James Knox Polk named after his maternal grandfather, James Knox

Born: November 2, 1795(1795-11-02) Pineville, North Carolina
Died: June 15, 1849 (aged 53) Nashville, Tennessee
Nationality: American
Father: Samuel Polk
Mother: Jane Knox Polk
Spouse: Sarah Childress (1803-1891), on January 1, 1824
Education: Graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1818)
Occupation: Lawyer, Farmer (Planter)
Religion: Methodist
Took office: March 4, 1845
Left office: March 4, 1849
Party: Democratic
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Vice President: George M. Dallas
Preceded by: John Tyler
Succeeded by: Zachary Taylor

Other Government Positions

• Member of Tennessee House of Representatives, 1823-25
• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1825-39
• Speaker of the House, 1835-39
• Governor of Tennessee, 1839-41

Notable Events

• 1846
  A large crack in the Liberty Bell proves too large to permit the bell to be rung any more.
  Dispute with Britain over the Oregon Territory settled. Both nations get a part of the territory.

• 1848
  Treaty of 1848 with Mexico gave the U.S. control over California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
  Gold discovered in California in December.

Presidential Nicknames

• Young Hickory: Because he was a particular protégé of "Old Hickory" — Andrew Jackson
• The Napoleon of the Stump: A reference to his formidable oratory skills
• Polk the Plodder: The validity of this nickname was disproved by his foreign policy when he became president
• Polk the Purposeful

Zachary Taylor named after his paternal grandfather

Born: November 24, 1784(1784-11-24) Barboursville, Virginia
Died: July 09, 1850 (aged 65) Washington, D.C.
Nationality: American
Father: Lieutenant Colonel Richard Taylor
Mother: Sarah Dabney Strother Taylor
Spouse: Margaret Mackall Smith (1788-1852), on June 21, 1810
Education: No formal education
Occupation: Soldier (General)
Religion: Episcopal
Took office: March 4, 1849
Left office: July 9, 1850
Party: Whig
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Vice President: Millard Fillmore
Preceded by: James K. Polk
Succeeded by: Millard Fillmore

Other Government Positions:

• None

Notable Events:

• 1850
  The Clayton-Bulwer Treaty signed with Britain guaranteed that any future canal across Central America would be available to all nations.

Presidential Nicknames

• Old Rough and Ready: Taylor disdained the luxuries available to a senior officer in camp and field, preferring to "rough it" like the other ranks
• Old Zack
• The Hero of Buena Vista or Old Buena Vista: Commemorating his most famous Mexican War victory

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.

Millard Fillmore Millard was his mother’s maiden name

Born: January 7, 1800 (1800-01-07)Summerhill, New York
Died: March 08, 1874 (aged 74) Buffalo, New York
Nationality: United States
Father: Nathaniel Fillmore
Mother: Phoebe Millard Fillmore
Stepmother: Eunice Love
Spouse: Abigail Powers (1798-1853), on February 5, 1826; Caroline Carmichael McIntosh (1813-1881), on February 10, 1858
Education: No formal education
Occupation: Lawyer
Religion: Unitarian
Took office: July 9, 1850
Left office: March 4, 1853
Party: Anti-Masonic, Whig, American
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Preceded by: Zachary Taylor
Succeeded by: Franklin Pierce

Other Government Positions:

• Member of New York State Assembly, 1828-31
• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1833-35
• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1837-45
• Comptroller of New York, 1847
• Vice President, 1849-1850 (under Taylor)

Notable Events:

• 1850
  Congress passed the Compromise of 1850 and Fugitive Slave Act in September.

Presidential Nicknames

• The Accidental President: Succeeded Zachary Taylor after the latter died eighteen months into office
• The Wool-Carder President: One of his former occupations
• The American Louis Philippe: Comparing Fillmore's allegedly luxurious White House lifestyle to that of the contemporary King of France

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.

