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By Jason Knapfel
Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - 18:13

From Jackson’s drooling problem and Jefferson’s butt boils to Johnson’s, er, johnson, get the dirt on the physical and health issues that have plagued our nation’s presidents.

We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby

The presidential race is heating up, and people are turning out in droves for many of the primaries. And while the candidates’ stances on the issues should matter most, oftentimes other circumstances can come into play for the nominees—like looks.

Now we have candidates who “look presidential”—which doesn’t include obesity, shortness, ugliness, or, for some odd reason, facial hair. Mitt Romney was the starchy Stepford candidate, but that ultimately didn’t help him prevail. Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee lost well over 100 pounds before he declared himself in the running. And wunderkind Barack Obama is slim and athletically built (he played basketball in his school years).

Recent presidential history included athletic types like Gerald Ford, who was a star football player in college (but a clumsy president); Ronald Reagan a swimmer and swimming coach in school; and George W. Bush, well, a cheerleader.

The strapping virile male image hasn’t always been the case—just look at the portraits of past presidents. Taft was portly. Abraham Lincoln was tall, spindly, and homely.

Like any other citizen, presidents have battled all kinds of health issues. But compared to what they had to deal with before the advent of modern medicine, today it’s a walk in the park.

U.S. Presidents have suffered from all kinds of physical deficiencies and travails throughout history. Here are 10 of the more interesting…

George Washington's "Wooden" Teeth George Washington's "Wooden" Teeth

1. George Washington (1789 - 1797)

George Washington was the father of the country, with the mother of all folk tales - those false teeth. But contrary to popular belief, they weren’t wooden. Dentures at the time were often made from gold, ivory, lead, and human, horse and donkey teeth. But not wood.

In fact, there was a second myth regarding Washington’s choppers. Paul Revere may have warned his fellow Colonists that the British were coming, but he didn’t craft George’s dentures, as has been perpetuated.

Painter Gilbert Stuart’s most famous portrait of George Washington, The Athenaeum Portrait, i.e., the image seen on the dollar bill, reveals a tight-lipped and puffy jowl of a man. Accentuating the protruding dentures gave Washington the appearance of being a starchy and stiff fuddy-duddy. But in reality he was an accomplished dancer and horseman.

"Of all the founding fathers, he was the most athletic, the most adventurous and clearly a man of action," said James C. Rees, executive director of the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, Washington's home in northern Virginia.

But in the end, death and medical ignorance are the great equalizer. George Washington suffered from a throat infection that ultimately led to his death. Some have speculated that the crude practice of bloodletting - treating patients by purposely bleeding them - played a part in his death, but that has been discounted in recent years.

Thomas Jefferson in Better Days Thomas Jefferson in Better Days

2. John Adams (1797 - 1801)

The general public doesn’t know much about President John Adams. But that could change somewhat after HBO airs its miniseries on the second president of the United States in March.John Adams lived to the ripe old age of 90. But it surely wasn’t as a result of his crude dietary beliefs and sickly ways.

Adams' health often failed him. In fact, to examine his health history, he seemed to be a wreck for someone who lived as long as he did. He had fainting spells, and was even comatose for five days.

He was put on a trendy milk diet. Adams was to avoid meats, spices, and spirits. Instead, he was to favor bread, milk, vegetables, and water. There was apparently some improvement, but he also developed severe heartburn. Adams stayed on this diet for years and sometimes he even purged.

3. Thomas Jefferson (1801 - 1809)

Thomas Jefferson is considered one of the most intellectual of U.S. Presidents. He was the principle author of the Declaration of Independence and one of the founders of modern democracy. He was also a student of the Enlightenment, favored reason, and even rejected Biblical literalism. But, when Jefferson developed severe dysentery (bloody diarrhea) in 1802, he didn’t consult a doctor. No, he felt that horseback riding helped the problem.

In the third week of “taking the waters” at Warm Springs in 1818, Jefferson developed boils on his hindquarters. No matter how much you believe in the healing properties of natural springs, a 50-mile ride on horseback and the typically unsanitary conditions of the time trumps it.

For several weeks Jefferson conducted his correspondence lying down and didn’t ride a horse for several months. That puts a little chink in the armor of the romantic image of one of the greatest Founding Fathers.

