Heights of presidents and presidential candidates of the United States explained

A record of the heights of the presidents and presidential candidates of the United States is useful for evaluating what role, if any, height plays in presidential elections in the United States. Some observers have noted that the taller of the two major-party candidates tends to prevail, and argue this is due to the public's preference for taller candidates.[1]

The tallest U.S. president was Abraham Lincoln at 6feet, while the shortest was James Madison at 5feet.

Joe Biden, the current president, is 6feet according to a physical examination summary from February 2024. Kamala Harris, the current vice president, is 5feet.[2]

U.S. presidents by height order

Electoral success as a function of height

Folk wisdom about U.S. presidential politics holds that the taller of the two major-party candidates always wins or almost always wins since the advent of the televised presidential debate.[12]

There are more data if the relationship of electoral success to height difference starts from the year 1900, rather than from the beginning of televised debates. In the thirty-one presidential elections between 1900 and 2020, twenty-one of the winning candidates have been taller than their opponents, while nine have been shorter, and one was the same height. On average the winner was 1.2inch taller than the loser.[37]

However, it may be argued that drawing the line at any date ignores the fact that pictorial depictions of presidential hopefuls have been available to the American public at large well before debates were televised. Stereographs were widely used as a form of photojournalism for historical events (including political events) by the 1870s.[38] Cutting off the date at 1900 excludes the seven presidential elections immediately preceding where the taller candidate won only once (which, when included, partially equalizes the ratio to 22 taller vs. 14 shorter winners between 1872 and 2020). Considering that political cartoons and text-based descriptions of candidates have been a staple of American politics since the beginning, one could argue that Americans have always been able to compare candidates by height. Thus, upon including all elections until 2020 where the heights of each candidate are known, the average height of the winner above the loser drops to a mere 0.39inch;[39] this average height difference becomes little more than a round-off error—a mere 0.21inch—when excluding the 2016 election, in which gender not only accounted for the height difference, but was likely the greater physical distinction between the two main candidates than height.[39]

The claims about taller candidates winning almost all modern presidential elections is still pervasive, however. Examples of such views include:

A comparison of the heights of the winning presidential candidate with the losing candidate from each election since 1788 is provided below to evaluate such views.

Comparative table of heights of United States presidential candidates

 Taller candidate was elected  Shorter candidate was elected 
 Winner and opponent were of the same height   Comparison data unavailable 

Notes:

** Lost the House of Representatives vote, but received the most popular votes and a plurality of electoral votes; however, not the majority needed to win.

† Ran unopposed

Extremes

The tallest president elected to office was Abraham Lincoln (6feet). Portrait artist Francis Bicknell Carpenter supplies the information for Lincoln:

A disputed theory holds that Lincoln's height is the result of the genetic condition multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2b (MEN2B); see medical and mental health of Abraham Lincoln.[73]

Only slightly shorter than Lincoln was Lyndon B. Johnson (6feet), the tallest president who originally entered office without being elected directly.

The shortest president elected to office was James Madison (5feet); the shortest president to originally enter the office by means other than election is tied between Millard Fillmore and Harry S. Truman (both were 5feet).

The tallest unsuccessful presidential candidate (who is also the tallest of all presidential candidates) is Winfield Scott, who stood at 6feet and lost the 1852 election to Franklin Pierce, who stood at 5feet. The second-tallest unsuccessful candidate is John Kerry, at 6feet. The shortest unsuccessful presidential candidate is Stephen A. Douglas, at 5feet. The next shortest is Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election and is 5feet.

The largest height difference between two presidential candidates (out of the candidates whose heights are known) was in the 1860 election, when Abraham Lincoln stood 12inches taller than opponent Stephen A. Douglas. The second-largest difference was in the 1812 election, with DeWitt Clinton standing 11inches taller than incumbent James Madison. The 2016 election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton has the third-largest difference at 10inches.

