Presidential Trivia

[J. J.]

What presidents never voted for themselves as president under a party banner in a general election.

George Washington (independent, no popular vote in Virginia), John Adams (no popular vote in Massachusetts), Thomas Jefferson (no popular vote in Virginia), James Madison (no popular vote in Virginia), James Monroe (no popular vote in Virginia)

John Tyler (was William Henry Harrison's vice president, Harrison died and Tyler did not stand in the next election), Andrew Johnson (was Abraham Lincoln's vice president, Lincoln died and Johnson did not stand in the next election), Chester A. Arthur (was James Garfield's vice president, Garfield died and Arthur did not stand in the next election)

So by my count eight.

(Fillmore ran for the Know Nothings in 1856 and Ford ran in 1976.)

You are still missing one.  Of the 4, none ever even voted for an elector that would vote for them.

Four presidents, never a party nominee for president, never voted for an elector (even a losing one) that would vote for them for president.

[J. J.]

What presidents never voted for themselves as president under a party banner in a general election.

George Washington (independent, no popular vote in Virginia), John Adams (no popular vote in Massachusetts), Thomas Jefferson (no popular vote in Virginia), James Madison (no popular vote in Virginia), James Monroe (no popular vote in Virginia)

John Tyler (was William Henry Harrison's vice president, Harrison died and Tyler did not stand in the next election), Andrew Johnson (was Abraham Lincoln's vice president, Lincoln died and Johnson did not stand in the next election), Chester A. Arthur (was James Garfield's vice president, Garfield died and Arthur did not stand in the next election)

So by my count eight.

(Fillmore ran for the Know Nothings in 1856 and Ford ran in 1976.)

You are still missing one.  Of the 4, none ever even voted for an elector that would vote for them.

Four presidents, never a party nominee for president, never voted for an elector (even a losing one) that would vote for them for president.

John Quincy Adams, cause he was never the party nominee. There were 3 or 4.

No, he had electors.  Try again.  Never voted for himself in the popular vote, never voted for an elector (even an unsuccessful elector) who was pledged to him, even by honor.

[J. J.]

What presidents never voted for themselves as president under a party banner in a general election.

George Washington (independent, no popular vote in Virginia), John Adams (no popular vote in Massachusetts), Thomas Jefferson (no popular vote in Virginia), James Madison (no popular vote in Virginia), James Monroe (no popular vote in Virginia)

John Tyler (was William Henry Harrison's vice president, Harrison died and Tyler did not stand in the next election), Andrew Johnson (was Abraham Lincoln's vice president, Lincoln died and Johnson did not stand in the next election), Chester A. Arthur (was James Garfield's vice president, Garfield died and Arthur did not stand in the next election)

So by my count eight.

(Fillmore ran for the Know Nothings in 1856 and Ford ran in 1976.)

You are still missing one.  Of the 4, none ever even voted for an elector that would vote for them.

Four presidents, never a party nominee for president, never voted for an elector (even a losing one) that would vote for them for president.

John Quincy Adams, cause he was never the party nominee. There were 3 or 4.

No, he had electors.  Try again.  Never voted for himself in the popular vote, never voted for an elector (even an unsuccessful elector) who was pledged to him, even by honor.

Are you looking for Gerald Ford?

He was the party nominee and had electoral votes, so no.

Four Presidents, never voted for themselves for president as a candidate for a party nomination (write-in could be possible), never voted for an elector pledged to them (even informally).  Three have been named.  John Tyler, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur.  There is a fourth, and I thought the easiest.

[J. J.]

It can't be Millard Fillmore, since he ran in 1856.

How about David Rice Atchison?

No, he'd appear on any list of Presidents.

[J. J.]

Should I declare you all stumped and unable to answer a fairly easy question that was asked before.

[J. J.]

Should I declare you all stumped and unable to answer a fairly easy question that was asked before.

Yes.

I'll you one very big hint.  You can be in a situation where you have been president but never voted for yourself (in the described scenario) if two cases. 

1.  You've never run for president, but succeeded to the presidency as vice president, or:

2.  You didn't vote.

[J. J.]

Well, one obvious pick in James Tyler.

Wrong.

[J. J.]

It makes it even harder when you say it's an easy question J. J. I can only think of Vice Presidents that have never ran for their respective parties nominations e.g. Spiro Agnew, Charles Curtis (I am not 100% sure about this), Adlai Stevenson (Grover Cleveland's running mate in 1892).

