Top 10 Friendships between Presidents

Presidential history is one of my favorite topics (as can be seen in The Eisenhower Chronicles and The Middle Generation: A Novel of John Quincy Adams and the Monroe Doctrine). But as interesting as the Presidents are to study individually, the relationships between the men who’ve held the office offer a unique and enlightening perspective on their personalities. Perhaps this is because it is one of the rare times that they are interacting with equals. Below, I’ve assembled a ranking of the top 10 presidential friendships. Comment or email me at www.mbzucker.com to tell me what you think!

Image from history.com

10. Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden

Friends for over 50 years, Biden was the first Senator to endorse Carter in 1976 and Carter supported all three of Biden’s presidential campaigns.

9. Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft

Taft was Roosevelt’s Secretary of War and closest advisor. He ran the country when Roosevelt visited Panama or went hunting out west. Roosevelt chose Taft as his successor and willed him to the White House but Taft’s conservative view of executive power led to Roosevelt challenging him in 1912, dividing the Republican vote and giving the presidency to Wilson. They reconciled shortly before Roosevelt’s passing.

8. Andrew Jackson and James Polk

The relationship between these two early Democrats was so close that Polk was nicknamed “Young Hickory,” complimenting Jackson’s famous nickname “Old Hickory.” Jackson even encouraged Polk to pursue Sarah Childress, his future wife.

7. Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton

Nixon advised Reagan and George H. W. Bush on foreign policy but was not embraced by any of his successors until Clinton. Clinton called him almost daily in 1993 to discuss his schedule and lost a mentor when Nixon passed in 1994. It’s said that Nixon was scared of Hillary, who worked for the Watergate committee in the 1970s.

6. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe

The Virginia dynasty resulted from a mentor and two protégés. Madison was Jefferson’s right hand from the 1780s until he succeeded the Father of the Declaration in the Executive Mansion. Monroe studied law under his guidance and strategically located his Highland estate near Monticello, cementing their close relationship. Madison and Monroe competed for Jefferson’s affection, but the connection between the three took the country from the Louisiana Purchase through the Monroe Doctrine.

5. Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant

The Great Emancipator and Unconditional Surrender Grant only met a handful of times but their alliance ended the war and achieved the greatest act of liberation in world history. Lincoln gave Grant total authority and didn’t even want to know his strategy to extinguish the Confederacy to avoid it leaking. Grant spent his presidency trying to restore Lincoln’s vision after his assassination.

4. George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton

These former adversaries formed an unlikely yet strong friendship, with Bush even referring to Clinton as a son. Their bond grew stronger as they collaborated on humanitarian efforts, including a joint tour of tsunami-devastated areas in 2004 and raising $130 million for Hurricane Katrina survivors in 2006.

3. Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter

Another pair of opponents who became friends. When they ran against each other in 1976, Carter said Ford had failed to pass any programs and that Kissinger was running American foreign policy. He narrowly won the election and in his inaugural address thanked Ford for “all he has done to heal our land” after Watergate. Thus began their friendship. Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat was killed in 1981 and Reagan sent Ford, Carter, and Nixon to the funeral. Nixon broke the ice between the former rivals. They later bonded over their mutual dislike of Reagan, whose 1976 and 1980 campaigns were fatal to both of their administrations. They spent their post presidencies monitoring foreign elections together through the Carter Center.

2. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

These Founders were partners in Europe after the war but were on opposite sides during the 1790s. They formed one of the worst relationships between a President and Vice President, with Jefferson’s Kentucky Resolution arguing that states could nullify federal law. Reconciliation came after Jefferson’s presidency and their correspondence remains the greatest in American history. They died on the same day, July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration that they crafted together.

1. Herbert Hoover and Harry Truman

FDR treated Hoover as a rhetorical punching bag but Truman embraced his predecessor, who had been disgraced by the Great Depression. Hoover provided aid and rebuilt Belgium during and after World War I, so Truman asked him to distribute food to Europe to avoid famine in 1946. Their effort is credited with saving 100 million lives. Hoover then advised Truman on reorganizing the Executive Branch. Their friendship is the modern foundation of what is now called The Presidents Club.