# presidential affairs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-affairs/40604>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 10, 2000, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-affairs/40604 "2000-11-10T04:04:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-affairs/40604/1 "2000-11-10T04:04:33Z")

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I know that several past U.S. presidents have had affairs during their presidency. I also heard a rumor that only 3 presidents were always faithful to their wives. I was wondering which presidents never had affairs.

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**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-affairs/40604/2 "2000-11-10T04:10:27Z")

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Well, James Buchanan was a bachelor.

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**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-affairs/40604/3 "2000-11-10T05:22:19Z")

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Nixon, probably…and according to some accounts, he didn’t even do it with his wife 😃

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-affairs/40604/4 "2000-11-10T05:34:55Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Nixon, probably

Probably not. There are long standing rumors that Nixon had an affair with a woman named Marianna Liu that started when he was Vice President and continued for several years. These same rumors say J. Edgar Hoover used this information to keep Nixon in line.

On the other hand, I’ve never heard of any rumors of infidelity associated with Truman, Ford, or Carter.

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**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-affairs/40604/5 "2000-11-10T06:22:08Z")

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> [@](#):
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> On the other hand, I’ve never heard of any rumors of infidelity associated with Truman, Ford, or Carter.

What?! Carter openly admitted to adultery in Playboy magazine! Oh wait… You’re talking about _real_ adultery, not that BS Mt. 5:28 stuff that Xtians like Carter think is as bad as the real thing. Carry on.

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**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-affairs/40604/6 "2000-11-10T06:50:44Z")

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According to Shelly Ross’ _Fall from Grace : Sex, Scandal and Corruption in American Politics from 1702 to the Present_, almost no US president has been without scandal, or at least suspicion of scandal. I suspect a few of her stories, though, are based more on speculation than hard evidence.

–sublight.