The Warrior, the Walrus and the Dandy - An Unshaven History of Presidential Facial Hair

Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 The Warrior, the Walrus and the Dandy: An Unshaven History of Presidential Facial Hair Today we take it for granted that the President of the United States of America is clean shaven. For over a century our president has lacked facial hair, but there was a time when it was not only an accepted physical feature, but one to be admired. From those who decided to forgo the razor, we can learn much about the presidents as well as the period which they served. This paper will celebrate these men and divide them into three Presidential facial hair camps: The Warrior, the Walrus, and the Dandy. While our founding fathers let their hair grow long, they shaved their faces on a regular basis. The cheeks of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe were each as smooth as their likenesses later carved into marble. But when the first son of a president, John Quincy Adams, was elected, things began to change. Adams the younger was obviously from good stock. He was educated, refined, well-dressed, and “a man of cold, austere, and foreboding manners”1 (Don’t get mad at me, that’s how he described himself!) In the lexicon of the day, John Quincy Adams was a “Dandy.” But as a son of a founding father, Adams also had a rebellious streak and had to distinguish himself. The combination made for some pretty mean Mutton Chops (they wouldn’t be called sideburns until the Civil War). The older Adams got, the longer his Chops grew. John Quincy Adams was followed by perhaps the least “dandy” of all the presidents, Andrew Jackson. No facial hair for Jackson, but if you think he would have despised the dandies, you’d be wrong. While Adams was his mortal enemy, one of Jackson’s closest friends and confidantes (and later his Vice President) was Martin Van 1 Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History. New York: W.W. Norton, 2020, 384. Page 1 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 Buren. Known as “The Red Fox of Kinderhook,” for his red hair (and, obviously, because he was from Kinderhook, New York), Van Buren was even dandier than Adams. He wore elegant clothes, drank the finest wine, smelled of the swankiest perfume, and sported some killer Mutton Chops! As Van Buren aged, his red Mutton Chops grew greyer, longer, and wider. The third member of the Dandy club we will get to later. The Original Dandys (O.D’s): John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren The next camp in the presidential facial hair club are the Warriors. We start with Abraham Lincoln who served as Commander-in-Chief for the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1860 Lincoln ran as a clean-shaven candidate, but a few weeks before the election, he received a letter from 11-year-old Grace Bedell from Westfield, New York. While too young and too female to cast a ballot herself, Grace informed Lincoln that she would persuade her brothers to vote for him, “if you let your whiskers grow.” She added, “you would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be President.”2 Lincoln followed her advice, and the rest is history. After winning the election, Lincoln took a cross-country train ride from Springfield, Illinois to 2 “The Super Cute Story Behind Abraham Lincoln's Beard,” Time Magazine, October 15, 2004. Page 2 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 Washington, DC. Along the way, the president-elect greeted crowds in small towns and made brief speeches. On February 16, 1861, the train stopped in Westfield. The bearded Lincoln departed the train and told the crowd, “I received a letter from a young lady here; it was a very pretty letter, and she advised me to let my whiskers grow, as it would improve my personal appearance.”3 Young Grace was there and Lincoln worked his way through the crowd to give a big hug and thank the girl who won him the election! To summarize: Lincoln grew a beard, Lincoln won the election, Lincoln saved the Union. Thank you, Grace Bedell! In 1999, a statue was erected in Westfield to commemorate the historic meeting and the iconic beard. It’s the only statue dedicated to a presidential beard.4 Most expected the Civil War to be a quick military engagement, but as the war grew longer, so did the beards. Add in the advent of photography and soldier’s limited access to shaving equipment on the battlefields, the Civil War may very well be considered the golden age 3 “Westfield, New York - Inaugural Journey,” National Park Service, accessed July 17, 2019. https://www.nps.gov/liho/westfield-inaugural-journey.htm. 4 “Lincoln Meets Grow-a-Beard Girl,” Roadside America, accessed July 17, 2019. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/15460. Page 3 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 of beards in America. After the war, many of the generals kept their whiskers and as the Republican party “waved the bloody shirt” in post-war elections, the beards provided a nice reminder of their service, and several were elected to the White House. Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, and Benjamin Harrison all served as generals in the Civil War and each sported a spectacular beard in the White House. Hand them guitars and they resemble ZZ Top! The Bearded Warriors: Ulysses Grant. Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, and Benjamin Harrison Chester Arthur was unexpectedly elevated to the presidency after James Garfield was assassinated. While he served in the Civil War, he did so from the much safer position of judge advocate in the New York State Militia. While Chester Arthur was technically a Warrior, he is more appropriately placed in camp Dandy. As if more evidence was needed then his nickname of “The Dude President,” Arthur had exquisite tastes. He drank the finest champagne, indulged in choice delicacies, and wore lavish clothes –– in fact, he is sporting a fur-lined overcoat in his presidential portrait. His facial hair is so unique –– too big for Mutton Chops, but not quite a complete beard –– it probably deserves its own name. “The Chet,” perhaps?5 Arthur’s facial hair 5 While Arthur is an original, indeed there is nothing new under the sun and two decades earlier, the look, known as “Dundreary Whiskers,” named so after a foppish character in the popular comedy play Our American Cousin, gained popularity. Coincidently, it was this very show that was being performed at Ford’s Theater when Abraham Lincoln made his fateful visit on April 14, 1865. Page 4 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 also grants him a select position – with one foot in the Warrior camp and another in the Dandy camp, Arthur alone stands in the intersection of the Venn Diagram of Presidential facial hair. In the history of Presidential Facial Hair, Chester Arthur stands alone The third camp are the Walrus. This group includes William Howard Taft and Grover Cleveland (excluded from the Warrior camp because he paid a substitute instead of serving himself in the Civil War), whose girth ranks one and two respectively of all the presidents, as well as Teddy Roosevelt, who was perhaps the most muscular in the presidential pantheon. This group adorned their fleshy faces with full, walrus mustaches. The mustache became associated with military and were all the rage of the Gilded Age elite. But by the time Taft became president in 1909, the golden era of men’s facial hair had come to an end. Several years earlier a eulogy of sorts appeared in Harper’s Weekly titled, “The Passing of Beard.” The reporter Page 5 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 lamented the end of the fashionable facial hair and admitted the in clean-shaven face, “there is gain for honesty if not beauty.”6 They Are The Walrus, Goo Goo Ga Joob: Grover Cleveland, William H. Taft, Theodore Roosevelt Since Taft’s reign of niceness, each of our presidents have been clean shaven. While in the seventies Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter grew out their sideburns a little, Chester Arthur puts them to shame so severely, their inclusion in this paper would only serve to embarrass them. Do men with facial hair make the best presidents? Maybe. Of the three presidents who have been impeached and the one who resigned, none had facial hair. Also consider that while only eleven presidents have had facial hair, two of them are among the four greatest enshrined upon Mount Rushmore. That may also make Abraham Lincoln’s beard (about 30 feet from ear to chin) and Teddy Roosevelt’s mustache (about 25 feet cheek to cheek) the largest sculpted facial hair in the world! 6 "The Passing of Beards," Harper's Weekly 47 (1903): 102 Page 6 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 Abraham Lincoln’s beautiful beard, Theodore Roosevelt might mustache, and two other guys About the author: Louis L. Picone is the award-winning author of The President Is Dead! The Extraordinary Stories of the Presidential Deaths, Final Days, Burials, and Beyond and Where the Presidents Were Born: The History & Preservation of the Presidential Birthplaces. He holds a Masters in History and also teaches American history at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. Louis is a member of the Authors Guild, Mensa International, and the American Historical Association. He is also a trustee on the board of the Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association in Caldwell, New Jersey. More information about Louis at www.LouisPicone.com, and also Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Academia.edu. Louis does not have facial hair. Page 7 

Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 The Warrior, the Walrus and the Dandy: A History of Presidential Facial Hair Today we take it for granted that the President of the United States of America is clean shaven. For over a century our president has lacked facial hair, but there was a time when it was not only an accepted physical feature, but one to be admired. From those who decided to forgo the razor, we can learn much about the presidents as well as the period which they served. This paper will celebrate these men and divide them into three Presidential facial hair camps: The Warrior, the Walrus, and the Dandy. While our founding fathers let their hair grow long, they shaved their faces on a regular basis. The cheeks of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe were each as smooth as their likenesses later carved into marble. But when the first son of a president, John Quincy Adams, was elected, things began to change. Adams the younger was obviously from good stock. He was educated, refined, well-dressed, and “a man of cold, austere, and foreboding manners”1 (Don’t get mad at me, that’s how he described himself!) In the lexicon of the day, John Quincy Adams was a “Dandy.” But as a son of a founding father, Adams also had a rebellious streak and had to distinguish himself. The combination made for some pretty mean Mutton Chops (they wouldn’t be called sideburns until the Civil War). The older Adams got, the longer his Chops grew. John Quincy Adams was followed by perhaps the least “dandy” of all the presidents, Andrew Jackson. No facial hair for Jackson, but if you think he would have despised the dandies, you’d be wrong. While Adams was his mortal enemy, one of Jackson’s closest friends and confidantes (and later his Vice President) was Martin Van 1 Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History. New York: W.W. Norton, 2020, 384. Page 1 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 Buren. Known as “The Red Fox of Kinderhook,” for his red hair (and, obviously, because he was from Kinderhook, New York), Van Buren was even dandier than Adams. He wore elegant clothes, drank the finest wine, smelled of the swankiest perfume, and sported some killer Mutton Chops! As Van Buren aged, his red Mutton Chops grew greyer, longer, and wider. The third member of the Dandy club we will get to later. The Original Dandys (O.D’s): John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren The next camp in the presidential facial hair club are the Warriors. We start with Abraham Lincoln who served as Commander-in-Chief for the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1860 Lincoln ran as a clean-shaven candidate, but a few weeks before the election, he received a letter from 11-year-old Grace Bedell from Westfield, New York. While too young and too female to cast a ballot herself, Grace informed Lincoln