Thirty-eighth President: Gerald R. Ford - 2 comments

Gerald Ford not only wasn't elected President - he wasn't elected to any national office at all! After Spiro Agnew abdicated the Veep position - and then pleaded guilty to tax evasion - Ford was chosen as his replacement. Then Nixon resigned in the wake of Watergate, and Ford began his unlikely administration.

Thirty-seventh President: Richard M. Nixon - 2 comments

I've definitely crossed the threshold now - rather than me giving you readers facts about Presidents, I should be asking you! You're certainly not going to learn much from me, a kid born during the Carter administration, right? Right.

So, then: what can you tell me about Richard Nixon?

Thirty-sixth President: Lyndon B. Johnson - 1 comments

LBJ was Kennedy's VP, of course, and was sworn in just hours after the assassination. They couldn't find a Bible at the time, and instead Johnson was sworn in using JFK's missal.

Thirty-fifth President: John F. Kennedy - 3 comments

Sorry for the drought, loyal readers. All the Presidents in this series have come from the National Portrait Gallery, in which Mr. Kennedy is sadly underrepresented. His most prominent portrait is by Elaine de Kooning, whos abstract expressionist style doesn't really fit with my drawing goals. Instead, I found a photograph that's included in the gallery as well.

Thirty-fourth President: Dwight D. Eisenhower - 2 comments

I like Ike! Sure, we can thank Eisenhower for his pivotal role in WWII, for the space race, for a more powerful Social Security. But personally? I'm big, big fan of the Interstate Highway System. If you've ever driven 200 miles in less than three hours, then you should thank him too.

Thirty-third President: Harry S Truman - 1 comments

What you already know about Harry S Truman: thirty-third President, military officer, from Missouri and had to be shown stuff, FDR's final VP, narrowly defeated Dewey for reelection, saw the end of WWII and authorized nukes in Japan.

But did you know: his middle initial doesn't stand for anything? It's not an initial, really, it's his whole middle name: S.

Also: did not really have two mouths.

Thirty-second President: Franklin D. Roosevelt - 3 comments

FDR was one of our best-loved presidents: he saw the country through the Great Depression, another World War, and was elected four times! He was responsible for the New Deal, he supported Winston Churchill, and he brought the nation little-known senator Harry S Truman.