Heights of United States Presidents and presidential candidates

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This is a list of heights of United States presidential candidates.

Contents

[edit] U.S. Presidents by height order

The average height is 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), with a slightly rising trend reflective of the rise in height of the general U.S. population, though some of the tallest Presidents were early. The current average American male height is now 5 ft 10 in[citation needed].

The tallest First Lady was Eleanor Roosevelt, who was 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m).

Rank President U.S. customary
units		 Metric
1  Abraham Lincoln 6 ft 3¾ in 1.92 m
2  Lyndon B. Johnson 6 ft 3½ in 1.91 m
3  Thomas Jefferson 6 ft 2½ in 1.89 m
4  Chester A. Arthur
George H.W. Bush
Franklin Roosevelt		 6 ft 2 in 1.88 m
7  Bill Clinton
George Washington		 6 ft 1½ in 1.87 m
9  Andrew Jackson
Ronald Reagan		 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m
11  James Buchanan
Gerald Ford
James Garfield
Warren Harding
John F. Kennedy
James Monroe
William Howard Taft
John Tyler		 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m
19  Richard Nixon 5 ft 11½ in 1.82 m
20  George W. Bush
Grover Cleveland
Herbert Hoover
Woodrow Wilson		 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m
24  Dwight D. Eisenhower 5 ft 10½ in 1.79 m
25  Calvin Coolidge
Andrew Johnson
Franklin Pierce		 5 ft 10 in 1.78 m
28  Jimmy Carter
Millard Fillmore
Harry Truman		 5 ft 9 in 1.75 m
31  Rutherford Hayes
Theodore Roosevelt		 5 ft 8½ in 1.74 m
33  William Henry Harrison
James Polk
Zachary Taylor		 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m
36  Ulysses S. Grant 5 ft 7¾ in 1.72 m
37  John Adams
John Quincy Adams
William McKinley		 5 ft 7 in 1.70 m
40  Benjamin Harrison
Martin Van Buren		 5 ft 6 in 1.68 m
42  James Madison 5 ft 3¾ in 1.62 m