James Madison, Presidential Shortie James Madison, Presidential Shortie

4. James Madison (1809 - 1817)

Madison was the slightest statured president. He was said to have always been frail in appearance, never weighing more than 100 pounds, and measuring about 5’ 3”.

While out campaigning for the First Congress in 1788, Madison's nose was scarred with frost bite. It’s reported that he later joked that he got the scar “in defense of his country."

5. Abraham Lincoln (1861 - 1865)

Abraham Lincoln is one of the greatest and most popular U.S. Presidents in history. But, like many pre-modern era presidents, he had a laundry list of health issues. Besides that whole Ford’s Theater thing, Lincoln had other health issues he dealt with before his untimely death.

The 6’ 3” tall and spindly Honest Abe has been described as having eyes too small for his face, and suffering from ptosis (drooping eyelids). Top that off with his high cheek bones and sunken cheeks, and the reason for growing a beard becomes clearer.

And to top it all, it’s now suspected that he may have suffered from a rare genetic syndrome called MEN 2B. It could have been the reason for his tall and gangly build. And in fact, one doctor even suspected that he had cancer at the time of his assassination, and that he wouldn’t have survived more than a year longer.
President Taft President Taft

6. Theodore Roosevelt (1901 - 1909)

Theodore Roosevelt, a rabble rouser of a president, is the closest thing the U.S. had to an Indiana Jones. He’s also the namesake of the Teddy Bear. He was known for his extreme nearsightedness. In fact, he ended up blind in one eye, speculated to be the result of a boxing match in the White House! He was also known for his lengthy speeches. Both of these traits were probably responsible for saving his life during an assassination attempt.

During a stop in Milwaukee on his 1912 "Bull Moose" presidential campaign, Theodore Roosevelt was shot at close range by a crazy New York saloonkeeper named John Schrank. The man aimed his pistol at Roosevelt's head, but a bystander deflected his arm.

Roosevelt was very lucky. He had a folded manuscript of a 50-page speech in his coat pocket, which slowed the bullet. He also had a steel spectacle case in his pocket, and the bullet traversed this before entering Roosevelt's chest.

7. William Taft (1909 -1913)

President William Taft had the dubious distinction of being the heaviest sitting president (which he must have done a lot of). At nearly 6 feet tall, he peaked at about 340 pounds while in office. As one might expect, Taft had all the travails a heavy person suffers from: sleep apnea, heartburn, gout, joint pains and possibly atrial fibrillation.
Woodrow Wilson's Gnarly Teeth Woodrow Wilson's Gnarly Teeth

8. Woodrow Wilson (1915 - 1921)

Wilson did not learn the alphabet until he was 9 years old, and could not read until he was 12. And, apparently it took him some time to learn how to take care of his teeth. In today’s media microscope, someone with teeth as homely as his wouldn’t stand a chance.

9. John Kennedy (1961 - 1963)

President Kennedy was a true paradox. He embodied the good looks and glamour of the so-called Camelot era of American politics. But he was also possibly the most unhealthy of presidents. He was documented to have been hospitalized at least 36 times in his lifetime.

Kennedy received steroid treatment for colitis in his early adulthood. It’s thought that this caused his ongoing back problems. And, as fate would have it, those back problems could have been his ultimate undoing.

In a lesser known speculation about the most talked about assassination in Western culture, wearing a back brace on that fateful day in Dallas, Texas may have prevented his body from collapsing after the first shot, allowing the second and fatal shot to reach him.
LBJ and "Jumbo" LBJ and "Jumbo"

Narrowing down the peculiar physical traits of U.S. Presidents is quite a challenge. Nearly all of them had something worth noting. So, for the sake of being inclusive, here are a few “honorable mentions”:

- A young Andrew Jackson was said to have a slobbering problem.

- One of James Buchanan's eyelids twitched, which, combined with his personality, led an Andrew Jackson biographer to describe Buchanan as a "winking, fidgeting little busybody."

 

10. Saving Sex For Last

Saving the most salacious for last, Bill Clinton and John Kennedy may be the highest profiled playboys to take the presidential oath. But they are far from the only two randy occupants of the Oval Office. Lyndon Johnson was seemingly obsessed with his johnson. He reportedly nicknamed it “Jumbo” in college. And when asked why “we are still in Vietnam” during an off-the-record briefing, he pulled out his wedding tackle and said “this is why”... giving a whole new meaning to the term “news flash.”