Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley lists the best and worst first fathers

What kind of dad really makes a kid feel like he could be president of the United States? And who doesn’t? Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley, a biographer of Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Theodore Roosevelt and, most recently, Walter Cronkite, spoke with The Washington Post’s David Beard about his favorite, and least favorite, first dads.

5 Seconds

00:00

BEST: 1. Theodore Roosevelt Sr.

“He’s in a league of his own,’’ Brinkley says. The elder Roosevelt took Young Teddy to the Amazon, instilling in him a love and respect of the outdoors. He got his son private tutors in foreign languages, taxidermy lessons with a student of Audubon and weights after a bully beat up Teddy. In this family photo taken in Egypt, Theodore Roosevelt Sr. is at the top center and Theodore Roosevelt is at the bottom right.

/ Harvard University Library’s Theodore Roosevelt Collection

BEST 2. Prescott Bush

George H.W. Bush’s dad was a patrician and a senator from Connecticut. “He didn’t just teach his son politics, he taught him how to be a true gentleman,’’ Brinkley says. “He was not an absentee dad.’’

/ AP

BEST 3. John Adams

Our second president, like George H.W. Bush, would be a father to a president himself, John Quincy Adams. “One of the things a good father can do is pass down a brand name that matters. And John Adams gave his son a brand that carried integrity — and a deep sense of public responsibility.’’

National Archives / Getty Images

WORST: 1. Leslie Lynch King Sr.

Brinkley, the historian, doesn’t hesitate when choosing the worst dad to a modern president. Hands down, Gerald Ford’s father. The heavy-drinking King was abusive, and Ford’s mother left him 16 days after Ford’s birth. After a divorce, Ford’s biological father refused to pay child support. Ford, given the last name of his stepfather, is believed to have met his biological father only once. “His father gave him away,’’ Brinkley said.

Eddie Adams / AP

WORST 2: Roger M. Clinton Sr.

Roger Clinton was “an absentee father’’ to Bill Clinton, Brinkley said. Bill Clinton has recounted how his heavy-drinking stepfather beat his mother and how, as a young man, he once threatened Roger Clinton if he touched his mom like that again. Clinton’s biological father was William Jefferson Blythe Jr., an Arkansas salesman who died in a car crash before his son’s birth in 1946. Blythe had been married three times before he met Clinton’s mother, Virginia, a fact she said she learned from a 1993 Father’s Day article in The Washington Post.

Mikhail Llimentyev / AP

WORST 3: Barack Obama Sr.

The 44th president has memory of seeing his father only once. The elder Obama married Stanley Ann Dunham six months before his son’s birth in 1961. He told his new wife he had been married but was divorced — a lie. They separated shortly after the younger Obama’s birth, and his father did not contest a 1964 divorce. His mother’s second husband, Lolo Soetoro, would try to beat her, Brinkley said.

/ Bloomberg News

The big caveat

It's important to note that presidents' relationships with their own children often have transcended their own tough beginnings. Historians note that Clinton, Ford and Obama all have had close relationships with their children.

David Ake / AFP via Getty Images

Back to gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.