My Journey through the Presidents

Fifty one presidential biographies in 41 months

Starting in May 2021, I decided to embark on the journey of reading through a biography of every US President in chronological order.  I started with George Washington and will be ending this month with George W. Bush (it’s too early to have definitive biographies of the more modern presidents).  I had no idea when I started this project, how much I would learn and quickly realized it is a unique way to read through the history of our country from the perspective of the seat of the President.  I found a few resources along the way that really helped me choose from among the best biographies of each president (https://bestpresidentialbios.com/). 

In order to avoid feeling burned out or overwhelmed I read at the pace of about one biography per month.  This allowed me to also read non related books and keep my to be read (TBR) list from getting out of hand.  For most of the presidents, I read through one, single volume, biography.  I did read a few multiple volume biographies. 

Statistics:

Overall, 51 biographies for 43 presidents. 

I read multiple volumes on: Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, Lyndon Johnson (Robert Caro 4 volume series and one other full biography)

Time Frame: May 2021 through October 2024 (41 months)

I was surprised to find that many presidents have not had a definitive biography in decades and some have very little written about them.  Some are written about extensively (Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt) and some have multiple volumes written by one biographer.  For example, Robert Caro has spent over 50 years writing a (currently) 4 volume series on Lyndon Johnson.  Some presidents and periods of history are boring and hard to get through and for some, their lives read like fiction.  All biographies are not equal and the biographer can really add or take away from the reading experience.  The best biographers are able to tell what makes the person who they are, what made their life stand out, give enough details to keep the narrative going but not so much that you get bogged down in details.  The best biographers are able to take all their research and put it into a comprehensive narrative of the person’s life.  I prefer biographies that try to be as objective as possible in order to allow the reader to come to their own conclusions.  Some presidents just lived more extraordinary lives than others (Teddy Roosevelt stands out no matter how you feel about him). 

·       Reading through the presidents in chronological order allowed me to go through significant events in history multiple times from different perspectives.  For example, I read through the American Revolution five times with the first five presidents, who all played a different but key role.  The repetition helps to make the story come to life.

·       I was able to see the way the office of the president and expectations by the people has evolved over time.  For example, during the Gilded Age, 1873 – 1896, the president was expected to be more of an administrator than a policy maker.  The people and government believed in a strong congressional role for setting policy.  Current presidents are seen as key policy makers.

·       I have a whole new respect for the Founding Fathers and their foresight in shaping our government. And limiting the powers of any one person (ie the President)

·       There have always been disagreements of the size and role of the government.  Even early in our history, different key government leaders had different ideas about the size and role of government.  For example, Thomas Jefferson imagined the future of the US as more of an agricultural state with a small central government vs Alexander Hamilton argued for a strong central government with smaller state governments.

·       There have been other times throughout history when things were divided.  I read through many, many turbulent times where the leaders of government, the press, and politician (and public) were in strong disagreement with one another.

·       Certain key events in our history (usually war time) have changed the power and the role of the president.  The powers of the Presidency have increased and expanded with each war, sometimes significantly.

·       There has never been a perfect president or administration.  All administrations have had their criticisms and praises.  And all are led by flawed humans.

·       Each president has put their own unique personal stamp on the presidency.  Some were more delegators and some saw themselves as the central figure and were focused on action.

·       Several presidents played a key role at a key time in changing the role and office of the presidency.  For example, Lincoln was president at such a unique time in history (Civil War) that his powers were greatly expanded.  And FDR changed much of the presidential role and power during WWII and the Great Depression.

I realize that not many will be able to or be interested in reading through a biography of every US president but I would strongly advocate for choosing a few of the more famous or important presidents and consider reading for the many lessons that can be gleaned.  I started off listening to an audiobook biography of Abraham Lincoln and quickly became overwhelmed with the characters and not having the context for the time period.  That helped me to realize I needed more information.  Throughout this project, I have encountered and learned about so many other key figures in history who never became president or were characters in the life of our country.