone. 
19. So far no US President has ever been an only child. 
20. The Presidential limousine has several safety and security features including multi-layer bulletproof windows, armour plating, it’s own oxygen supply and the ability to fire tear gas and leave an oil slick to prevent cars chasing it. 
21. White House employees cannot simply walk around the building freely. Everyone has a different level of access which specifies which areas of the building they are allowed to enter. 
22. 4 US Presidents have won the election despite losing their state of residence – James Polk, Woodrow Wilson, Richard Nixon and Donald Trump. 
23. Abraham Lincoln so far holds the record for being the tallest US President at 6ft 4in. 
24. Including Donald Trump, 11 US Presidents lost their bid for re-election to a second term. 
25. Dwight Eisenhower added the White House putting green. 
26. Rutherford Hayes was the first President to use the resolute desk which was a gift from Queen Victoria. 
27. The First Family are not allowed to open any windows in the White House for security reasons. 
28. James Buchanan was the first US President to send a transatlantic telegram. This was in 1858 to Queen Victoria. 
29. Actor Tom Hanks bought the White House Press Office a coffee machine after visiting the White House and finding out that they didn’t have one. 
30. Whenever a former US President dies their White House portrait is traditionally draped with black cloth. 
31. Abraham Lincoln signed the legislation that created the Secret Service – on the day he died. 
32. President Rutherford B Hayes began the tradition of the White House Easter Egg roll. 
33. Benjamin Harrison was the first President to have electricity in the White House. 
34. Woodrow Wilson was the first President to make a live radio broadcast. 
35. When Hillary Clinton was First Lady she had an office in the West Wing near the Oval Office instead of in the East Wing where the First Lady’s office is traditionally located. 
36. Bill Clinton was the first President to send an email whilst in office. 
37. Ordering takeaway food deliveries to the White House is not allowed due to security. If the First Family (or White House staff) want to order a food delivery it has to be delivered to another address. 
38. Lyndon Johnson is so far the only President to have the Oath of Office administered by a female justice. 
39. John Quincy Adams holds the record for speaking the most languages out of all the other US Presidents. 
40. 4 US Presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize – Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.