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PRESIDENTIAL PASTIMES, PART III

© John S. Cooper

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) also enjoyed golf, as well as riding, swimming and walking (regular walking, that is). Wilson was another in a string of Presidents associated with golf.

Warren Harding (1921-1923) enjoyed riding, and was yet another of the golfing Presidents. But his favorite pastime by far was poker. While he was President, there were almost nightly games in the White House. Liquor was served during these games, in spite of prohibition. Many deals were concluded during these card games, including the transfer of oil reserve lands from the Navy Department to the Department of the Interior. This was the beginning of the infamous Teapot Dome Scandals.

Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) enjoyed a variety of activities, some very unique. Like other Presidents, Coolidge enjoyed golf, fishing and trap shooting (shooting at clay pigeons with a shotgun). For exercise, he rode a mechanical horse and pitched hay. Coolidge also exercised with Indian clubs, a form of exercise very popular earlier in our history. Indian clubs are basically elongated, heavy pins that resemble bowling pins. These pins would be swung in various patterns as a means of exercise.

Another unusual form of Presidential exercise was the medicine ball enjoyed by Herbert Hoover (1929-1933). This heavy ball would be used to play a strenuous game of catch as a means of building strength and endurance. Hoover often had his cabinet and advisors join him for an early morning game of medicine ball and then breakfast. They became known as the “medicine ball cabinet.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945), confined to a wheelchair, enjoyed fishing and sailing, and especially swimming which was a regular part of his exercise regimen. In 1933, Roosevelt had an indoor pool built in the White House to enable him to continue his swimming exercises on a daily basis. He also spent a great deal of time with his stamp collection.

Harry Truman (1945-1953) enjoyed fishing and swimming, but also enjoyed playing the piano and playing poker with his political friends. Truman’s favorite form of exercise was walking. He was known for his daily walks, often accompanied by reporters, which were conducted at a brisk pace of 120 paces per minute. This was a practice he continued long after he left the White House. He would often direct his walks in the direction of a place where he could “strike a blow for liberty” (take a drink).

Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961) enjoyed fishing, golf and hunting as well as playing bridge, which he did frequently. Eisenhower was also known for his hobby of painting, and he set up a studio in the White House so he could continue his hobby.