[edit] Comparative table of heights of United States presidential candidates

 TALLER candidate won   SHORTER candidate won 
 Candidates same height   Comparison data unavailable 
Year Winner Height
(Imperial)		 Height
(Metric)		 Runner-up
(by electoral vote count)		 Height
(Imperial)		 Height
(Metric)		 Difference
(Imperial)		 Difference
(Metric)
2004 George W. Bush 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m John Kerry 6 ft 4 in 1.93 m 5 in 0.13 m
2000 George W. Bush 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m Al Gore 6 ft ½ in 1.84 m 1½ in 0.04 m
1996 Bill Clinton 6 ft 1½ in 1.87 m Bob Dole 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m 1½ in 0.04 m
1992 Bill Clinton 6 ft 1½ in 1.87 m George H.W. Bush 6 ft 2 in 1.88 m ½ in 0.01 m
1988 George H.W. Bush 6 ft 2 in 1.88 m Michael Dukakis 5 ft 6 in 1.67 m 8 in 0.21 m
1984 Ronald Reagan 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m Walter Mondale 5 ft 10¾ in 1.80 m 2¼ in 0.05 m
1980 Ronald Reagan 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m Jimmy Carter 5 ft 9 in 1.75 m 4 in 0.10 m
1976 Jimmy Carter 5 ft 9 in 1.75 m Gerald Ford 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m 4 in 0.10 m
1972 Richard Nixon 5 ft 11½ in 1.82 m George McGovern 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m 1½ in 0.03 m
1968 Richard Nixon 5 ft 11½ in 1.82 m Hubert Humphrey 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m ½ in 0.02 m
1964 Lyndon Johnson[1] 6 ft 3½ in 1.92 m Barry Goldwater 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m 3½ in 0.09 m
1960 John F. Kennedy 6 ft 0½ in 1.83 m Richard Nixon 5 ft 11½ in 1.82 m 1 in 0.01 m
1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower 5 ft 10½ in 1.79 m Adlai Stevenson 5 ft 10 in 1.78 m ½ in 0.01 m
1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower 5 ft 10½ in 1.79 m Adlai Stevenson 5 ft 10 in 1.78 m ½ in 0.01 m
1948 Harry S. Truman 5 ft 9 in 1.75 m Thomas Dewey 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m 1 in 0.02 m
1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt 6 ft 2 in 1.88 m Thomas Dewey 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m 6 in 0.15 m
1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt 6 ft 2 in 1.88 m Wendell Willkie 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m 1 in 0.03 m
1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt 6 ft 2 in 1.88 m Alfred Landon 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m 6 in 0.15 m
1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt 6 ft 2 in 1.88 m Herbert Hoover 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m 3 in 0.08 m
1928 Herbert Hoover[2] 5 ft 11½ in 1.82 m Al Smith 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m 1½ in 0.03 m
1924 Calvin Coolidge 5 ft 10 in 1.78 m John W. Davis 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m 2 in 0.05 m
1920 Warren G. Harding 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m James M. Cox 5 ft 6 in 1.68 m 6 in 0.15 m
1916 Woodrow Wilson[3] 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m Charles Evans Hughes 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m 0 in 0 m
1912 Woodrow Wilson[3] 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m Theodore Roosevelt[4] 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m 3 in 0.08 m
1908 William Howard Taft 5 ft 11½ in[5] 1.82 m William Jennings Bryan 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m ½ in 0.01 m
1904 Theodore Roosevelt[4] 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m Alton B. Parker 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m 4 in 0.10 m
1900 William McKinley 5 ft 7 in 1.70 m William Jennings Bryan 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m 5 in 0.13 m
1896 William McKinley 5 ft 7 in 1.70 m William Jennings Bryan 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m 5 in 0.13 m
1892 Grover Cleveland 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m Benjamin Harrison 5 ft 6 in 1.68 m 5 in 0.12 m
1888 Benjamin Harrison[6] 5 ft 6 in 1.68 m Grover Cleveland 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m 5 in 0.12 m
1884 Grover Cleveland 5 ft 11 in 1.80 m James G. Blaine      
1880 James A. Garfield 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m Winfield Hancock 6 ft 2 in 1.88 m 2 in 0.05 m
1876 Rutherford B. Hayes [7] 5 ft 8 in 1.72 m Samuel Tilden      
1872 Ulysses S. Grant[8] 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m Horace Greeley      
1868 Ulysses S. Grant[8] 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m Horatio Seymour      
1864 Abraham Lincoln[9] 6 ft 3 3/4 in 1.93 m George McClellan [10] 5 ft 6 in 1.68 m 10 in .25 m
1860 Abraham Lincoln[9] 6 ft 3 3/4 in 1.93 m John C. Breckenridge      
1856 James Buchanan 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m John C. Frémont      
1852 Franklin Pierce 5 ft 10 in 1.78 m Winfield Scott 6 ft 5 in 1.96 m 7 in 0.18 m
1848 Zachary Taylor[4] 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m Lewis Cass      
1844 James K. Polk [11] 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m Henry Clay[12] 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m 5 in 0.13 m
1840 William Henry Harrison 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m Martin Van Buren [13] 5 ft 6 in 1.68 m 2 in 0.05 m
1836 Martin Van Buren [13] 5 ft 6 in 1.68 m William Henry Harrison 5 ft 8 in 1.73 m 2 in 0.05 m
1832 Andrew Jackson[14] 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m Henry Clay[12] 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m 0 in 0 m
1828 Andrew Jackson[14] 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m John Quincy Adams[15] 5 ft 7 in 1.70 m 6 in 0.15 m
1824 John Quincy Adams [15] 5 ft 7 in 1.70 m Andrew Jackson[14] 6 ft 1 in 1.85 m 6 in 0.15 m
1820 James Monroe [16] 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m John Quincy Adams[15] 5 ft 7 in 1.70 m 5 in 0.13 m
1816 James Monroe[16] 6 ft 0 in 1.83 m Rufus King 5 ft 10 in 1.78 m 2 in 0.05 m
1812 James Madison[7] 5 ft 4 in 1.63 m De Witt Clinton[17] 6 ft 3 in 1.91 m 11 in 0.28 m
1808 James Madison[7] 5 ft 4 in 1.63 m Charles C. Pinckney        
1804 Thomas Jefferson[18] 6 ft 2½ in 1.89 m Charles C. Pinckney        
1800 Thomas Jefferson[18] 6 ft 2½ in 1.89 m Aaron Burr [19] 5 ft 6 in 1.68 m 8½ in 0.21 m
1796 John Adams [20] 5 ft 7 in 1.70 m Thomas Jefferson[18] 6 ft 2½ in 1.89 m 7½ in 0.19 m
1792 George Washington[21] 6 ft 2 in 1.88 m John Adams[20] 5 ft 7 in 1.70 m 7 in 0.18 m
1789 George Washington [21] 6 ft 2 in 1.88 m John Adams[20] 5 ft 7 in 1.70 m 7 in 0.18 m
Presidents, like the U.S. population, have grown taller over time.
Presidents, like the U.S. population, have grown taller over time.
Abraham Lincoln, the tallest President, was 6 ft 3¾ in (1.92 m).
Abraham Lincoln, the tallest President, was 6 ft 3¾ in (1.92 m).
James Madison, the shortest President, was 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m).
James Madison, the shortest President, was 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m).

