# Astounding Presidential Coincidences **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 21, 2000, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631 "2000-12-21T01:45:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GKittridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e274bd/32.png) [@GKittridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GKittridge)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631/1 "2000-12-21T01:45:28Z")
George W. Bush has just been elected to the office of the President of the United States, making him the second son of a President (George Bush) to hold that office. The first such pair were John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams. There are many coincidences to these two pairs of presidents. 1. Both sons have the same first name as their father, yet neither is a “junior.” 2. Both fathers served eight years as Vice-President to a very popular President. 3. Both sons failed to receive a plurality of the popular vote in their elections. 4. Both fathers served only one term. 5. Both sons married a woman whose first name starts with the letter “L” and ends with the letter “A.” 6. Both fathers ran for a second term, but was defeated by a southerner. 7. Both sons were elected over a Tennessean whose first name starts with the letter “A” and has six letters. 8. Both fathers were born in Massachusetts. 9. Both sons were born in July. 10. Both fathers attended an Ivy League University. 11. Both sons attended the same University their fathers did. 12. Both fathers immediately succeeded to the office of President. 13. Both sons have six letters in their middle names. 14. Both sets of Presidents come from political families. 15. Bush had a secretary named Adams, and Adams had a secretary named Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631/2 "2000-12-21T01:55:27Z")
16 - Neither owned a tugboat. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631/3 "2000-12-21T01:59:18Z")
Gee, #14 sure is a surprise. Who would have thought that a father and son both ending up President would come from political families? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631/4 "2000-12-21T02:08:52Z")
Both are also answers to trivia questions that will get so old people will have beer bottles (full, even) thrown at them for beginning a sentence “Hey, you know, there are a lot of similarities between the Bush family and the Adams - WHAT? HEY! OWW!” ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631/5 "2000-12-21T02:09:17Z")
17 - Both were American citizens. ---
**Author:** ![jaimest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/48db29/32.png) [@jaimest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaimest)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631/6 "2000-12-21T02:47:28Z")
Well John Q. Adams is considered to be among themost intellectual of American presidents; so the resemblance between him and Dubya’ only goes so far. Also, J. Q. Adams, while president, was known to shock Washington society types by taking nude dips in the Potomac river on chilly morning. He once even granted an interview stark naked. [http://www.americanpresident.org/KoTrain/Courses/JQA/JQA\_Presidential\_Moments.htm](http://www.americanpresident.org/KoTrain/Courses/JQA/JQA_Presidential_Moments.htm) Lets hope G.W. Bush never strips down to the bare ass on \*Meet The Press \* in an attempt to live up to his predecessor. ---
**Author:** ![Ad\_Noctum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@Ad\_Noctum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ad_Noctum)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631/7 "2000-12-21T02:54:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jaimest \* > \*\* Well John Q. Adams is considered to be among themost intellectual of American presidents; so the resemblance between him and Dubya’ only goes so far. > Also, J. Q. Adams, while president, was known to shock Washington society types by taking nude dips in the Potomac river on chilly morning. He once even granted an interview stark naked. > [http://www.americanpresident.org/KoTrain/Courses/JQA/JQA\_Presidential\_Moments.htm](http://www.americanpresident.org/KoTrain/Courses/JQA/JQA_Presidential_Moments.htm) > Lets hope G.W. Bush never strips down to \*\* the bare ass \*\* on \*Meet The Press \* in an attempt to live up to his predecessor. \*\* yea, that would be pretty damned Em- \*\* barass \*\* -ing hahahaa ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631/8 "2000-12-21T03:17:45Z")
The fathers were both born in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, as a matter of fact. ---
**Author:** ![jaimest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/48db29/32.png) [@jaimest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaimest)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631/9 "2000-12-21T03:27:19Z")
This isn’t a coincidence, but I just realized that Clinton’s presidency will go down in history as a space between two Bushes. hahahha…ok not very funny, but I had to take my mind off J. Q. Adams nude body somehow. ---
**Author:** ![nebuli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/0ea827/32.png) [@nebuli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nebuli)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astounding-presidential-coincidences/46631/10 "2000-12-21T06:22:38Z")
> [@](#): > > Well John Q. Adams is considered to be among themost intellectual of American presidents; so the resemblance between him and Dubya’ only goes so far. Yes, I suspect that if GWB ever earns the nickname “Old Man Eloquent”, there will be a bit more sarcasm involved than in JQA’s case.