It seems that presidents cannot just go by their given name. Once their ‘hat is in the ring’, their followers and opponents both seek to use nicknames to define them, honor them, or deride them.
In modern terms, nicknames can be viewed as a form of branding by positioning the man or woman in a certain light. Politicians seem to naturally grasp the advantages of a good nickname.
Let’s walk through some of the best presidential nicknames and point out some exceptional choices and recent trends.
Father of our Country, George Washington’s (1789-1797) nickname, is one of honor and respect for his defining role in our evolution as a nation.
Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809): it’s hard to beat Father of the Declaration of Independence, but he was also known as the Sage of Monticello as well.
In a similar way, Jefferson’s successor, James Madison (1809-1817) was known as the Father of the Constitution. Due to his short 5 ‘4” stature, he was also called Little Jemmy.
Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) had two nicknames: the most prominent was Old Hickory, given by his army troops who knew him as a stout fighter as strong as hickory. Jackson also was known as Jackass. He actually embraced the name and ultimately his Democratic Party adopted the image of a jackass as its symbol.
True to political form, Jackson’s Tennessee protégé James Polk (1845-1849) was called Young Hickory during his campaign for the White House. Young Hickory promised to only serve one term, bowing out after four years and dying 90 days later.
Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) had multiple nicknames bestowed upon him. He was known as the Rail Splitter due to one of his early jobs, Honest Abe, and The Great Emancipator due to his authorship of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) was known as His Fraudulency, due to the nature of the election that put him in office. The 1876 race between Hayes and Tilden was so close and rife with fraud and voter intimidation that the election was tossed to a special group of Representatives and Supreme Court Justices called the Electoral Commission for a decision. Hayes won by an 8-7 vote, with political drama and shenanigans abounding, thus conferring Hayes with his nickname.
Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) also had multiple nicknames. He was the first president to consistently go by his initials, TR, since he signed memos and letters with his initials. He also was known as the Hero of San Juan Hill for his valor in the Spanish American War, and as the Trust Buster, for his work to break up corporate behemoths like Standard Oil.
Theodore’s cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945), also went by his initials, making FDR synonymous with his Great Depression-fighting programs and war efforts spanning four successful elections.
“I like Ike” had immediate traction with the public in the election of 1952 for Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961). They used his childhood nickname to spin a memorable slogan for both his election runs in the 1950’s.
This period saw a boom in the use of initials as presidential nicknames. Ike was followed into office by John F. Kennedy (1961-1963), also known as JFK. Kennedy was followed into office by Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969), better known as LBJ. Johnson used his initials for campaign slogans too, such as “All the Way with LBJ”.
James Earl Carter Jr (1977-1981) was the first president to officially go by a nickname for all his duties. Of course he went by Jimmy, and he has embodied the Jimmy nickname to help define himself. Somehow James Earl Carter just doesn’t have the same ring as Jimmy. (As of this writing, Jimmy remains in hospice in Plains, and is now just a few weeks away from his 100th birthday!)
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) also had multiple nicknames. He was known as The Great Communicator, due to his exceptional public speaking skills honed during his acting career. He also was known as Dutch, nicknamed by his father. Finally, Reagan was known as The Gipper, for his movie role as George Gipp, a Notre Dame football player.
William Jefferson Clinton (1993-2001) was widely known as Bill. However, he acquired some extra nicknames too: Bubba, reflecting his southern charm; Comeback Kid, honoring his political redemption in the 1980’s; and Slick Willie, owing to his skill at talking extemporaneously and effectively on nearly any topic that came up.
A very recent trend is to use their number in presidential history as a nickname. It began with George H. W. Bush going as “41”, followed by his son, George W. Bush going as “43”, and later with Donald Trump going as “45”.
It’s fair to assume that all future presidents will have a nickname or two, just like their predecessors.
Interested in learning more about the presidents? Visit the Carolyn & James Millar Presidential Gallery on the upper level of the Booth Western Art Museum. The gallery features original letters and photographs of every U.S. president. Learn more at www.boothmuseum.org.
