Presidential Anecdotes

Presidential Anecdotes

by Paul F. Boller Jr.

This is a collection of humorous stories about U.S. Presidents throughout history. Originally published in 1981, this edition is updated to include anecdotes on George Bush and Bill Clinton.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Humor, Politics, Presidents, Biography, American History

472 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[George]

a collection of humorous stories about U.S. Presidents throughout history. a series of capsule biographies of the presidents, their campaigns, and some of the events that shaped their administrations, followed by short vignettes and stories about them.

[Joy H.]

Added 3/14/17. (first published 1981)

It was fun to read how politicians have been insulting one another since the country began. So today's politics is nothing new! LOL

[Mike]

This is a series of capsule biographies of the presidents, their campaigns, and some of the events that shaped their administrations, followed by short vignettes and stories about them. At first, I was a bit put off by the fact that Boller didn't make too strenuous an effort to distinguish those anecdotes that were apocryphal from those that were likely true, but as I read further I realized that the absolute truth or falsehood of these stories wasn't what was important to him. And he showed me that perhaps it shouldn't be important to me, either.

What Boller creates with the anecdotes is kind of a little tone poem about each man, not only what they said, but what people said about them and what other people said they said. Certain qualities of their characters - and their public personae - begin to emerge. We see presidents that see all three sides of every argument and never seem to settle on their own, presidents who are rumpled old generals, blowhards, teetotalers, partiers, fools, paranoids, heroes, and geniuses. Men of silence and men who are quick with a bon mot.

I really quite enjoyed this book, even tramping through the (mostly) non-entities who helmed the executive through the 18th century. It amused and also informed, and I think I have a better understanding of some important historical personalities having read it.

[Laura]

This is a fun overview of the Presidents with several good anecdotes for most of them. Some are funny, or touching, while others made me re-read them and say 'so?' I think Boller did a good job keeping whatever his political opinions are to himself, which must be hard when writing about the later presidents. I think I might have gotten a feel for his leanings, but he does a good job of being sympathetic to every one of them and presenting them as interesting people even if he or the reader doesn't agree with their policies.

[Dineen]

My uncle gave me this book when I was 9 or 10 and it was one of my most favorite President books. I must have read this book at least 7 or 8 times...

[Tanja Walker]

Disjointed and doesn't give much substantive history, but a fun and light read. I think there are later editions that go up to Clinton (this one only goes to Reagan).

[Patrick Trepanier]

Paul Boller does a great job of collecting and presenting fun stories from our Presidents. my favorite was about Coolidge, a man of few words:
Mrs. Coolidge to Pres. Coolidge: How was church today?
Pres. Coolidge: Good.
Mrs. Coolidge: What did the Preacher talk about?
Pres. Coolidge: Sin.
Mrs. Coolidge: And what was his position on sin?
Pres. Coolidge: He was against it.

:)

[Mike Glaser]

Okay book which unfortunately is colored by the author’s politics and his association with LBJ. It is interesting to note that many of the president’s that he praises have seen their reputations take a hit since this book was published.

[David Coody]

Serendipity serenely serenaded me to purchase this book in Antigua. I’m a happier man for obliging. My belief is any purchaser (and reader) of this book will feel the same. Laughs, head-scratchers, forlornness and fellowship may be found within these pages.

[John Binhack]

Some fun presidential stories in this book - some truer than others. The version I read goes to President Reagan.

[Carolyn]

This is a fine overview of the Presidents with several good anecdotes for most of them.

[Beth]

Enjoyable read. Learned some things I didn’t know about our Presidents.

[Adam Clark]

This was a fun book to pick up from time to time!

[Julio The Fox]

"If you are as happy in entering this place as I am in leaving it, you are a happy man indeed".---James Buchanan, speaking to Abraham Lincoln on the White House steps

Presidential Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman once called his old boss, Richard Nixon, "the strangest man to ever occupy the White House", but as this uproarious collection of presidential anecdotes and quotes shows, Americans have a tendency to elevate bizarre beings to the highest office in the land; either that or, as Jimmy Carter once suggested, living la vida presidencial drives you crazy. The presidential tradition of weird behavior goes back a way. John Quincy Adams once had his clothes stolen while skinny-dipping by a female reporter who demanded an exclusive interview in return for the presidential garb. John Tyler, whose biographer called him "one of America's most ineffective presidents" nevertheless entered the history books for being a sex machine, fathering fifteen children by two wives. Tyler, a passionate believer in slavery, was told by one of his slaves concerning his youngish second wife, "Master, you think you can stand that?" Incidentally, one of Tyler's daughters was still alive when Harry Truman was president, and one great-grandson lived until 2025. Millard Fillmore, whose name has become synonymous with mediocrity, filled out Zachary Taylor's term, then tried his luck as the candidate of the anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant "Know-Nothing" party of the Nineteenth century. At least this put him a cut above Franklin Pierce, "the veteran of many a well-fought bottle", who served one term and died in alcoholic obscurity in his native New Hampshire. (I used to teach under a portrait of Pierce at Bowdoin College, Maine, his alma mater.) There are a million Theodore Rosevelt stories out there, and in here, but one of the best is told on Roosevelt. From the White House he once phoned up his alma mater, Harvard, and asked to speak to the college president, the legendary Mr. Butler. A curt Harvard secretary told T.R. "the President is not in right now", to which Roosevelt replied, "Well, when he returns will you tell him Mr. Roosevelt called?". Nixon's motorcade one time ran over a policeman's motorcycle and the best thing Tricky could think to do was rush out of limo and ask the cop, "Well, do you like the job?'. I'll close with two recent presidents, found only in the updated edition of this gem. When reporters asked Ronald Reagan how he could be sure his economic program was working Ronnie replied, "They're not calling it Reaganomics anymore". Bill Clinton was once quizzed at a news conference by a female reporter from New Zealand on whether U.S. sanctions against her country, placed by Reagan in retaliation for New Zealand refusing harbor to American nuclear-armed vessels, was still in effect. Bill's truthful (for once) response: "I have no idea of what you're talking about but I'm sure any way I answer would get me into big trouble". This book makes for both funny reading and an American history lesson.

