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Franklin D. Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
George H.W. Bush
Bill Clinton
Donald Trump
Maybe also Hoover, Eisenhower and Bush Jr. but i can't find any info.
I’ve known eleven presidents about as intimately as a man can without being either a fellow politician or related. I’ve golfed with them, dined with them, told jokes with them. I’ve even had them steal my material. Laughter is nonpartisan—a great leveler. And maybe that’s the one thing all eleven presidents have in common. As long as it’s funny, you can say almost anything to them and get away with it.—Bob Hope, 1996
Honestly, I'd have to put an asterisk on Trump in the first list. Sinatra died in 1998, when DJT was nothing but a New York developer. I get the caveat, but having met a fellow celebrity more than fifteen years before his name and "president" were ever used in the same sentence is... a stretch. Like counting someone who served with Truman or JFK long before either entered politics.
I'd bet Hope wins simply from longevity. And possibly someone in the same entertainment vein — Carl Reiner? George Burns? Maybe I.M. Pei, who just died (still active) at almost 102?
I'll bet Billy Graham shook hands with every President from Truman to Obama. Given his age, he may have met FDR too.
His web site has photos from Truman to Obama. I think they'd mention FDR had the men met.
Unless there is someone from a prior era who spanned more, I'd say we have, if not a solo winner, then a member of a very small class. Twelve.
If there's a thirteener, he would have had to span the short-term Presidents, from Harrison to McKinley. William Jennings Bryan comes to mind, although he was a politician in that he ran for the office three times. Maybe one of the very long-serving SCJs?
QE2 has met twelve, although she could be considered a politician.
A search brings up Alice Roosevelt Longworth, TR's daughter, who met 17 presidents and presumably shook hands with them all. That's going to be tough to beat.
It is worth noting that this hinges in part on the rate at which presidents leave office, as this affords the most potential meetings with presidents in a given amount of time.
Beginning with the election of Martin Van Buren in 1836 (taking office in March 1837), six consecutive elected presidents failed to secure a second term, and two of those died in office and were replaced by presidents elevated from the vice presidency who also failed to secure a full term beyond that. Lincoln managed a second term, but was assassinated a mere six weeks into it. His successor, Andrew Johnson, did not win a second term. Grant then did, but then there was Hayes (one term), Garfield (assassinated a few months into his presidency), Arthur (less than one full term), Cleveland (one term - initially), Benjamin Harrison (one term), Cleveland again (one term, again - though the official enumeration counts him as two presidents, both the 22nd and 24th, raising the question as to whether a shake of his hand counts twice).
In short, between early 1837 (when lame duck Jackson was still in office) to early 1897 (when McKinley took office) there were 19 presidents (18 if only counting Cleveland twice). That's a lot of potential right there.
On the other hand, the relatively unease of travel back then probably mitigates the opportunities.
Beginning with FDR in 1933, the average lengths of presidencies really increases. Lots of two-termers (and FDR, three-plus) in there.
A search brings up Alice Roosevelt Longworth, TR's daughter, who met 17 presidents and presumably shook hands with them all. That's going to be tough to beat.
I don't she can get to that number.
She was born in 1884, i don't think she shook any presidents hands besides her dad until 1901.
She never met Jimmy Carter.
She hated FDR so i don't think they ever shook hands.
It is worth noting that this hinges in part on the rate at which presidents leave office, as this affords the most potential meetings with presidents in a given amount of time.
Beginning with the election of Martin Van Buren in 1836 (taking office in March 1837), six consecutive elected presidents failed to secure a second term, and two of those died in office and were replaced by presidents elevated from the vice presidency who also failed to secure a full term beyond that. Lincoln managed a second term, but was assassinated a mere six weeks into it. His successor, Andrew Johnson, did not win a second term. Grant then did, but then there was Hayes (one term), Garfield (assassinated a few months into his presidency), Arthur (less than one full term), Cleveland (one term - initially), Benjamin Harrison (one term), Cleveland again (one term, again - though the official enumeration counts him as two presidents, both the 22nd and 24th, raising the question as to whether a shake of his hand counts twice).
In short, between early 1837 (when lame duck Jackson was still in office) to early 1897 (when McKinley took office) there were 19 presidents (18 if only counting Cleveland twice). That's a lot of potential right there.
On the other hand, the relatively unease of travel back then probably mitigates the opportunities.
Beginning with FDR in 1933, the average lengths of presidencies really increases. Lots of two-termers (and FDR, three-plus) in there.
My guess is there might have been a non-partisian, civil service White House service or staff employee that could have had the a chance to meet a dozen or so Presidents, if they worked there in the 1840 to 1880 time period. Remember, there was no "social security" and set retirement age in those days, people worked as long as they were able to.
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