# Which US Presidents Owned Slaves?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-owned-slaves/232154
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 2, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-owned-slaves/232154 "2004-03-02T20:02:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-owned-slaves/232154/1 "2004-03-02T20:02:36Z")
Which of the first 16 US Presidents owned slaves?
Washington freed his in his will, but Jefferson did not. I’ve never visited Montpelier, so I don’t know if Madison did (I suspect so). The slave quarters are still present at Ash Lawn, so Monroe is a “yes.” I’ve never been to the Hermitage, but I suspect Jackson did. Harrison was born and raised at Berkeley, but I don’t know about later in life (Indiana Territory was free state, yes?). I’ve been to Sherwood Forest, but don’t recall if Tyler did or not (I suspect so). Taylor and Polk were the only other Southerners, and I’m not sure about them either.
What’s the Dope on Presidents and the “peculiar institution?”
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### Author:  [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-owned-slaves/232154/2 "2004-03-02T20:26:48Z")
Madison owned slaves, as did Jackson, Taylor, Polk, Tyler and Grant. Something tells me that Harrison did, but I’m not exactly sure.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-owned-slaves/232154/3 "2004-03-02T20:35:53Z")
Sometimes Google is your best friend…
[http://www.nas.com/~lopresti/ps.htm](http://www.nas.com/~lopresti/ps.htm)
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### Author:  [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-owned-slaves/232154/4 "2004-03-02T20:48:27Z")
Thanks. I found that site right after I posted the question. Quite a few more than I had thought.
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### Author:  [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-owned-slaves/232154/5 "2004-03-02T20:49:59Z")
Thanks for the link, silenus. There’s a cool Lincoln quote therein:
> [@](#):
>
> […]Whenever I hear any one arguing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.”(Lincoln, 1953, v8, p360-1)
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-owned-slaves/232154/6 "2004-03-02T21:44:57Z")
Washington, certainly.
Jefferson.
There is apparently some references to freeing slaves in Monroe’s will.
Ah, here we go:
[Presidents who owned slaves.](http://www.africana.com/research/blackfacts/bl_fact_6.asp)
Washington
Jefferson
Polk
Taylor
Madison
Monroe
Jackson
W Harrison
Tyler
9 of 12
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### Author:  [@YPOD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YPOD)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-owned-slaves/232154/7 "2004-03-02T23:14:50Z")
I believe that US Grant did once, briefly own a slave. The slave was given to him by his father in law when Grant was down and out, obviously before the war. I think the slave had a skill, possibly he was a blacksmith. Grant freed him after about six months. I don’t remember if Grant used his slave’s income to offset the cost of his freedom, or simply manumitted him without compensation.