# Did JFK Work For Free As President? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 12, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192 "2003-04-12T03:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/1 "2003-04-12T03:36:33Z")
I hear stories that JFK refused his presidential salary. Yes? No? If yes, why? ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/2 "2003-04-12T04:08:46Z")
No he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/3 "2003-04-12T04:49:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*No he didn’t. \*\* . . . Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/4 "2003-04-12T05:13:35Z")
You really think there is a cite that says he accepted his salary? ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/5 "2003-04-12T05:15:27Z")
You can prove a positive but you can’t prove a negative. Having said that according to [http://www.jfk-online.com/farewell03.html#N\_8\_](http://www.jfk-online.com/farewell03.html#N_8_) it states 1. Since his election to the House of Representatives in 1947, Kennedy had always donated his salary and the royalties from his books to charity. As the President’s salary is $100,000 and his personal income amounted to $400,000, his critics pointed out that, after taxes, his generosity cost him only $9,524. So he took his salary but donated it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Hand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mr.Hand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Hand)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/6 "2003-04-12T05:18:00Z")
How about this? (It’s the Internet Public Library Kid’s Encyclopedia entry for JFK.) [http://ipl.si.umich.edu/div/potus/jfkennedy.html](http://ipl.si.umich.edu/div/potus/jfkennedy.html) > [@](#): > > Presidential Salary: $100,000/year + $50,000 expense account (refused by Kennedy) Looks like he accepted his salary but refused the expense account. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Hand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mr.Hand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Hand)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/7 "2003-04-12T05:20:18Z")
Sorry, perhaps I spoke too soon. Here’s a CNN story on Congress’s considering a presidential pay raise (from May, 1999). [http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/05/24/pay.raise/](http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/05/24/pay.raise/) Last paragraph: > [@](#): > > Do U.S. presidents need the money? Well, some, like Franklin Roosevelt, came to office rich, but others, like Truman, did not. Only one, aside from Washington, ever refused to accept a salary: John Kennedy. So maybe he refused his salary as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Hand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mr.Hand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Hand)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/8 "2003-04-12T05:27:00Z")
OK, so perhaps I’m posting too soon. I’m going to stop after this one. I just found something that perhaps contradicts the CNN story (though not on whether JFK accepted/refused salary). This site – [http://www.russpickett.com/ushist/uspres4.htm](http://www.russpickett.com/ushist/uspres4.htm) – asserts that Hoover was the first president to “donate his salary to charity.” Of course, it could be that he just did it one time, and otherwise accepted his salary. This could then be consistent w/ the CNN story. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/9 "2003-04-12T05:52:47Z")
Used to be that some rich men who served the government would elect to receive $1.00 for their service. Haven’t heard of that being done for many years, now. > [@](#): > > _from [**here**](http://www.electrochem.org/presidents/richards.htm)_ > **During World War I, Professor Richards was a member of the Naval Consulting Board, of which Thomas Edison was Chairman. He became a “dollar-a-year” man, closed his home, and went to live in Washington, D.C. where he worked for nearly two years without taking a vacation.** ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/10 "2003-04-12T05:54:54Z")
[Bush^43 paid $270K on $711K earnings](http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/04/11/bush.income.tax/index.html) I’d like to know if Bush^43 or Bush^41 ever paid State Taxes. ---
**Author:** ![jacksen9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jacksen9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacksen9)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jfk-work-for-free-as-president/168192/11 "2003-04-12T11:02:38Z")
In Texas, we do not pay state taxes. At least not from income.