Have almost all Presidents had affairs?

october 25, 2003 | Calebcar

[calebcar]

Need freeper help for a question about the Presidents. In two recent political conversations I have had about the Clinton years my adversaries has quoted the "fact" that all U.S. Presidents except maybe one or two have had affairs. When I asked for the source they were unable to cite any, and seemed to think that this was just a fact of life which any sophisticated citizen should be aware of and accept without question. The assertion does not ring true. Is there any citation I can reference regarding how many Presidents have had affairs, both before and while in office.

[Ex-Dem]

- Clinton
- Jefferson
- Cleveland
- Wilson
- Harding
- FDR
- Eisenhower
- JFK

That's hardly "almost all".

[Ex-Dem]

http://www.who2.com/hailtothesheets.html

[bellevuesbest]

You must be kidding

[Timesink]

Carter lusted in his heart.

[jwalburg]

This goes along with the "fact" that all unmarried poets and writers were homosexual.

[Paleo Conservative]

- Jefferson

Jefferson was a widdower when he was president. So even if he had an affair he did not commit adultery.

[Charles Henrickson]

The Clinton impeachment doesn't have anything to do with "having an affair." It has to do with the chief law enforcement officer of the United States lying under oath, suborning perjury, etc. It has to do with the chief executive abusing his office.

[Boston Capitalist]

LBJ.

[Palladin]

Not Nixon. Nor Reagan, Hoover, Coolidge, and many others.

There have been many good and moral US presidents, practicing Christians, who believed in and kept the Ten Commandments, including "Thou shalt not commit adultery."

[donmeaker]

I would subtract Jefferson from your list. The Sally Hemming story is most likely false, and the hemming decendents are probably from another member of the jefferson line.

Other than that, good selection

[donmeaker]

I suppose you could add Buchanan, who was homosexual....

[dogbyte12]

Eisenhower allegedly was having an affair with his driver. Bush senior with Jennifer Fitzgerald. Bush 2 no way. Carter No way. Reagan allegedly when he was much younger.

The only two I am pretty sure of though are Carter and Bush 2, probably Truman.

JFK, WJC, and LBJ, and FDR definately slept around. I think the others are up in the air in the middle.

[Consort]

I think Clinton is still a virgin....never consummated his marriage, never fathered a child....gets his kicks from kneeophytes. Maybe not.

[LenS]

Cleveland wasn't married when he entered the White House. But he was dogged by stories of an illegitimate child and chants of "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?"

He did get married while President with a big ceremony in the White House. So he really doesn't belong on the list either.

The real questions to be asked are "Why do most Democratic Presidents have affairs?" and "Why do most Republican Presidents don't?" You'll note that Harding is the big exception among the Republicans and that most of the cheaters were Dems.

[quidnunc]

That Eisenhower had an affair with his British driver Kay Summersby has become conventional wisdom, there is no evidence that this is so and there are many who were close to the situation who contradict her account that an affair tookplace.

I would be surprised if Truman ever cheated on Bess.