FACTBOX: Interesting Facts About US Presidents

In the run up to the 2016 presidential election in the United States, Sputnik has collected interesting facts about former American leaders.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The first president of the United States, George Washington (1789–1797), was the only president to win 100 percent of electors’ votes. He also delivered the shortest inaugural address, consisting of 133 words and lasting less than two minutes. In addition, he was the first president to be portrayed on a postal stamp.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the longest-serving US president (1933–1945) and the only US president to win four elections.

Democrat Stephen Grover Cleveland was the only man to have served two non-consecutive presidential terms (1885–1889, 1893–1897).

Martin Van Buren (1837–1841) was the first US citizen to win the presidency, with all of his predecessors being subjects of the British Crown.

Six US presidents were named James: Madison (1809–1817), Monroe (1817–1825), Polk (1845–1849), Buchanan (1857–1861), Garfield (March–September 1881) and Carter (1997–1981).

Dwight David Eisenhower (1953–1961) was the only US president to have fought in the First and Second World Wars.

William Henry Harrison (March–April 1841) made the longest inaugural address of all US presidents, which consisted of 8,495 words. The inauguration day was notorious for its nasty weather. Harrison caught a cold and died of pneumonia a month later, thereby becoming the shortest-serving US president.

Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) was the first southerner to be elected president after the Civil War. He was also the only president to publish several novels.

Barack Obama (2009–2017) is the first African American to win the US presidency. He is also the first US president born outside of the North American continent (in Hawaii).

Gerald Ford (1974–1977) was the only president who managed to become both Vice President and President without being elected. He was appointed Vice President after Spiro Agnew resigned the office and became President after Richard Nixon’s resignation.

Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) was the oldest US president. He was almost 70 (69 years, 11 months and 14 days) at his first inauguration.

The youngest US president was Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909), who succeeded to the office after his predecessor’s assassination. At the time, he was 42 years, 10 months and 18 days old.

John Kennedy (1961–1963) was the youngest US president elect (43 years). He was also the first US boy-scout to become president.

The US president with the longest name is believed to be George Herbert Walker Bush (1989–1993).

Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington.

Not a single US president was the only child in his family.

James Buchanan was the only bachelor president.

Grover Cleveland (1885–1889) was the only US president to celebrate his wedding in the White House.

The heaviest US president was William Taft (1909–1913) who weighed over 135 kilos.

Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865) was the tallest US president, standing 6.4 feet (195 cm).

Standing 164 cm and weighing 45 kilos, James Madison (1809–1817) was the smallest US president.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) was the first US president to travel to all 48 then-existing states. He was also the first head of state to fly one of the earliest aircraft models.

Richard Nixon (1969–1974) was the first US President to visit the USSR and China.

John Tyler (1841–1845) was the most prolific president in US history. He had eight children by his first wife and seven by his second one. His 15th child was born when the president was over 70.

Ohio contributed the largest number of presidents (seven), followed by New York (six), Virginia (five), Massachusetts (four), Texas, Tennessee, and California (three each).

Four US presidents died a natural death in office (William Harrison, Zachary Taylor (1849–1850), Warren Harding (1921–1923) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt).

Four US presidents were assassinated (Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley (1897-1901) and John F. Kennedy).

Three US Presidents died on July 4: Thomas Jefferson (1826), John Adams (1826) and James Monroe (1831). Calvin Coolidge was the only US president to be born on July 4 (1872).