Barack Hussein Obama II
* Barry, a childhood nickname[1]
* No Drama Obama[2]
[edit] George Walker Bush
* 43, Bush II, Bush Jr.,[3] to differentiate him from his father George H.W. Bush.
* Dubya,[4] based on a Texas pronunciation of "W".
[edit] William Jefferson Clinton (name at birth: William Jefferson Blythe III)
* Bubba[5] Common nickname in the Southern US.
* The Comeback Kid[6] Coined by press after strong second place showing in 1992 New Hampshire primary, following polling slump due to Gennifer Flowers' revelation.
* The First Black President[7] Used by Toni Morrison in reference to Clinton's noted support from and rapport with African Americans. Now less common usage after Obama's election.
* Slick Willie[8] Coined by Paul Greenberg, editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
* Teflon Bill[9] Similar to "Teflon Ron" for Ronald Reagan: because none of the scandals afflicting his administration seemed to stick to him personally.
[edit] George Herbert Walker Bush
* 41,[10] Bush the Elder,[11] Papa Bush,[12] Bush Sr,
and similar names. All nicknames that were used after his son George Walker Bush became the 43rd president, to differentiate between the two.
* Poppy[13][14] Nickname used by family and friends from childhood on.
[edit] Ronald Wilson Reagan
* Dutch[15] Because of his Dutch boy haircut when he was a youth.
* The Great Communicator[16] In reference to Reagan's ability to connect verbally and visually with the American people.[17]
* The Gipper[18] After his role as George "The Gipper" Gipp in the film Knute Rockne, All American. Gipp's exhortation to his teammates to "Win one for the Gipper" came in useful during Reagan's election campaigns.
* The Teflon President[19]
[edit] James Earl Carter, Jr.
* Jimmy[20] First President to use his nickname in an official capacity. He was known as ‘Jimmy Carter’, ‘James Earl Carter’, or ‘James Earl Carter, Jr.’. He was never called ‘James Carter’ or ‘James E. Carter’
* President Malaise[21] - a reference to his speech on July 15, 1979, where he talked about a "crisis of confidence," and suggested that the US was in decline. Three days after the speech, Carter asked for the resignations of all of his Cabinet officers, and ultimately accepted five. By asking the entire Cabinet, it gave the appearance that the White House was falling apart.
[edit] Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (name at birth: Leslie Lynch King, Jr.)
* Jerry[22]
* Mr. Nice Guy[23] Because of his clean-cut and non-partisan image
[edit] Richard Milhous Nixon
* Gloomy Gus[24] Another nickname awarded by his fellow students at Duke University School of Law, referring to his serious nature
* Iron Butt[25] Law school nickname because he studied so hard
* The Mad Monk[26] Given to him by White House aide John Ehrlichman.
* Tricky Dick[27] From a Democratic Party ad saying "Look at 'Tricky Dick' Nixon's Republican Record."
[edit] Lyndon Baines Johnson
* Landslide Lyndon[28] Sarcastic reference to the hotly-disputed 87-vote win that took him to the Senate in 1949 which became more appropriate following his landslide victory in the 1964 presidential election.
* Light-Bulb Lyndon[29] Nicknamed so because he hated wasting electricity, and would often storm around the White House shutting off unnecessary lights.
* LBJ[30] He liked to be known by this abbreviation, which was used in the slogan, "All the way with LBJ"
* Uncle Cornpone[31] Nickname for an older Southern gentleman.
[edit] John Fitzgerald Kennedy
* Jack[32] Kennedy was usually referred to as either "John F. Kennedy" or "Jack Kennedy", only very rarely as "John Kennedy"
* JFK[33] Most prominent nickname and abbreviation of his full name.
* The King of Camelot Two weeks after Kennedy’s assassination, his wife, Jacqueline, revealed that the score from the 1960 musical Camelot, had been one of her husband’s favorites to listen to. Parallels were then drawn between the “one brief shining moment” of King Arthur’s reign (in the musical) and the mood of idealism and optimism that had characterized Kennedy’s presidency.[34]
[edit] Dwight David Eisenhower (name at birth: David Dwight Eisenhower)
* Ike[35] Known for being in his campaign slogan "I like Ike"
* The Kansas Cyclone[36] His football nickname at West Point
[edit] Harry S. Truman
* Give 'Em Hell Harry (also a campaign slogan)[37][38][39][40]
* High-Tax Harry[41]
* Mister Missouri[42]
* The Senator from Pendergast[43] Reference to his ties with Missouri political boss Tom Pendergast
[edit] Franklin Delano Roosevelt
* FDR[44]
* That Man in the White House,[45] or That Man[46] used by opponents who refused to say his name.