[edit] Units used

  • U.S. customary units - Based on the Imperial system, commonly known as the English system or British system of measure. Units used here are feet (ft) & inches (in).
  • Metric is the International System of Units, commonly known as the "metric system." Units used here are meters.

[edit] Notes

It is worth mentioning that while Franklin D. Roosevelt was over six feet tall, he was also wheelchair-bound, so although he technically was taller than his most serious rivals he would not have appeared taller had the two men been placed side-by-side if he were in a wheelchair. Roosevelt often appeared in photo sessions and speaking engagements standing with the help of concealed leg braces. So in those instances he would stand to his full 6'2" height.

[edit] Heights and Presidential elections: Myth and reality

Graph of winner v. loser heights in Presidential elections from 1798 - 2004. (Click to enlarge)
Graph of winner v. loser heights in Presidential elections from 1798 - 2004. (Click to enlarge)

The table above was created to compare the folk wisdom about U.S. presidential politics that the taller of the two major-party candidates always wins or always wins since the advent of the televised presidential debate, since 1900, etc.

  • An example of this view is included in a 2003 essay by New York Times writer Virginia Postrel about artificially increasing the height of growth-stunted children: "Still, being short does, on average, hurt a person's prospects...The tall guy gets the girl. The taller presidential candidate almost always wins."[22]
  • A 1988 article in the Los Angeles Times fashion section about a haberdasher devoted to clothing shorter men included a variation of the tale: "Stern says he just learned that Dukakis is 5 feet, 8 inches. 'Did you know,' he adds, noticeably disappointed, 'that since 1900 the taller of the two candidates always wins?' "[23]
  • A 1997 book called How to Make Anyone Fall in Love with You discusses the issue in a section about the importance of height, "What about height? One assumes the taller the better, because our culture venerates height. In fact, practically every president elected in the United States since 1900 was the taller of the two candidates."[24]
  • "I remember the subversive effect the observation had on me that in every U.S. presidential race, the taller of the two candidates had been elected. It opened up space for a counterdiscourse to the presumed rationality of the electoral process." [25]
  • A 1975 book called First Impressions: The Psychology of Encountering Others notes, "Elevator Shoes, Anyone? One factor which has a far-reaching influence on how people are perceived, at least in American society, is height. From 1900 to 1968 the man elected U.S. president was always the taller of the two candidates. (Richard Nixon was slightly shorter than George McGovern.)"[26]
  • Another book discussing height, The Psychology of Person Identification (published 1978) states, "They also say that every President of the USA elected since the turn of the century has been the taller of the two candidates (Jimmy Carter being an exception)."[27]
  • A 1999 book, Survival of the Prettiest by Nancy Etcoff, repeated a version of the legend in a section on the power of heights, "...Since 1776 only [two Presidents,] James Madison and Benjamin Harrison[,] have been below-average height. The easiest way to predict the winner in a United States election is to bet on the taller man: in this century you would have had an unbroken string of hits until 1968 when Richard Nixon beat George McGovern."[28]

