How much does the average American actually know about the men who have served as president of our country, especially when it comes to their lives before the presidency? For example: One of the biggest influences in George Washington’s life was his older half-brother, Lawrence. Lyndon Baines Johnson was nameless until he was almost three months old. During his college days, Franklin Pierce formed lasting friendships with Nathaniel Hawthorne (who later wrote his campaign biography) and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Calvin Coolidge was sworn into the presidency by his own father. These and other fascinating facts regarding the American presidents can be found in this book.
From George Washington to George W. Bush, this book, ideal for students, compactly recounts the formative years of each president. Following each from childhood to young adulthood, it examines the events and influences that led each to the presidency and influenced his actions while in office. A concise summary of each presidential term is also included, along with notes regarding the post-presidency activities of each man. Finally, individual bibliographies offer sources for more information on each president.

William O. Foss is the author of several other books including The United States Navy in Hampton Roads, First Ladies Quotation Book and It Happened First in Virginia. He lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

William O. Foss
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 230
Bibliographic Info: photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2005
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2382-8
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

1. George Washington      3
2. John Adams      11
3. Thomas Jefferson      16
4. James Madison      21
5. James Monroe      26
6. John Quincy Adams      30
7. Andrew Jackson      38
8. Martin Van Buren      44
9. William Henry Harrison      48
10. John Tyler      53
11. James K. Polk      57
12. Zachary Taylor      61
13. Millard Fillmore      64
14. Franklin Pierce      68
15. James Buchanan      72
16. Abraham Lincoln      76
17. Andrew Johnson      82
18. Ulysses S. Grant      87
19. Rutherford B. Hayes      91
20. James A. Garfield      96
21. Chester A. Arthur      100
22 and 24. Grover Cleveland      104
23. Benjamin Harrison      109
25. William McKinley      113
26. Theodore Roosevelt      117
27. William H. Taft      124
28. Woodrow Wilson      128
29. Warren G. Harding      133
30. Calvin Coolidge      137
31. Herbert Hoover      143
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt      150
33. Harry S. Truman      155
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower      161
35. John F. Kennedy      166
36. Lyndon B. Johnson      172
37. Richard M. Nixon      178
38. Gerald R. Ford      184
39. James E. Carter, Jr.      190
40. Ronald W. Reagan      196
41. George H. W. Bush      202
42. William J. Clinton      207
43. George W. Bush      213

Index      219

“an informative and entertaining look at each man that has had a turn running the United States…an enjoyable introduction for students and adults alike to these men who have served as presidents”—ARBA.