* The New Dealer[47] Referring to the Roosevelt Administration's "New Deal for the American people".
[edit] Herbert Clark Hoover
* The Great Engineer and The Great Humanitarian[48] He was a civil engineer of some distinction and when the Mississippi burst its banks in 1927, engulfing thousands of acres of agricultural land, he volunteered his services and did extensive flood control work. The latter nickname would later be used facetiously in reference to his perceived indifference to the hardships faced by his constituents during the Great Depression. However, the nickname dates back to 1921, when the ARA under Hoover saved millions of Russians suffering from famine. "It was such considerations that Walter Lippmann took into account when he wrote of Hoover’s Russian undertaking in the New York World in May 1922: 'probably no other living man could have done nearly so much.'”[49]
* The Chief[50] This was a nickname picked up at 23 as a geologist surveying in the Australian Outback, but it stuck for the rest of his life.
[edit] John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.
* Cautious Cal[41]
* Cool Cal[51] His reelection campaign used the slogan, "Keep It Cool With Coolidge"
* Silent Cal[52][53]
* The Sphinx of the Potomac[41] Suggesting that he was as enigmatic as the mythological creature
[edit] Warren Gamaliel Harding
* Wobbly Warren[54]
[edit] Thomas Woodrow Wilson
* The Phrase-Maker[55] As an acclaimed historian, Wilson had no need of speech-writers to supply his oratorical eloquence
* The Schoolmaster in Politics[56] He was a bespectacled academic; compare to Italian Prime Minister (and former President of the European Commission) Romano Prodi's nickname Il Professore (the professor/schoolteacher).
[edit] William Howard Taft
* Big Chief[57]
* Old Bill[58] His nickname at Yale University
* Big Lub[59] Boyhood nickname
[edit] Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
* The Cyclone Assemblyman[60] Elected to the New York State Assembly at only 23, he campaigned energetically against political corruption and for civil service reform, becoming minority leader within a year
* The Hero of San Juan Hill[61] He led his Rough Riders up San Juan Hill during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in 1898
* The Lion[62]
* Old Four Eyes[63] He was so myopic that he could only function wearing glasses
* Theodore the Meddler[64] He was too active and legislative a president for some people's tastes
* Teddy In the New York Times at least as early as 1900.[65]
* TR[66] He liked to sign communications this way. The first president to be known by his initials.
* The Trust Buster So called as a pioneer of busting business trusts.[67]
* Teedie[68] He was nicknamed "Teedie" at ten months old and the nickname was used by his family.
[edit] William McKinley, Jr.
* The Major[69] A reference to his American Civil War rank: used by friends and family rather than publicly
* The Napoleon of Protection[70] He was keen on protective tariffs
* The Advance Agent of Prosperity[71] From supporters claiming McKinley's election would serve to remedy the lingering aftereffects of the Depression of 1893.
* The Idol of Ohio[72]
[edit] Benjamin Harrison
* The Front Porch Campaigner[73] During the 1888 election, he gave nearly ninety speeches from his front porch to crowds gathered in the yard of his Indianapolis home. This nickname has been widely but erroneously attributed to William McKinley
* The Human Iceberg[74] Although he could warmly engage a crowd with his speeches, he was a very cold fish when you met him one-on-one
* Kid Gloves Harrison[75] He was prone to skin infection and often wore kid gloves to protect his hands
[edit] Stephen Grover Cleveland
* The Beast of Buffalo[76] Because of false rumors that he was a wife beater, spread by political opponents during the 1888 election
* The Hangman of Buffalo[77] As Sheriff of Erie County, New York, which has Buffalo as its county seat, he had personally hanged two men
* His Obstinacy[78] He vetoed more bills than the first 21 presidents combined
* The Stuffed Prophet[79] and The Elephantine Economist[80] Given to him by hostile newspapers during the 1892 presidential election, by which time his weight had gone up to 250 pounds
* Uncle Jumbo[81]
[edit] Chester Alan Arthur
* Gentleman Boss, as the dapper leader of New York State's Republican party.[82]
* Prince Arthur,[83] and The Dude President[83] He was renowned for his fancy attire and indulgence in extravagant luxury
* Walrus[83] for having strange looking facial hair (mostly touted by children)
[edit] James Abram Garfield
* Boatman Jim, referencing his work on the Ohio canals in his youth.[84]
[edit] Rutherford Birchard Hayes
* Granny Hayes[85] and Queen Victoria in Riding Breeches[86] Hayes did not drink, smoke, or gamble, and, together with his temperance-supporting wife, "Lemonade Lucy", maintained a very strait-laced White House – much to the disgust of some members of Washington society
* President De Facto, His Fraudulency, Rutherfraud Hayes,[87] Boss Thief, The Great Usurper and Old 8 to 7[88] in response to the disputed election against Tilden.
