# Most badass presidents in history **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 25, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105 "2018-04-25T15:20:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/21 "2018-04-25T20:16:20Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Allegedly, he heroically survived getting stuck in the White House bathtub.\* > \*Some pedants insist this is not true. I thought that was Chester A. Arthur. Which one had women hidden in the White House? ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/22 "2018-04-25T20:19:18Z")
Geez, did I miss something about guys who won world wars being ineligible? Or even Civil Wars? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/23 "2018-04-25T20:26:16Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > He beat Teddy, who made a speech while he was bleeding to death. I fear my joke was too subtle. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/24 "2018-04-25T20:28:23Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Geez, did I miss something about guys who won world wars being ineligible? Or even Civil Wars? Itā€™s quite a feat to successfully navigate the country though war. Iā€™m not sure itā€™s ā€œbadassā€ though. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/25 "2018-04-25T20:28:58Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I thought that was Chester A. Arthur. Which one had women hidden in the White House? Hereā€™s an account of the Taft-in-a-Tub anecdotes: [http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/06/fact-or-fiction-taft-got-stuck-in-a-tub/](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/06/fact-or-fiction-taft-got-stuck-in-a-tub/) Apparently, Harding did the deed with Nan Britton in a White House coat closet: > **[Nan Britton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nan_Britton)** > > Nanna Popham Britton (November 9, 1896 ā€“ March 21, 1991) was an American woman who gained notoriety as a mistress of Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States. In 1927, she revealed that her daughter, Elizabeth, had been fathered by Harding while he was serving in the United States Senate, one year before his election to the presidency. Britton's claim was open to question during her lifetime, but in 2015, Harding's paternity was finally confirmed by DNA testing. > Harding and Bri... > [@](#): > > Following Hardingā€™s death, Britton wrote what is considered to be the first kiss-and-tell book. In The Presidentā€™s Daughter, published in 1927, she claimed she had been Hardingā€™s mistress all during his presidency, naming him as the father of her daughter, Elizabeth Ann (1919ā€“2005). One famous passage told of their having sex in a coat closet in the executive office of the White House. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/26 "2018-04-25T20:32:17Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The Native American community would heartily agree with you. The guy was genocidal in the fine tradition of the Pilgrims and most of the presidents that came before him, including George Washington. Uh, itā€™s pretty indisputable about Jackson, but Washington and the Pilgrims? Genocide? I donā€™t know about that. The Pilgrims did not have the means to commit genocide deliberately, even if they wanted to; unintentional transmission of germs not withstanding. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/27 "2018-04-25T20:43:53Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Itā€™s quite a feat to successfully navigate the country though war. Iā€™m not sure itā€™s ā€œbadassā€ though. Iā€™m not talking about someone like FDR navigating, Iā€™m talking about Grant and Eisenhower winning major battle after major battle. In some ways, itā€™s easier to charge up a hill yourself than to commit tens of thousands of subordinates to an operation that is sure to kill thousands of them. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/28 "2018-04-25T20:51:23Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Uh, itā€™s pretty indisputable about Jackson, but Washington and the Pilgrims? Genocide? I donā€™t know about that. The Pilgrims did not have the means to commit genocide deliberately, even if they wanted to; unintentional transmission of germs not withstanding. Heā€™s probably talking about the Pequot war, where an alliance between Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut and the Narragansetts wiped out the Pequots as a nation. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/29 "2018-04-25T22:32:45Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Uh, itā€™s pretty indisputable about Jackson, but Washington and the Pilgrims? Genocide? I donā€™t know about that. The Pilgrims did not have the means to commit genocide deliberately, even if they wanted to; unintentional transmission of germs not withstanding. Washington ordered the massacre of Natives and the destruction of crops to drive out the Native populations who sided with the British. Early settlers came from a long line of Scots-Irish who were very familiar with that sort of warfare and brought it to their immediate region in America. The 2nd Amendment was written with this in mind, as militias (mercenaries) were used extensively to suppress, kill and displace the Indigenous people. It continued into the late 19th century. The history of America is not what most Americans think it is. I suggest reading _An Indigenous Peopleā€™s History of the United States_, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, which provides ample citations for the above. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/30 "2018-04-25T23:13:39Z")