that she would persuade her brothers to vote for him, “if you let your whiskers grow.” She added, “you would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be President.”2 Lincoln followed her advice, and the rest is history. After winning the election, Lincoln took a cross-country train ride from Springfield, Illinois to 2 “The Super Cute Story Behind Abraham Lincoln's Beard,” Time Magazine, October 15, 2004. Page 2 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 Washington, DC. Along the way, the president-elect greeted crowds in small towns and made brief speeches. On February 16, 1861, the train stopped in Westfield. The bearded Lincoln departed the train and told the crowd, “I received a letter from a young lady here; it was a very pretty letter, and she advised me to let my whiskers grow, as it would improve my personal appearance.”3 Young Grace was there and Lincoln worked his way through the crowd to give a big hug and thank the girl who won him the election! To summarize: Lincoln grew a beard, Lincoln won the election, Lincoln saved the Union. Thank you, Grace Bedell! In 1999, a statue was erected in Westfield to commemorate the historic meeting and the iconic beard. It’s the only statue dedicated to a presidential beard.4 Most expected the Civil War to be a quick military engagement, but as the war grew longer, so did the beards. Add in the advent of photography and soldier’s limited access to shaving equipment on the battlefields, the Civil War may very well be considered the golden age 3 “Westfield, New York - Inaugural Journey,” National Park Service, accessed July 17, 2019. https://www.nps.gov/liho/westfield-inaugural-journey.htm. 4 “Lincoln Meets Grow-a-Beard Girl,” Roadside America, accessed July 17, 2019. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/15460. Page 3 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 of beards in America. After the war, many of the generals kept their whiskers and as the Republican party “waved the bloody shirt” in post-war elections, the beards provided a nice reminder of their service, and several were elected to the White House. Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, and Benjamin Harrison all served as generals in the Civil War and each sported a spectacular beard in the White House. Hand them guitars and they resemble ZZ Top! The Bearded Warriors: Ulysses Grant. Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, and Benjamin Harrison Chester Arthur was unexpectedly elevated to the presidency after James Garfield was assassinated. While he served in the Civil War, he did so from the much safer position of judge advocate in the New York State Militia. While Chester Arthur was technically a Warrior, he is more appropriately placed in camp Dandy. As if more evidence was needed then his nickname of “The Dude President,” Arthur had exquisite tastes. He drank the finest champagne, indulged in choice delicacies, and wore lavish clothes –– in fact, he is sporting a fur-lined overcoat in his presidential portrait. His facial hair is so unique –– too big for Mutton Chops, but not quite a complete beard –– it probably deserves its own name. “The Chet,” perhaps? Arthur’s facial hair also grants him a select position – with one foot in the Warrior camp and another in the Dandy camp, Arthur alone stands in the intersection of the Venn Diagram of Presidential facial hair. Page 4 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 In the history of Presidential Facial Hair, Chester Arthur stands alone The third camp are the Walrus. This group includes William Howard Taft and Grover Cleveland (excluded from the Warrior camp because he paid a substitute instead of serving himself in the Civil War), whose girth ranks one and two respectively of all the presidents, as well as Teddy Roosevelt, who was perhaps the most muscular in the presidential pantheon. This group adorned their fleshy faces with full, walrus mustaches. The mustache became associated with military and were all the rage of the Gilded Age elite. But by the time Taft became president in 1909, the golden era of men’s facial hair had come to an end. Several years earlier a eulogy of sorts appeared in Harper’s Weekly titled, “The Passing of Beard.” The reporter lamented the end of the fashionable facial hair and admitted the in clean-shaven face, “there is gain for honesty if not beauty.”5 5 "The Passing of Beards," Harper's Weekly 47 (1903): 102 Page 5 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 They Are The Walrus, Goo Goo Ga Joob: Grover Cleveland, William H. Taft, Theodore Roosevelt Since Taft’s reign of niceness, each of our presidents have been clean shaven. While in the seventies Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter grew out their sideburns a little, Chester Arthur puts them to shame so severely, their inclusion in this paper would only serve to embarrass them. Do men with facial hair make the best presidents? Maybe. Of the three presidents who have been impeached and the one who resigned, none had facial hair. Also consider that while only eleven presidents have had facial hair, two of them are among the four greatest enshrined upon Mount Rushmore. That may also make Abraham Lincoln’s beard (about 30 feet from ear to chin) and Teddy Roosevelt’s mustache (about 25 feet cheek to cheek) the largest sculpted facial hair in the world! Abraham Lincoln’s beautiful beard, Theodore Roosevelt might mustache, and two other guys Page 6 Louis L. Picone April 7, 2020 About the author: Louis L. Picone is the award-winning author of The President Is Dead! The Extraordinary Stories of the Presidential Deaths, Final Days, Burials, and Beyond and Where the Presidents Were Born: The History & Preservation of the Presidential Birthplaces. He holds a Masters in History and also teaches American history at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. Louis is a member of the Authors Guild, Mensa International, and the American Historical Association. He is also a trustee on the board of the Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association in Caldwell, New Jersey. More information about Louis at www.LouisPicone.com, and also Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Academia.edu. Louis does not have facial hair. Page 7