[edit] Ulysses S. Grant (name at birth: Hiram Ulysses Grant)
* Sam[89] Given to him at West Point because of his 'Uncle Sam' initials
* Unconditional Surrender Grant[90] His uncompromising demand for unconditional surrender during the Battle of Fort Donelson in 1862 got a lot of favorable publicity. The fact that his initials suggested the words "unconditional surrender" led to it being used as a nickname
[edit] Andrew Johnson
* The Tennessee Tailor He was apprenticed as a young boy to a tailor.[91]
[edit] Abraham Lincoln
* The Ancient One[92] A nickname favored by White House insiders because of his "ancient wisdom"
* The Great Emancipator[93] and The Liberator[92] For the emancipation of the slaves.
* Honest Abe[94]
* The Rail-Splitter[94]
* The Tycoon[95] For the energetic and ambitious conduct of his Civil War administration
* Uncle Abe[96] Lincoln was a kind and friendly man who in his later years came across as avuncular
[edit] James Buchanan, Jr.
* Ten-Cent Jimmie[97] A reference to his claim during the 1856 election campaign that ten cents a day was enough for a working man to live on
[edit] Franklin Pierce
* The Fainting General[98] A sneering reference by political opponents to an incident during a Mexican War battle when an artillery blast blew the saddle off Pierce's horse and drove the saddle-horn hard into his abdomen, causing him to lose consciousness for a few minutes
* Young Hickory of the Granite Hills[99] "Young Hickory" compared his military deeds (in the Mexican-American War) with those of Andrew Jackson. "The Granite Hills" were his home state of New Hampshire
* Handsome Frank[100]
[edit] Millard Fillmore
* The American Louis Philippe[101]
[edit] Zachary Taylor
* Old Rough and Ready[102]
[edit] James Knox Polk
* Napoleon of the Stump[103] Because of his potent oratory during his campaign for the Tennessee state legislature.
* Polk the Plodder[104]
* Young Hickory[105] Because he was a particular protégé of "Old Hickory" – Andrew Jackson
[edit] John Tyler, Jr.
* His Accidency[106] Derisive nickname by his opponents (as opposed to "His Excellency", for example), who suggested he could not have achieved the presidency through his own merit, only by accident (succeeding from the Vice Presidency on the death of William Henry Harrison).
[edit] William Henry Harrison
* General Mum[107] As in the expression, "keep it mum". Because of his avoidance of speaking out on controversial issues during his election campaign
* Tippecanoe or also Old Tippecanoe[108] A reference to Harrison's victory at the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe. This nickname was used in the campaign song Tippecanoe and Tyler Too during the 1840 Presidential election.
* Washington of the West[108] A reference to Harrison's victories at the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe and 1813 Battle of the Thames.
[edit] Martin Van Buren
* The American Talleyrand[109]
* The Careful Dutchman[110] Van Buren's first language was Dutch.
* The Enchanter[110]
* The Great Manager[110]
* The Little Magician[110] He stood 5'6".
* The Master Spirit[110]
* Matty Van From "Tippecanoe Songs of 1840"[111]
* The Mistletoe Politician"[112] "Nourished by the sap of the hickory tree."
* Old Kinderhook[110] A reference to his birthplace, Kinderhook, New York. Often used in combination with other epithets e.g. "Sage of Kinderhook".
* The Red Fox (of Kinderhook)[110] A reference to his hair color and political astuteness.