You can point out Washingtonā€™s faults all you want, but the man won the fucking revolutionary war. Without that, there would be no other presidents. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/31 "2018-04-26T00:38:33Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > You can point out Washingtonā€™s faults all you want, but the man won the fucking revolutionary war. Without that, there would be no other presidents. There was some help from France, with whom Britain was fighting a world wide war. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/32 "2018-04-26T01:33:38Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > You can point out Washingtonā€™s faults all you want, but the man won the fucking revolutionary war. Without that, there would be no other presidents. Yes, he did, and props for that. Iā€™m just pointing out that most of America has been taught a very white-washed version of our history. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/33 "2018-04-26T20:39:14Z")
I donā€™t have a lot of confidence in ā€œmost Americansā€ regarding history, even their knowledge of white-washed history. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/K5GaAQ8g4gg/maxresdefault.jpg "How much people know about U.S History...") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5GaAQ8g4gg) ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/34 "2018-04-26T20:43:29Z")
Trump! His dodging STDs was a ā€œpersonal Vietnamā€! šŸ˜ƒ šŸ˜ƒ šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/35 "2018-04-26T21:11:12Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > What Iā€™m looking for are presidents who did amazing things before becoming president. People like Teddy Roosevelt and his ride up San Juan Hill, or George Bush SR. with his 58 combat missions in ww2 including being shot down. > > Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk Well, I know heā€™s not well liked, but Andrew Jackson was probably one of the most badass presidents. Just his famous duel where he stood there and took a bullet, then coolly leveled his unfired pistol and shot the other man down is one of those things generally more suited to Hollywood than real life. I remember reading a biography of the man when I was in college and being astounded by a lot of the things he did before he became president. For a more popular president, you have Lincoln and his wrestling/fist fighting. He was kind of a local legend in his area before he ran for office. Plus, he was a vampire hunter of great renownā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/36 "2018-04-26T21:57:31Z")
After he was President, although he was running again, Teddy Roosevelt had another of his badass moments. He got shot during an assassination attempt on the way to a campaign event. While the crowd was calling for the death of the assassin, Teddy was the one that kept his head and calmed things down. Of course, he then went to the event anyway and gave his entire prepared speech. > [@XT](#): > > He was kind of a local legend in his area before he ran for office. Plus, he was a vampire hunter of great renownā€¦ He was also hell on the [zombie](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2246549/) population. ā€œEmancipate this!ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/37 "2018-04-26T23:07:27Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > With apologies to my Native brothers, Andy ā€œBy Godā€ Jackson will always be the top pick for me. And from various biographies he was pretty much like that from birthā€¦ As a child during the American Revolution, he was ordered by a British officer to shine his boots. When the young Jackson refused, he was given a slash of the sword that left him with a scar the rest of his life. He hated the Brits forever afterā€¦ Moreover, some of the obscure 19th century presidents had made their mark on actual battlefields. For example, he only put in a (sickly) month as our President, but William Henry Harrison was renowned for his bad-assery at the Battle of Tippecanoe. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/38 "2018-04-27T03:32:15Z")
Putin - amassed a fortune, installed himself to a power position indefinitely. Badass. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/39 "2018-04-27T05:43:44Z")
Another point in Jacksonā€™s favor, I seem to recall someone tried to shoot him while he was president, the pistol misfired, and Jackson jumped down from the stand and chased after his would-be assassin. ---
**Author:** ![Luke\_who\_s\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/22d042/32.png) [@Luke\_who\_s\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luke_who_s_here)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105/40 "2018-04-27T05:50:23Z")
Sorry, what could be more ā€œbadassā€ than commanding a 2 million-strong multinational army into Nazi Germany? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-badass-presidents-in-history/813105.md?page=3)