In reality, for the 46 elections in which the height of which both candidates is known, the taller candidate won 25 times (approximately 54 percent of the time), the shorter candidate won 18 times (approximately 39 percent of the time) and the candidates were the same height three times (about 7 percent of the time). Therefore, the taller candidate has won the majority of elections, but the tall-short margin of victory is by no means overwhelming.

It should be noted however that in three of the cases where the shorter candidate won, the taller candidate actually received more popular votes but lost in the Electoral College; this happened in 1824, 1888, and 2000 (the other time that the electoral vote winner was not the popular vote winner was in 1876, for which we do not know the height of the loser). So of the 46 cases we have data, the taller candidate has won the popular vote 28 times (61 percent), and the shorter candidate only about 15 times (33 percent of them).

[edit] Extremes

The tallest President elected to office was Abraham Lincoln (6'4", 1.92 m); the tallest President to originally enter the office by means other than election was President was Chester A. Arthur (6'2", 1.88 m). The shortest President elected to office was James Madison (5'4", 1.62 m); the shortest President to originally enter the office by means other than election was Teddy Roosevelt (5'8", 1.74 m).

The tallest runner-up (of documented height) is Winfield Scott, who stood 6'5" (1.96 m) and lost the 1852 election to Franklin Pierce (5'10", 1.78 m). The title of shortest runner-up (of documented height) is shared by four men, all 5'6" (1.68 m): Aaron Burr, who lost to Thomas Jefferson in 1800; sitting President Martin Van Buren, who lost to William Henry Harrison, in 1840; sitting President Benjamin Harrison, who lost to Grover Cleveland in 1892; and James M. Cox, who lost to Warren G. Harding in 1920.

The largest height difference (when the heights of the winner and the runner-up are both known) was between the candidates of the 1812 election, when DeWitt Clinton stood 11 inches (0.28 m) taller than incumbent James Madison. The second-largest height difference was in the 1864 election, when Abraham Lincoln stood 10 inches (0.25 m) taller than his nearest rival, George McClellan.