[edit] Andrew Jackson
* The Hero of New Orleans[113]
* King Andrew[114]
* Old Hickory[108] Allegedly given to him by his soldiers for being as "tough as old hickory."
* Sharp Knife[115] Given to him by the Creek Indians whom he fought in 1814
[edit] John Quincy Adams
* Old Man Eloquent or The Abolitionist famed for routinely bringing up the slavery issue against Congressional rules, and for his role later on in the Amistad case. He is the only American President to be elected to the House of Representatives — where he earned his nicknames — after his Presidency.[116]
[edit] James Monroe
* The Era of Good Feelings President[117] "The Era of Good Feelings" was the period following the War of 1812, during which America became less divided politically, to the extent that the only opponents of the ruling Democratic Republicans, the Federalist Party, went out of existence. It was not until resistance to Andrew Jackson's policies produced the Whig Party that oppositional politics resumed in the United States
[edit] James Madison, Jr.
* Little Jemmy[118] or His Little Majesty[118] At only 5' 4", he was the shortest president ever. The average adult male American at the beginning of the 19th century was about 5' 8" – an inch and a half shorter than today
[edit] Thomas Jefferson
* The Apostle of Democracy[119]
* The Man of the People[120]
* Mad Tom[121]
* The Negro President[122] For his victory in the election of 1800, won because of the three-fifths compromise.
* The Sage of Monticello[123]
[edit] John Adams, Jr.
* The Colossus of Debate[124] Given to him by Thomas Jefferson for his ability to argue a political case
* The Duke of Braintree[125] A sarcastic reference to his grandiose airs
* King John the Second[126]
* Old Sink or Swim[127] For the speech in which he vowed "To sink or swim; to live or die; survive or perish with my country"
* His Rotundity, for being rather overweight and fond of formal titles[128]
[edit] George Washington
* The American Cincinnatus[129] Like the famous Roman, he won a war, then became a private citizen instead of seeking power or riches as a reward. He became the first President General of the Society of the Cincinnati, formed by Revolutionary War officers who also "declined offers of power and position to return to his home and plough."[130]
* The American Fabius[131] For his military strategy during the Revolutionary War
* The Father of His Country[132][133]
* Barry, a childhood nickname[1]
* No Drama Obama[2]
[edit] George Walker Bush
* 43, Bush II, Bush Jr.,[3] to differentiate him from his father George H.W. Bush.
* Dubya,[4] based on a Texas pronunciation of "W".
[edit] William Jefferson Clinton (name at birth: William Jefferson Blythe III)
* Bubba[5] Common nickname in the Southern US.
* The Comeback Kid[6] Coined by press after strong second place showing in 1992 New Hampshire primary, following polling slump due to Gennifer Flowers' revelation.
* The First Black President[7] Used by Toni Morrison in reference to Clinton's noted support from and rapport with African Americans. Now less common usage after Obama's election.
* Slick Willie[8] Coined by Paul Greenberg, editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
* Teflon Bill[9] Similar to "Teflon Ron" for Ronald Reagan: because none of the scandals afflicting his administration seemed to stick to him personally.
[edit] George Herbert Walker Bush
* 41,[10] Bush the Elder,[11] Papa Bush,[12] Bush Sr,
and similar names. All nicknames that were used after his son George Walker Bush became the 43rd president, to differentiate between the two.
* Poppy[13][14] Nickname used by family and friends from childhood on.
[edit] Ronald Wilson Reagan
* Dutch[15] Because of his Dutch boy haircut when he was a youth.
* The Great Communicator[16] In reference to Reagan's ability to connect verbally and visually with the American people.[17]
* The Gipper[18] After his role as George "The Gipper" Gipp in the film Knute Rockne, All American. Gipp's exhortation to his teammates to "Win one for the Gipper" came in useful during Reagan's election campaigns.
* The Teflon President[19]
[edit] James Earl Carter, Jr.
* Jimmy[20] First President to use his nickname in an official capacity. He was known as ‘Jimmy Carter’, ‘James Earl Carter’, or ‘James Earl Carter, Jr.’. He was never called ‘James Carter’ or ‘James E. Carter’
* President Malaise[21] - a reference to his speech on July 15, 1979, where he talked about a "crisis of confidence," and suggested that the US was in decline. Three days after the speech, Carter asked for the resignations of all of his Cabinet officers, and ultimately accepted five. By asking the entire Cabinet, it gave the appearance that the White House was falling apart.