Born: November 23, 1804(1804-11-23) Hillsborough, New Hampshire
Died: October 8, 1869 (aged 64) Concord, New Hampshire
Nationality: United States
Father: General Benjamin Pierce
Mother: Ann Kendrick Pierce
Spouse: Jane Means Appleton (1806-1863), on November 10, 1834
Education: Graduated from Bowdoin College (1824)
Occupation: Lawyer
Religion: Episcopal
Took office: March 4, 1853
Left office: March 4, 1857
Party: Democratic
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Vice Presidents: William R. King (1853); None (1853-1857)
Preceded by: Millard Fillmore
Succeeded by: James Buchanan
Other Government Positions

• Served in New Hampshire Legislature, 1829-33
• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1833-37
• Unites States Senate, 1837-42

Notable Events

• 1853
  Gadsden Purchase
• 1854
  Kansas-Nebraska Act
• Ostend Manifesto
• Treaty with Japan negotiated by Commodore Matthew Perry

Presidential Nicknames

• Young Hickory of the Granite Hills: "Young Hickory" compared his military deeds (in the U.S.-Mexican War) with those of Andrew Jackson. "The Granite Hills" were his home state of New Hampshire
• Handsome Frank: He is said to have found this reference to his good looks acutely embarrassing
• The Fainting General: A sneering reference by political opponents to an incident during a Mexican War battle when an artillery blast blew the saddle off Pierce's horse and drove the saddle-horn hard into his abdomen, causing him to lose consciousness for a few minutes

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.

James Buchanan named after his father

Born: April 23, 1791 (1791-04-23)Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Died: June 1, 1868 (aged 77) Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Nationality:
Father: James Buchanan
Mother: Elizabeth Speer Buchanan
Spouse: Never married. The White House hostess was his niece Harriet Lane (1830-1903)
Education: Graduated from Dickinson College (1809)
Occupation: Lawyer, Diplomat
Religion: Presbyterian
Took office: March 4, 1857
Left office: March 4, 1861
Party: Democratic
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Vice President: John C. Breckinridge
Preceded by: Franklin Pierce
Succeeded by: Abraham Lincoln

Other Government Positions:

• Member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1815-16
• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1821-31
• Minister to Russia, 1832-34
• United States Senator, 1834-45
• Secretary of State, 1845-49 (under Polk)
• Minister to England, 1853-56

Presidential Nicknames

• The Sage of Wheatland: Wheatland was his estate near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
• Ten-Cent Jimmie: A reference to his notorious claim during the 1856 election campaign that ten cents a day was enough for a working man to live on
• Old Public Functionary
• Old Buck: A shortening of his surname
• Old Fogey

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.

Abraham Lincoln named after his paternal grandfather

Born: February 12, 1809 (1809-02-12)Hardin County, Kentucky
Died: April 15, 1865 (aged 56) Washington, D.C.
Nationality: American
Father: Thomas Lincoln
Mother: Nancy Hanks Lincoln
Stepmother: Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln
Spouse: Mary Todd (1818-1882), on November 4, 1842
Education: No formal education
Occupation: Lawyer
Religion: Attended churches, but never officially acquired membership in a church
Took office: March 4, 1861
Left office: April 15, 1865
Party: Whig, Republican
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Vice President: Hannibal Hamlin (1861 - 1865); Andrew Johnson (1865)
Preceded by: James Buchanan
Succeeded by: Andrew Johnson

Other Government Positions

• Elected to Illinois State Legislature, 1834
• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1847-49

Notable Events

• The Civil War (1861-1865)
• President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, freeing all slaves in the states that had seceded and that were not yet under Northern control.