[edit] Further reading

  • Joseph Nathan Kane, Steven Anzovin, and Janet Podell (2001). Facts About the Presidents. Hw Wilson Co, 600 et seq.. ISBN 0824210077. 
  • Paul M. Sommers (January 2002). "Is Presidential Greatness Related to Height?". The College Mathematics Journal 33 (1): 14–16. DOI:10.2307/1558973. 
  • Michael A. Day (2001-09-26). The Presidents by Height and BMI. U. S. Presidents Homework Help.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Dallek, Robert, Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President (abridged edition), Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-19-515920-9 Google Print
  2. ^ Nash, George H., The Life of Herbert Hoover, W.W. Norton & Company, 1988. ISBN 0-393-02550-0. Google Print
  3. ^ a b Levin, Phyllis Lee, Edith & Woodrow: the Wilson White House, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. ISBN 0-7432-1158-8 Google Print
  4. ^ a b c Whitcomb, John and Claire Whitcomb, Real Life at the White House, Routledge (UK), 2002. ISBN 0-415-93951-8. Google Print
  5. ^ Sotos, John G. Taft and Pickwick: sleep apnea in the White House. Chest. 2003;124:1133-1142.Online copy
  6. ^ Loderhouse, Gary and Nelson Price, William Addison Hunter, Legendary Hoosiers: Famous Folks from the State of Indiana, Emmis Books, 1999. ISBN 1-57860-097-9 Google Print
  7. ^ a b c Phillips, Louis, Ask Me Anything About the Presidents, HarperCollins, 1992. ISBN 0-380-76426-1
  8. ^ a b King, Charles, The True Ulysses Grant, Philadelphia & London, J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1914. Google Print
  9. ^ a b Braden, Waldo W., Abraham Lincoln, LSU Press, 1993. ISBN 0-8071-1852-4
  10. ^ Miller, William J., "Review of McClellan's War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union by Ethan Rafuse," America's Civil War, http://www.historynet.com/acw/reviews/acwreview0306-1/
  11. ^ Behrman, Carol H. James K. Polk, Twenty-First Century Books, 2004. ISBN 0-8225-1396-X
  12. ^ a b Seymour, Charles C.B., Self-made Men, Harper & Brothers, 1858. (Available via Google Print)
  13. ^ a b Widmer, Ted and Arthur M. Schlesinger, Edward L. Widmer, Martin Van Buren, Times Books, 2005, p. 2. ISBN 0-8050-6922-4
  14. ^ a b c Remini, Robert V., Andrew Jackson, HarperCollins, 1969, p. 15. ISBN 0-06-080132-8
  15. ^ a b c Levy, Debbie, John Quincy Adams, Twenty-First Century Books, 2004, p. 28. ISBN 0-8225-0825-7
  16. ^ a b Whitcomb, John and Claire Whitcomb, Real Life at the White House, Routledge (UK), 2002. ISBN 0-415-93951-8
  17. ^ Cornog, Evan, The Birth of Empire: DeWitt Clinton and the American Experience, 1769-1828, ISBN 0-19-514051-6
  18. ^ a b c Macdonald, Zanne (ed.), Monticello Research Department, Monticello Report: Physical Descriptions of Thomas Jefferson, July 1992 http://www.monticello.org/reports/people/descriptions.html
  19. ^ Parton, James, The Life and Times of Aaron Burr, Houghton, Mifflin and company, 1888. Google Print
  20. ^ a b c Ferling, John E., John Adams: A Life, Owl Books, 1996, ISBN 0-8050-4576-7, p. 169. Google Print
  21. ^ a b Haworth, Paul Leland, George Washington, Kessinger Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1-4191-2162-6, p. 119. Google Print
  22. ^ Postrel, Virginia, "Going to Great Lengths," New York Times, August 31, 2003.
  23. ^ Los Angeles Times, Mar 25, 1988, pg. 7
  24. ^ Lowndes, Leil, How to Make Anyone Fall in Love with You, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1997, pp.174-175. ISBN 0-8092-2989-7Google Print
  25. ^ Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns, edited by D.A. Carson, Zondervan, 2002, p. 83. ISBN 0-310-24334-3 Google Print
  26. ^ Kleinke, Chris L., First Impressions: The Psychology of Encountering Others, Prentice-Hall, 1975, p. 13. ISBN 0-13-318428-5 Google Print
  27. ^ Clifford, Brian R. and Ray Bull, The Psychology of Person Identification, Routledge & K. Paul, 1978, p. 115. ISBN 0-7100-8867-1. Google Print
  28. ^ Etcoff, Nancy, Survival of the Prettiest, New York, Anchor Books, 1999. ISBN 0-385-47942-5

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Lists of Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States
Presidential lists by order Age at ascension · Birth · Death · Earliest Living · Longevity · Historical rankings · Military rank · Number Living · Oldest · Order of service · Post-presidency length · Time in office
Presidents' personal lives Nicknames, name origins & first, middle and last names · Genealogical relationship · College education · Military service · Pets · Place of birth · Place of primary affiliation · Previous occupation · Religious affiliation · Residences · Children
Presidents' professional lives Political affiliation · Political occupation · Inaugurations · Doctrines · Pardons · Vetoes · Control of Congress · Assassination attempts · Currency appearances · Libraries
Vice Presidential lists Order of service · Time in office · Birth · Tie-breaking votes · Longevity · Vacancies
Succession Line of succession · Designated survivor
Elections Electoral College margin · 2000 Electors · 2004 Electors
Candidates Democratic tickets · Republican tickets · Height · Lost their home state · Former presidents who ran again
Unsuccessful candidates Received at least one electoral vote
Fictional Fictional Presidents · Fictional Vice Presidents · Fictional Presidential candidates · Fictional presidential succession
Ladies First Ladies · First Ladies by longevity · Second Ladies
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