[edit] Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (name at birth: Leslie Lynch King, Jr.)
* Jerry[22]
* Mr. Nice Guy[23] Because of his clean-cut and non-partisan image
[edit] Richard Milhous Nixon
* Gloomy Gus[24] Another nickname awarded by his fellow students at Duke University School of Law, referring to his serious nature
* Iron Butt[25] Law school nickname because he studied so hard
* The Mad Monk[26] Given to him by White House aide John Ehrlichman.
* Tricky Dick[27] From a Democratic Party ad saying "Look at 'Tricky Dick' Nixon's Republican Record."
[edit] Lyndon Baines Johnson
* Landslide Lyndon[28] Sarcastic reference to the hotly-disputed 87-vote win that took him to the Senate in 1949 which became more appropriate following his landslide victory in the 1964 presidential election.
* Light-Bulb Lyndon[29] Nicknamed so because he hated wasting electricity, and would often storm around the White House shutting off unnecessary lights.
* LBJ[30] He liked to be known by this abbreviation, which was used in the slogan, "All the way with LBJ"
* Uncle Cornpone[31] Nickname for an older Southern gentleman.
[edit] John Fitzgerald Kennedy
* Jack[32] Kennedy was usually referred to as either "John F. Kennedy" or "Jack Kennedy", only very rarely as "John Kennedy"
* JFK[33] Most prominent nickname and abbreviation of his full name.
* The King of Camelot Two weeks after Kennedy’s assassination, his wife, Jacqueline, revealed that the score from the 1960 musical Camelot, had been one of her husband’s favorites to listen to. Parallels were then drawn between the “one brief shining moment” of King Arthur’s reign (in the musical) and the mood of idealism and optimism that had characterized Kennedy’s presidency.[34]
[edit] Dwight David Eisenhower (name at birth: David Dwight Eisenhower)
* Ike[35] Known for being in his campaign slogan "I like Ike"
* The Kansas Cyclone[36] His football nickname at West Point
[edit] Harry S. Truman
* Give 'Em Hell Harry (also a campaign slogan)[37][38][39][40]
* High-Tax Harry[41]
* Mister Missouri[42]
* The Senator from Pendergast[43] Reference to his ties with Missouri political boss Tom Pendergast
[edit] Franklin Delano Roosevelt
* FDR[44]
* That Man in the White House,[45] or That Man[46] used by opponents who refused to say his name.
* The New Dealer[47] Referring to the Roosevelt Administration's "New Deal for the American people".
[edit] Herbert Clark Hoover
* The Great Engineer and The Great Humanitarian[48] He was a civil engineer of some distinction and when the Mississippi burst its banks in 1927, engulfing thousands of acres of agricultural land, he volunteered his services and did extensive flood control work. The latter nickname would later be used facetiously in reference to his perceived indifference to the hardships faced by his constituents during the Great Depression. However, the nickname dates back to 1921, when the ARA under Hoover saved millions of Russians suffering from famine. "It was such considerations that Walter Lippmann took into account when he wrote of Hoover’s Russian undertaking in the New York World in May 1922: 'probably no other living man could have done nearly so much.'”[49]
* The Chief[50] This was a nickname picked up at 23 as a geologist surveying in the Australian Outback, but it stuck for the rest of his life.
[edit] John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.
* Cautious Cal[41]
* Cool Cal[51] His reelection campaign used the slogan, "Keep It Cool With Coolidge"
* Silent Cal[52][53]
* The Sphinx of the Potomac[41] Suggesting that he was as enigmatic as the mythological creature
[edit] Warren Gamaliel Harding
* Wobbly Warren[54]
[edit] Thomas Woodrow Wilson
* The Phrase-Maker[55] As an acclaimed historian, Wilson had no need of speech-writers to supply his oratorical eloquence
* The Schoolmaster in Politics[56] He was a bespectacled academic; compare to Italian Prime Minister (and former President of the European Commission) Romano Prodi's nickname Il Professore (the professor/schoolteacher).