[Philip Cosand]

I'm not much for politics. I find my approach to historical figures is akin to that of reading The Bible; if you want me to care, tell me a story, don't preach to me.

And so, for people like me who love history but need the humor, comes this book of anecdotes, tales, and lore involving the first 39 (or 41, depending on your edition) Presidents.

I learned more about Presidents from this one book than I did from school. I couldn't have told you before who came first, Wilson or Grant, but now I have a new hero-President (Quincy Adams!) and a few extra tales of mirth courtesy of FDR & Eleanor.

I hadn't even finished reading when I bought my own copy of the revised edition and I'm a little too excited to read the two new chapters. History became fun, and now I want more. Say... like this? Congressional Anecdotes

[Kestrawn]

I absolutely love this book! I teach history for a community college, and oftentimes the presidents can begin to run together for students. Presidential Anecdotes provides human insight into the presidents, allowing the presidents to be more than a figurehead. Students can connect with the president and the country's mindset through the anecdotes, rather than simply memorizing the dates of the terms and the political parties involved. The book is meant for the casual reader, and doesn't get bogged down with scholarly information about each man. I recommend for anyone who wants to brush up on their knowledge of American presidents, as well as those who hope to see these men in a different light.

[Jerry Landry]

I previously read Boller’s book on presidential campaigns, so I knew what the basic structure of the book was going to be as I picked it up. I have to say, we have had some hilarious presidents over time. The Lincoln and LBJ sections alone were gold. I think that Boller did an admirable job of capturing the personalities of some of the presidents through their own words and deeds, though I would recommend fact-checking if you wanted to cite anything from this book as I saw a couple of things that were nearly right but had some minor details that were inaccurate. Overall, though, I do recommend this as a quick, approachable read to find out more about our presidents.

[D.R. Oestreicher]

Someplace in elementary school each student pulls the name of a US president out of a metaphorical hat and is assigned to write a REPORT.

If your student does not draw one of the greats like Lincoln, or Washington, or a Roosevelt, but is stuck with maybe Polk, or Taylor, or Pierce ("Who?" I hear you say), this is the book for you ... more concise, organized, and too the point for elementary school students than Wikipedia.

Get it!

[T.E.]

Delightful, cozy reading for whenever I'm in need of something to smile at. Just enough so that I may feel comfortable with each president, but not to that fatal point some biographies reach of "why should I even care". Introduced me to Cal Coolidge, the best President in the history of ever.
Paul Boller, I thank thee. Thou hast done well.

[Charles M.]

Entertaining book of anecdotal tales of all presidents from Washington to Clinton. Some of these stories are well known (i.e., Coolidge's lack of words when questioned about something), as well as very funny (i.e., Lincoln's telling somebody that he was not 2 faced as if he was, then he certainly would not have kept the face he had, which he considered ugly).

[Millicent Swinson]

In eighth grade, I had to write a brief report on any historical event of the 1860s. This book had made such an impact on me that I chose to relate a wisecrack that Abraham Lincoln made about cows. I think I got a b-minus in that class.

[Don Stanton]

A really fun read. I suppose that is was meant to be a sort of reference book but I read it straight through from Washington to W. Bush.
Great insights to some of the greatest men in our American/ world history.

[Shirley Brown]

This was such light reading and a delight to get a feel for the President's sense of Humor. It made them seem a little more life-life, and was just a fun read. Now I would like to read Presidential Anecdotes of their wives.

[Inggita]

only up to Reagan! we're missing most of the fun...

[Kathy]

Enjoyed enough to buy more books by author

[Douglas Wilson]

Excellent.

[Christina]

I enjoyed this book a lot. Some of the anecdotes were hilarious, and others were touching.

[Steve Lane]

A fun and enlightening read.

[Alex]

Anecdotes always make for fun reading.

[Rhode PVD]

Love this stuff. Knew much of it already, but it's all good fun.