Presidential Nicknames

• Honest Abe
• The Great Emancipator and The Liberator: For the emancipation of the slaves
• The Flatboatman: In his last year before leaving Indiana for Illinois, he operated a ferry over the Ohio River
• The Rail-Splitter: Because he ran as a third party candidate (the new Republican Party), "splitting" the Whig party and, supposedly, ensuring Democratic victory.
• The Sage of Springfield: Lincoln was born in Kentucky and brought up in Indiana: but Springfield, Illinois, had been his home since the age of 23
• The Abolition Emperor and King Linkum the First: Criticizing his curtailments of civil liberties during the war of 1861–65
• The Uncommon Friend of the Common Man
• The Illinois Ape, The Original Gorilla, The Orangutan in the White House: References both to his supposed backwoods uncouthness and his rough-hewn looks
• The Slave Hound from Illinois: Given to him by William Lloyd Garrison, a radical abolitionist who felt that Lincoln was "soft" on slavery. A slave hound was a dog used to hunt down runaway slaves
• Father Abraham and Uncle Abe: Lincoln was a kind and friendly man who in his later years came across as avuncular
• The Ancient One; A nickname favored by White House insiders because of his "ancient wisdom"
• The Sectional President
• The Tycoon: For the energetic and ambitious conduct of his Civil War administration

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.

Andrew Johnson either named after Andrew Jackson or a maternal uncle

Born: December 29, 1808(1808-12-29) Raleigh, North Carolina
Died: July 31, 1875 (aged 66) Greeneville, Tennessee
Nationality: American
Father: Jacob Johnson
Mother: Mary McDonough Johnson
Spouse: Eliza McCardle (1810-1876), on May 5, 1827
Education: No formal education
Occupation: Tailor
Religion: Christian (no denomination; attended Catholic and Methodist services)
Took office: April 15, 1865
Left office: March 4, 1869
Party: Democratic until 1864 and after 1869; elected Vice President in 1864 on a National Union ticket; no party affiliation 1865–1869
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Vice President: none
Preceded by: Abraham Lincoln
Succeeded by: Ulysses S. Grant

Other Government Positions

• Served as Alderman of Greeneville, Tennessee, 1830-33
• Elected Mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee, 1834
• Member of Tennessee State Legislature, 1835-43
• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1843-53
• Governor of Tennessee, 1853-57
• United States Senator, 1857-62
• Military Governor of Tennessee, 1862-65
• Vice President, 1865 (under Lincoln)
• United States Senator, 1875

Presidential Nicknames

• The Father of the Homestead Act: For his work in bringing about the Act, which was passed by President Lincoln in 1862
• Sir Veto: For his persistent vetoing of bills
• The Tennessee Tailor: A reference to his original occupation
• King Andy
• Andy the Sot: He was known as a very heavy drinker
• Old Andy

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.

About a month after birth, he was originally named Hiram Ulysses Grant, Hiram was his maternal grandfather and Ulysses a Greek hero from mythology. He informally went by his middle name. When enrolling at West Point, congressional sponsor accidentally wrote his name as Ulysses Simpson Grant; Simpson was his mother’s maiden name. The school would not allow Grant to enroll by any other name than that which his sponsor had filled out, so Grant went along with the change. Furthermore, Grant was pleased with the change because he had disliked the fact that his original initials spelled "HUG."

Born: April 27, 1822 (1822-04-27)Point Pleasant, Ohio
Died: July 23, 1885 (aged 63) Mount McGregor, New York
Nationality: American
Father: Jesse Root Grant
Mother: Hannah Simpson Grant
Spouse: Julia Boggs Dent (1826-1902), on August 22, 1848
Education: Graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. (1843)
Occupation: General-in-Chief
Religion: Methodist
Took office: March 4, 1869
Left office: March 4, 1877
Party: Republican
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year (increased to $50,000/year in 1873)
Vice President: Schuyler Colfax (1869-1873), Henry Wilson (1873-1875), None (1875-1877)
Preceded by: Andrew Johnson
Succeeded by: Rutherford B. Hayes