[edit] William Howard Taft
* Big Chief[57]
* Old Bill[58] His nickname at Yale University
* Big Lub[59] Boyhood nickname
[edit] Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
* The Cyclone Assemblyman[60] Elected to the New York State Assembly at only 23, he campaigned energetically against political corruption and for civil service reform, becoming minority leader within a year
* The Hero of San Juan Hill[61] He led his Rough Riders up San Juan Hill during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in 1898
* The Lion[62]
* Old Four Eyes[63] He was so myopic that he could only function wearing glasses
* Theodore the Meddler[64] He was too active and legislative a president for some people's tastes
* Teddy In the New York Times at least as early as 1900.[65]
* TR[66] He liked to sign communications this way. The first president to be known by his initials.
* The Trust Buster So called as a pioneer of busting business trusts.[67]
* Teedie[68] He was nicknamed "Teedie" at ten months old and the nickname was used by his family.
[edit] William McKinley, Jr.
* The Major[69] A reference to his American Civil War rank: used by friends and family rather than publicly
* The Napoleon of Protection[70] He was keen on protective tariffs
* The Advance Agent of Prosperity[71] From supporters claiming McKinley's election would serve to remedy the lingering aftereffects of the Depression of 1893.
* The Idol of Ohio[72]
[edit] Benjamin Harrison
* The Front Porch Campaigner[73] During the 1888 election, he gave nearly ninety speeches from his front porch to crowds gathered in the yard of his Indianapolis home. This nickname has been widely but erroneously attributed to William McKinley
* The Human Iceberg[74] Although he could warmly engage a crowd with his speeches, he was a very cold fish when you met him one-on-one
* Kid Gloves Harrison[75] He was prone to skin infection and often wore kid gloves to protect his hands
[edit] Stephen Grover Cleveland
* The Beast of Buffalo[76] Because of false rumors that he was a wife beater, spread by political opponents during the 1888 election
* The Hangman of Buffalo[77] As Sheriff of Erie County, New York, which has Buffalo as its county seat, he had personally hanged two men
* His Obstinacy[78] He vetoed more bills than the first 21 presidents combined
* The Stuffed Prophet[79] and The Elephantine Economist[80] Given to him by hostile newspapers during the 1892 presidential election, by which time his weight had gone up to 250 pounds
* Uncle Jumbo[81]
[edit] Chester Alan Arthur
* Gentleman Boss, as the dapper leader of New York State's Republican party.[82]
* Prince Arthur,[83] and The Dude President[83] He was renowned for his fancy attire and indulgence in extravagant luxury
* Walrus[83] for having strange looking facial hair (mostly touted by children)
[edit] James Abram Garfield
* Boatman Jim, referencing his work on the Ohio canals in his youth.[84]
[edit] Rutherford Birchard Hayes
* Granny Hayes[85] and Queen Victoria in Riding Breeches[86] Hayes did not drink, smoke, or gamble, and, together with his temperance-supporting wife, "Lemonade Lucy", maintained a very strait-laced White House – much to the disgust of some members of Washington society
* President De Facto, His Fraudulency, Rutherfraud Hayes,[87] Boss Thief, The Great Usurper and Old 8 to 7[88] in response to the disputed election against Tilden.
[edit] Ulysses S. Grant (name at birth: Hiram Ulysses Grant)
* Sam[89] Given to him at West Point because of his 'Uncle Sam' initials
* Unconditional Surrender Grant[90] His uncompromising demand for unconditional surrender during the Battle of Fort Donelson in 1862 got a lot of favorable publicity. The fact that his initials suggested the words "unconditional surrender" led to it being used as a nickname
[edit] Andrew Johnson
* The Tennessee Tailor He was apprenticed as a young boy to a tailor.[91]
[edit] Abraham Lincoln
* The Ancient One[92] A nickname favored by White House insiders because of his "ancient wisdom"
* The Great Emancipator[93] and The Liberator[92] For the emancipation of the slaves.
* Honest Abe[94]
* The Rail-Splitter[94]
* The Tycoon[95] For the energetic and ambitious conduct of his Civil War administration
* Uncle Abe[96] Lincoln was a kind and friendly man who in his later years came across as avuncular
[edit] James Buchanan, Jr.