The person was serving as president, so obviously Curtis and Agnew are not correct answers.

You should read the hint.

[J. J.]

Did Taylor vote in 1848? I seem to recall that he did, and that it was the first time ever that he voted.

No he didn't; he was career military who never lived in one place long enough to register.  Taylor voted for none of his predecessors or successors (he died in office).  He actually wasn't registered until after he was elected.

The four were Tyler, Taylor, Andrew Johnson, and Arthur.

I'll post the next question, since you should have gotten this without all the clues.

What President had the greatest increase in electoral college votes for President in a four year period (excluding those who had no votes in the prior electoral college)? What were the years and what was the total Electoral Votes each year?

This one should be easy.

[J. J.]

J.J. beat me to my (incorrect) guess of Buchanan.  Presumably Buchanan got back from London before the election.

Presumably, Nixon 1968 - 1972, a jump from 301 EV to 520 EV...I don't think anyone else can beat a 219 vote jump.  (People have fallen further, though).


Not even close.

[J. J.]

What President had the greatest increase in electoral college votes for President in a four year period (excluding those who had no votes in the prior electoral college)? What were the years and what was the total Electoral Votes each year?

Percentage of the college or absolute no of votes? Also, do these have to have been votes for President or do all votes count?
Taking your question 100% literally as you posted it, people who received VP votes one college and pres votes the next count, so the answer would probably be Lyndon Johnson.

For President means "for President."  The electoral votes for vice president are not included.  It is not the percentage but the raw numbers (It might be the greatest percentage difference as well).  This should be very easy. 

[J. J.]

Does it have to be the same candidate both times?

It has to be the same person.

[J. J.]

Anyways, the answer is Ronald Reagan, who received 1 EV in 1976 and an insane amount that I could look up but won't bother to in 1980.

Yes, a 488 vote gain, or a 488,800% gain.

I told you it was easy.

[J. J.]

Well, one obvious pick in James Tyler.

Wrong.

John Tyler. ha

Still wrong.  Ha, ha.

[J. J.]

Well, one obvious pick in James Tyler.

Wrong.

John Tyler. ha

Still wrong.  Ha, ha.

Who is John Tyler?

It's been answered.  Zachary Taylor.

[J. J.]

Who is the only President believed to have been truly tone deaf?

Hoover? (I think it is either him or Coolidge).

[J. J.]

How many Presidents have run on tickets with multiple parties?

These are all the ones I can think of:

John Quincy Adams (1824-Democratic-Republican, 1828-National Republican)
Martin Van Buren (1836-Democratic, 1848-Free Soil)
Abraham Lincoln (1860-Republican, 1864-National Union)
Theodore Roosevelt (1904-Republican, 1912-Progressive)

Millard Fillmore might not work because he was never elected President as a Whig candidate, though he did run under the American Party label in 1856.

My question is an easy one:

Who is the only Vice President to serve under two different Presidents?

George Clinton and John Calhoun (I had to look it up).

Who was the principal speaker when Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address?

[J. J.]

How many Presidents had had law degrees?

25 presidents had law degrees, I think.

I think the number might be much lower.

In the 20th Century, we have Taft?, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford and Clinton. 

[J. J.]

Possibly eight:

John Quincy Adams?

Franklin Pierce?

Rutherford Hayes

William McKinley

William Taft

Richard Nixon

Gerald Ford

William Clinton

A few more were admitted to the Bar, but didn't have a degree.

[J. J.]

How many Presidents have served as Judges?

The only two that I can think of are Taft and Truman (but the judges in Mo. were more like county commissioners).

[J. J.]

How many Presidents have served as Judges?

The only two that I can think of are Taft and Truman (but the judges in Mo. were more like county commissioners).

I've only counted 1, and that was Taft.

I think Jackson did.

Jackson was on the TN Supreme Court.  Truman was a "judge," in Jackson County, MO, though it was an administrative post, like county commissioner.

[J. J.]

New query (easy):

Which presidents commanded an army in the field during their term?

An actual army, Washington and Lincoln.

[J. J.]

New query (easy):

Which presidents commanded an army in the field during their term?

An actual army, Washington and Lincoln.

Washington is right, but Lincoln never commanded an army in person on a battlefield.

I though he kinda did during Early's advance in 1864.  I know he was present an exposed to fire.

[J. J.]

Madison?

[J. J.]

Which presidents were Freemasons ?

Which presidential nominees in the 20th and 21st Century were Freemasons(the answer may surprise you)?