Dwight Eisenhower played football for the United States Military Academy at West Point where he was known as “The Kansas Cyclone” and ran seventy yards in a game against Yale in 1912. A knee injury in his second year ended his football career (but not his military career).
Teddy Roosevelt was a member of the Harvard boxing team during his undergraduate days, and John Kennedy was a member of the Harvard swim team during his college days there. Jimmy Carter was a member of the cross-country team at the Naval Academy.
Surprisingly, few of our Presidents have had much musical ability or experience. Thomas Jefferson and John Tyler played the violin, and Harry Truman and Richard Nixon played the piano. In fact, Harry Truman once joked that if he had not gone into politics, he would have probably become the “piano player at a bawdy house.” Calvin Coolidge played the harmonica, Warren Harding played the alto horn and cornet, and Bill Clinton played the saxophone.
It is during their terms as President that the relaxation of sports and hobbies becomes so important and so difficult to enjoy. In this article, we will look at the hobbies and sports of the men in the White House during their term.
George Washington, true to the times and his class, enjoyed fishing and horseback riding. He found great relaxation in the out-of-doors, and enjoyed getting away from the pressures of office.
Washington’s successor, John Adams, apparently had no specific hobbies during his term as President, and engaged in no sports. That may have had something to do with the portly Adams’ nickname of “His Rotundity.”
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to John S. Cooper's American Presidents topic, please visit the Discussions page.