* Ten-Cent Jimmie[97] A reference to his claim during the 1856 election campaign that ten cents a day was enough for a working man to live on
[edit] Franklin Pierce
* The Fainting General[98] A sneering reference by political opponents to an incident during a Mexican War battle when an artillery blast blew the saddle off Pierce's horse and drove the saddle-horn hard into his abdomen, causing him to lose consciousness for a few minutes
* Young Hickory of the Granite Hills[99] "Young Hickory" compared his military deeds (in the Mexican-American War) with those of Andrew Jackson. "The Granite Hills" were his home state of New Hampshire
* Handsome Frank[100]
[edit] Millard Fillmore
* The American Louis Philippe[101]
[edit] Zachary Taylor
* Old Rough and Ready[102]
[edit] James Knox Polk
* Napoleon of the Stump[103] Because of his potent oratory during his campaign for the Tennessee state legislature.
* Polk the Plodder[104]
* Young Hickory[105] Because he was a particular protégé of "Old Hickory" – Andrew Jackson
[edit] John Tyler, Jr.
* His Accidency[106] Derisive nickname by his opponents (as opposed to "His Excellency", for example), who suggested he could not have achieved the presidency through his own merit, only by accident (succeeding from the Vice Presidency on the death of William Henry Harrison).
[edit] William Henry Harrison
* General Mum[107] As in the expression, "keep it mum". Because of his avoidance of speaking out on controversial issues during his election campaign
* Tippecanoe or also Old Tippecanoe[108] A reference to Harrison's victory at the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe. This nickname was used in the campaign song Tippecanoe and Tyler Too during the 1840 Presidential election.
* Washington of the West[108] A reference to Harrison's victories at the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe and 1813 Battle of the Thames.
[edit] Martin Van Buren
* The American Talleyrand[109]
* The Careful Dutchman[110] Van Buren's first language was Dutch.
* The Enchanter[110]
* The Great Manager[110]
* The Little Magician[110] He stood 5'6".
* The Master Spirit[110]
* Matty Van From "Tippecanoe Songs of 1840"[111]
* The Mistletoe Politician"[112] "Nourished by the sap of the hickory tree."
* Old Kinderhook[110] A reference to his birthplace, Kinderhook, New York. Often used in combination with other epithets e.g. "Sage of Kinderhook".
* The Red Fox (of Kinderhook)[110] A reference to his hair color and political astuteness.
[edit] Andrew Jackson
* The Hero of New Orleans[113]
* King Andrew[114]
* Old Hickory[108] Allegedly given to him by his soldiers for being as "tough as old hickory."
* Sharp Knife[115] Given to him by the Creek Indians whom he fought in 1814
[edit] John Quincy Adams
* Old Man Eloquent or The Abolitionist famed for routinely bringing up the slavery issue against Congressional rules, and for his role later on in the Amistad case. He is the only American President to be elected to the House of Representatives — where he earned his nicknames — after his Presidency.[116]
[edit] James Monroe
* The Era of Good Feelings President[117] "The Era of Good Feelings" was the period following the War of 1812, during which America became less divided politically, to the extent that the only opponents of the ruling Democratic Republicans, the Federalist Party, went out of existence. It was not until resistance to Andrew Jackson's policies produced the Whig Party that oppositional politics resumed in the United States
[edit] James Madison, Jr.
* Little Jemmy[118] or His Little Majesty[118] At only 5' 4", he was the shortest president ever. The average adult male American at the beginning of the 19th century was about 5' 8" – an inch and a half shorter than today
[edit] Thomas Jefferson
* The Apostle of Democracy[119]
* The Man of the People[120]
* Mad Tom[121]
* The Negro President[122] For his victory in the election of 1800, won because of the three-fifths compromise.
* The Sage of Monticello[123]
[edit] John Adams, Jr.
* The Colossus of Debate[124] Given to him by Thomas Jefferson for his ability to argue a political case
* The Duke of Braintree[125] A sarcastic reference to his grandiose airs
* King John the Second[126]
* Old Sink or Swim[127] For the speech in which he vowed "To sink or swim; to live or die; survive or perish with my country"
* His Rotundity, for being rather overweight and fond of formal titles[128]
[edit] George Washington
* The American Cincinnatus[129] Like the famous Roman, he won a war, then became a private citizen instead of seeking power or riches as a reward. He became the first President General of the Society of the Cincinnati, formed by Revolutionary War officers who also "declined offers of power and position to return to his home and plough."[130]
* The American Fabius[131] For his military strategy during the Revolutionary War
* The Father of His Country[132][133]
