Things I Find Fascinating: Presidential Nicknames

Every United States President has had or been given at least one nickname during, before, or after his time in public office. Sometimes the nickname is derived from the policies enacted by the President during his presidency. Sometimes the nickname originates from the President's personal background – perhaps a childhood nickname or some variation of the name of his hometown or home state. Other times, the nickname is given by the press or his detractors to poke fun at the President's personal appearance, quirky habits, or political blunders. At still other times, the nickname's origin is a little less clear. Whatever the reasons (I won't take the time to delineate each one here), here are the most common nicknames for each of the 44 U.S. Presidents to date (Cleveland technically counts twice). Enjoy!

George Washington, "The Father Of His Country"

John Adams, "Old Sink Or Swim" and "His Rotundity"

Thomas Jefferson, "The Apostle Of Democracy"

James Madison, "Little Jemmy"

James Monroe, "The Last Cocked Hat"

John Quincy Adams, "Old Man Eloquent"

Andrew Jackson, "Old Hickory"

Martin Van Buren, "The Careful Dutchman", "The Mistletoe

Politician," "Old Kinderhook," and "The Little Magician"

William Henry Harrison, "General Mum" and "Tippecanoe"

John Tyler, "His Accidency"

James K. Polk, "Napoleon Of The Stump"

Zachary Taylor, "Old Rough And Ready"

Millard Fillmore, "The American Louis Philippe"

Franklin Pierce, "Young Hickory Of The

Granite Hills" and "Handsome Frank"

James Buchanan, "Old Public Functionary"

Abraham Lincoln, "The Great Emancipator"

and "Honest Abe"

Andrew Johnson, "The Tennessee Tailor"

Ulysses S. Grant, "Unconditional Surrender Grant"

Rutherford B. Hayes, "Rutherfraud" and "His Fraudulency"

James Garfield, "Boatman Jim"

Chester Arthur, "Gentleman Boss," "Walrus,"

and "The Dude President"

Grover Cleveland, "His Obstinacy," 

"The Stuffed Prophet," "The Elephantine 

Economist," and "Uncle Jumbo"

Benjamin Harrison, "The Human Iceberg"

William McKinley, "The Napoleon Of Protection"

Theodore Roosevelt, "The Hero Of San Juan Hill,"

"The Trust Buster," and "Teddy"

William Howard Taft, "Big Chief" and "Big Lub"

Woodrow Wilson, "The Phrasemaker"

and "The Schoolmaster"

Warren G. Harding, "Winnie"

Calvin Coolidge, "Cautious Cal," 

"Cool Cal," and "Silent Cal"

Herbert Hoover, "The Great Engineer"

and "The Great Humanitarian"

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, "FDR"

Harry S. Truman, "Give 'Em Hell Harry"

Dwight D. Eisenhower, "Ike"

John F. Kennedy, "Jack" and "JFK"

Lyndon B. Johnson, "Bulls--t Johnson," "Landslide

Lyndon," "Light-Bulb Lyndon," and "LBJ"

Richard Nixon, "Tricky Dick"

Gerald Ford, "Mr. Nice Guy" and "Jerry"

Jimmy Carter, "The Peanut Farmer"

Ronald Reagan, "The Great Communicator,"

"Dutch," and "The Gipper"

George H. W. Bush, "Poppy" and "Papa Bush"

Bill Clinton, "Bubba," "Slick Willie,"

and "The Comeback Kid"

George W. Bush, "Dubya"

Barack Obama, "No Drama Obama"