Other Government Positions

• None

Presidential Nicknames

• Unconditional Surrender Grant: His uncompromising demand for unconditional surrender during his victory the Battle of Fort Donelson in 1862 got a lot of favorable publicity. He was seen as exactly the kind of determined commander that the Union forces needed. The fact that his initials suggested the words, "unconditional surrender" led to it being used as a nickname
• The American Caesar: Honoring his role in the Union victory in the American Civil War
• The Hero of Appomattox: A reference to Grant receiving the surrender of opposing General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Courthouse.
• Useless Grant: The similarity between 'Ulysses' and 'Useless' was too tempting for political opponents to miss out on
• Sam Given to him at West Point because of his 'Uncle Sam' initials
• The Galena Tanner: He once ran a tannery in Galena, Illinois. This had also been his father's occupation in Point Pleasant, Ohio

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.

Rutherford Birchard Hayes named after his father, Birchard was his mother’s maiden name

Born: October 4, 1822 (1822-10-04)Delaware, Ohio
Died: January 17, 1893 (aged 70) Fremont, Ohio
Father: Rutherford Hayes
Mother: Sophia Birchard Hayes
Spouse: Lucy Ware Webb (1831-1889), on December 30, 1852
Education: Graduated from Kenyon College (1842) and Harvard Law School (1845)
Occupation: Lawyer
Religion: Methodist
Took office: March 13, 1877
Left office: March 4, 1881
Party: Republican
Presidential Salary: $50,000/year
Vice President: William A. Wheeler
Preceded by: Ulysses S. Grant
Succeeded by: James A. Garfield

Other Government Positions

• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1865-67
• Governor of Ohio, 1868-72
• Governor of Ohio, 1876-77

Notable Events

• 1877
  Federal troops withdrew from the South ending Reconstruction..
  Striking railroad workers and federal troops clashed.
• 1878
  Bland-Allison Silver Purchase Act passed despite Hayes veto.

Presidential Nicknames

• Rutherfraud or His Fraudulency or The Usurper: His party machine was alleged to have stolen the 1876 election from opponent Samuel J. Tilden
• Old Eight-to-Seven: In the wake of Hayes' disputed election victory, Congress set up an electoral commission to investigate alleged misconduct by the Hayes camp. The commission comprised eight of Hayes' fellow Republicans and seven opposition Democrats, and it found in Hayes' favor by eight votes to seven. The resulting controversy led to the Compromise of 1877
• Granny Hayes and Queen Victoria in Riding Breeches: Hayes neither drank, smoked, nor gambled, and, together with his temperance-supporting wife, "Lemonade Lucy", maintained a very straight-laced White House — much to the disgust of some members of Washington society
• President De Facto
• The Great Unknown or The Dark Horse President: He had been an obscure candidate for the Republican nomination

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.

James Abram Garfield named after his deceased infant brother, James, and his father Abram Garfield

Born: November 19, 1831 (1831-11-19)Moreland Hills, Ohio
Died: September 19, 1881 (aged 49) Elberon (Long Branch), New Jersey
Nationality: American
Father: Abram Garfield
Mother: Eliza Ballou Garfield
Spouse: Lucretia Rudolph (1832-1918), on November 11, 1858
Education: Attended Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (now Hiram College); Graduated from Williams College (1856)
Occupation: Lawyer, Educator, Minister
Religion: Disciples of Christ
Took office: March 4, 1881
Left office: September 19, 1881
Party: Republican
Presidential Salary: $50,000/year
Vice President: Chester A. Arthur
Preceded by: Rutherford B. Hayes
Succeeded by: Chester A. Arthur

Other Government Positions

• Member of Ohio State Senate, 1859-61
• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1863-80
• Elected to United States Senate, 1880

Notable Events

• 1881
  On July 2, shot by Charles Julius Guiteau. Garfield died of blood poisoning on September 19.

Presidential Nicknames

• The Preacher President: He was a lay preacher for the Church of Christ
• Boatman Jim or The Canal Boy: References to one of his early occupations
• The Plow Boy of Ohio

__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.