Abigail and John Adams
Kathy Pinna The second President of the United States, John Adams, and his wife Abigail began a long political (and entertainment) dynasty.
John Quincy Adams
AncientFaces John and Abigail's son became the 6th President of the United States. One of his sons became a diplomat.
Herbert & Lou Hoover
AncientFaces President Herbert Hoover's wife, Lou, was a 3rd cousin of John Adams.
Nancy Reagan
AncientFaces Nancy Davis Reagan (born Anne Frances Robbins) was a 3rd cousin of John Adams. Other famous family members are: Raquel Welch, Emily Post, Marilyn Monroe, Orson Wells, Julia Child, Princess Diana, Dick Van Dyke, James Brolin, Ted Danson, Sarah Palin, Zac Efron, and Ellen DeGeneres - just to name a few.
David King Udall
Kathy Pinna A representative to the Arizona Territorial Legislature and an early Mormon, he was convicted of perjury because he backed up a land dispute involving Mitt Romney's great-grandfather. The Udall family has become a dominant force in politics in the western United States.
John Hunt Udall
Son of David King Udall, he was mayor of Phoenix AZ in the 1930's and later a judge. His brothers were also judges and representatives.
Tom Udall
Kathy Pinna One of 3 cousins in the Udall family who were U.S. Senators at the same time, the 4th generation of Udalls are still active in politics. The Udall-Hunt-Lee family has been elected from six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah. Maybe the 5th generation will move beyond and become Presidents.
John D. and Laura Rockefeller
AncientFaces Making his fortune by founding Standard Oil, his wife Laura was a philanthropist. Their descendants entered politics, business, and philanthropy.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
AncientFaces A businessman and philanthropist, he married a woman from a political family. Two of his sons, Winthrop and Nelson, became prominent politicians. Jay Rockefeller, John D.'s great-grandson, was a U.S. Senator (West Virginia) until 2015.
Jimmy Carter & Richard Daley
AncientFaces Son of a Georgia politician, Governor and President Jimmy Carter did well for himself. But his son Jack has also run for office and his grandson, Jason, is a Georgia state senator. Richard Daley was also part of a dynasty - he was Chicago's mayor for 21 years and his son was mayor for 5 terms.
William Howard Taft
Kathy Pinna The Taft family is all over American politics. Although William Howard was the only President (so far), members of the Taft family have been Senators, governors, judges, Attorney General, and Secretary of War. (William Howard was a "double dipper" - he was also 10th Justice of the Supreme Court.)
Teddy Roosevelt
AncientFaces One of the Oyster Bay Roosevelts, Teddy became President in 1901. His 5th cousin FDR, one of the Hyde Park Roosevelts, became President in 1933. But Teddy's niece, Eleanor, was FDR's wife. And other members of the family have included regional and national politicians. The first elected Roosevelt was Nicholas, who was an alderman in New York in 1698.
Benjamin Harrison
AncientFaces The Harrison family has also had two U.S. Presidents, Benjamin and William Henry (grandfather of Benjamin). Descendants of a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Governor of Virginia, the family has included numerous politicians through the centuries. (Note: Jimmy Carter is a 6th cousin to Benjamin Harrison!)
Joseph P. Kennedy
AncientFaces Married to Rose Kennedy, the daughter of the mayor of Boston, he was a businessman and a politician (Ambassador to the UK, 1st Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.) His son was a President (JFK), other sons were Senators, . . . the list goes on and on.
Bobby Kennedy
Bette Triscik Son of Joseph P., brother of JFK, Senator from New York, and Attorney General, he ran for President (and was winning the primaries) when he was assassinated. Some of his 11 children followed him into politics.
Reverend James Smith Bush
Kathy Pinna Son of Obadiah Newcomb Bush (Vice-President of the American Anti-Slavery Society and supporter of the Underground Railroad), he is the great-grandfather of George H. W. Bush and the great-great-grandfather of George W. Bush, both Presidents of the United States. His descendants include 2 Presidents, a Senator, and a Governor. (That doesn't include all of the political appointments.) Of English and German descent, the Bush family's first American born ancestor was Samuel Bush in 1647.
Interesting facts: Donald Trump's German side emigrated to the U.S. in the 1880's, and his mother emigrated to the U.S. from Scotland in 1929. He is related to Hillary Clinton through their shared 18th great-grandfather, the Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt. Historically, U.S. Presidents with the most royal genes have been elected but given the shared background of Trump and Clinton, is it any wonder that the Trump/Clinton election resulted in a near tie?
Click "next page" to see how Presidents - and most of us - are related to royalty.
