10 Strange Presidential Nicknames
Because U.S. presidents are often among the most famous and critiqued people of their era, they have frequently garnered nicknames for policies or activities that defined their persona — some of which are more well known than others.
George Washington, for one, was sometimes called the “American Cincinnatus,” after the Roman statesman who prioritized the well-being of the republic over personal gain. Andrew Jackson was dubbed “Sharp Knife” by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation for his ruthless negotiating tactics. And Abraham Lincoln became known on the 1860 campaign trail as the “Rail-Splitter,” for his early years of hardscrabble labor on the frontier.
While some nicknames are self-explanatory, others are more confounding when taken without context from the period in which they originated. Here’s a look at how 10 of the more unusual nicknames stuck to U.S. presidents.
James Monroe: “The Last Cocked Hat”
Although he was younger than many of the renowned Founding Fathers, James Monroe is generally lumped in with that group due to his service in the American Revolution and in the administrations of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. As such, he was one of the final public figures to carry the torch of that era, and his insistence on adhering to the late-18th-century fashions of a powdered wig and tricorn hat, even as he served as president well into the following century, led to him being called “The Last Cocked Hat.”
You may also like
More from our network
John Tyler: "His Accidency"
When President William Henry Harrison died after just one month in office in 1841, thrusting the job into the hands of the vice president for the first time in the nation's history, people were unsure as to whether John Tyler should be treated as the acting president or as a VP with expanded powers. There was nothing ambiguous about the matter to Tyler, who firmly believed he was simply the president, case closed. Yet his habit of upsetting both the Whigs he was ostensibly representing and the Democrats he had initially aligned with prompted critics across the political spectrum to refer to him by the decidedly less respectful title of "His Accidency."
James Buchanan: "Ten-Cent Jimmy"
James Buchanan's nickname of "Ten-Cent Jimmy" originated during his tenure as a senator from Pennsylvania in the early 1840s, when he allegedly advocated for laborers to receive a pittance of just 10 cents for a day of hard work. The miserly label was revived for the 1856 presidential race, even making its way into a song for candidate John C. Frémont, although it wasn't enough to derail Buchanan's path to victory.
James A. Garfield: "Boatman Jim"
During the 1880 presidential campaign, supporters sought to play up James A. Garfield's humble origins with songs such as "Boatman Jim" highlighting his teenage job on the vessels that navigated the Ohio and Erie Canal. Left unmentioned in these ditties were the candidate's difficulties in this line of work: According to some reports, Garfield fell overboard 14 times in a six-week span, the final instance leading to a serious fever that forced him to quit.
Chester A. Arthur: "Dude President"
To steal a line from Paul McCartney, Chester A. Arthur was "born a poor, young country boy," but he dressed the part of a man with a taste for material riches. The transformation began in college, and by the time Arthur was running the country in the early 1880s, the press was having a field day with reports of him owning 80 pairs of trousers and splurging on hats. The sartorial presentation led to Arthur being dubbed the "Dude President" — with "dude" referring to a conspicuously fashionable man — along with related nicknames such as "Elegant Arthur" and "Gentleman Boss."
Benjamin Harrison: "The Human Iceberg"
Although he proved adept enough at campaign speeches, the scholarly Benjamin Harrison disliked small talk and was accused of being distant and aloof in person. As a result, in addition to contending with epithets that poked fun at his relatively diminutive 5-foot-6 stature, President Harrison also endured nicknames that played on his lack of personal warmth, such as "The Human Iceberg" and "The Refrigerator."
William McKinley: "Wobbly Willie"
Even after Spain was widely (and likely erroneously) blamed for the explosion of the USS Maine off the coast of Cuba in February 1898, President William McKinley sought a diplomatic solution to tensions with the European country. The measured approach didn't sit well with bloodthirsty opponents in Congress and the press, who called the president "Wobbly Willie" for his refusal to take a firm stance in defense of the red, white, and blue. Although the president soon gave Congress the go-ahead to declare war, the nickname resurfaced whenever McKinley was thought to be wavering on an issue.
Franklin D. Roosevelt: "The Sphinx"
Often simply known by the initials FDR, Franklin D. Roosevelt earned a new nickname from the press late in the second term of his presidency. Cagey about whether he planned to run for a third term — at the time, there were no presidential term limits — Roosevelt was coined "The Sphinx" after the famed Egyptian landmark that supposedly guarded the answer to a great riddle. FDR even saw his likeness lampooned with a papier-mâché Sphinx sculpture during a December 1939 journalists' dinner, although he resisted answering the riddle until confirming his third-term candidacy just before the July 1940 Democratic National Convention.
Lyndon B. Johnson: "Light Bulb"
Also widely known by his initials, Lyndon B. Johnson briefly took on a harmless if unflattering nickname after ascending to the presidency in November 1963. Apparently eager to demonstrate his energy-saving ways, Johnson made a habit of trekking through the White House to shut off lights in empty rooms, prompting amused observers to dub him "Light Bulb" Johnson. The appellation reappeared during the 1964 presidential campaign, with opponents distributing paraphernalia reading, "Turn off Light Bulb Johnson."
Richard Nixon: "Iron Butt"
While seemingly as derogatory as his longtime alias of "Tricky Dick," bestowed for allegations of political scheming, Richard Nixon's law school nickname of "Iron Butt" originated from a place of admiration. The moniker apparently stemmed from Nixon's reputation as one of the most studious members of his class. When discussing his career prospects with an older student, the elder insisted that Nixon would be able to handle the professional workload just fine because of his "iron butt" built to withstand long hours in a seat.