References

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. As some examples, USA TODAY listed height among six criteria for predicting who would win the 2004 election; a Washington Post blog noted the significance of height in physical appearance and its effect on voters. See the discussion of this phenomenon later in the article for further examples.
  2. Web site: How tall is Kamala Harris . I am 5′ 4″ and a quarter—sometimes 5′ 4″ and a half. . The Times of India . July 22, 2024 . July 23, 2024.
  3. Book: Carpenter, Francis B.. Six Months in the White House: The Story of a Picture. 1866. Hurd and Houghton.. 217.
  4. Book: Dallek, Robert. Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961–1973. Oxford University Press. 1998. 978-0195054651. 12.
  5. Book: Caro, Robert. The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power. limited. Knopf. 1982. 978-0394499734. New York. 146. Robert Caro.
  6. Book: Dallek, Robert. An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy. registration. Little, Brown, and Co.. 2003. 354. 9780316172387 .
  7. Web site: Bornstein. Harold N.. Donald J. Trump's Medical Records. height: 6’3”, weight: 236 pounds. September 13, 2016. January 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20160916021234/https://assets.donaldjtrump.com/DJT_Medical_Records_.pdf. September 16, 2016. mdy-all.
  8. Web site: Jackson. Ronny L.. The President's Periodic Physical Exam. height: 75 inches, weight: 239 pounds. January 12, 2018. January 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210120222721/https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Summary-of-Physical-Exam-for-President-Trump-12-Jan-2018.pdf. January 20, 2021. National Archives. whitehouse.gov. mdy-all.
  9. Web site: Conley. Sean P.. The President's Periodic Physical Exam. height: 6'3", weight: 243 pounds. February 8, 2019. January 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210120201030/https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/memorandum-physician-president-2/. January 20, 2021. National Archives. whitehouse.gov. mdy-all.
  10. Book: Kane, Joseph . Facts about the Presidents: A Compilation of Biographical and Historical Information . 1994 . H. W. Wilson . New York . 0-8242-0845-5 . 344–45 .
  11. Web site: Macdonald. Zanne. Physical Descriptions of Thomas Jefferson. July 1992. Monticello Report. Monticello Research Department. May 17, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090713095145/http://www.monticello.org/reports/people/descriptions.html . July 13, 2009.
  12. News: Mathews. Jay. The Shrinking Field. The Washington Post. August 3, 1999.
  13. News: Susan . Page . Time-tested formulas suggest both Bush and Kerry will win on Nov. 2 . USA TODAY . June 23, 2004 . May 13, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406102628/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-06-23-bush-kerry-cover_x.htm . April 6, 2023.
  14. Various sources have put Washington's height between 6 ft and 6 ft 3.5 in. See: Chernow, Ron, , 2010, The Penguin Press HC ; Wilson, Woodrow, George Washington, 2004, Cosimo, Inc., p. 111; Alden, John Richard, George Washington: A Biography, 1984, Louisiana State University Press, p. 11; Lodge, Henry Cabot, George Washington, Vol. I, 2007, The Echo Library, p. 30; Haworth, Paul Leland, George Washington, Kessinger Publishing, 2004, p. 119; Thayer, William Roscoe, George Washington, 1931, Plain Label Books, p. 65; Ford, Paul Leicester, The True George Washington, Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott Company, 1896, p. 18−19
  15. Web site: Jackson. Ronny L.. The President's Periodic Physical Exam. height: 73.5 inches, weight: 175 pounds, BMI: 22.8. March 8, 2016. November 26, 2020. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032316/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/documents/Physical_Exam_March_2016.pdf. November 9, 2020. National Archives. whitehouse.gov. mdy-all.
  16. Remini, Robert V., Andrew Jackson, HarperCollins, 1969, p. 15.
  17. News: Steven. Hendriks. JFK Presidential Library. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. 2017. April 19, 2009.
  18. Whitcomb, John and Claire Whitcomb, Real Life at the White House, Routledge (UK), 2002.
  19. News: Lisa D.. Tossey. Is presidential race a simple matter of standing tall?. The Pendulum Online. 2004. April 19, 2009. 2011-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110928192947/http://www.elon.edu/e-web/pendulum/Issues/2004/onlinefeatures/election/tall.xhtml. dead.
  20. Web site: O'Connor. Kevin C.. President Biden's current health summary. height: 72 inches, weight: 178 lbs, BMI: 24.1. February 16, 2023. February 21, 2023. whitehouse.gov. mdy-all.
  21. Web site: O'Connor. Kevin C.. President Biden's current health summary. height: 72 inches, weight: 178 lbs, BMI: 24.1. February 28, 2024. February 29, 2024. whitehouse.gov. mdy-all.
  22. Sotos, John G. (2003). Taft and Pickwick: Sleep Apnea in the White House. Chest. 2003;124:1133-1142. Online copy
  23. Book: Nash, George H.. The Life of Herbert Hoover. 365. W.W. Norton & Company. 1988.
  24. Web site: Presidential Height Index. The Height Site. August 22, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120823011119/http://www.heightsite.com/2-BEING-TALL/tallest/presidential-height-index.html. August 23, 2012. mdy-all.
  25. News: Report on President Bush's Physical Examination. The New York Times. August 2, 2006.
  26. Web site: Medical History Summary: President George W. Bush. August 7, 2007. FindLaw. March 2, 2010. 2010-03-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100305134636/http://news.findlaw.com/nytimes/docs/gwbush/gwbush80707medicalhistory.html. dead.
  27. News: Scott. David. GOP Debate: Does height matter in presidential politics?. The Christian Science Monitor. October 18, 2011.
  28. Levin, Phyllis Lee, Edith & Woodrow: the Wilson White House, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. Google Print
  29. Book: Davison, Kenneth E. The Presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes. 1972. Greenwood Press, Inc. Westport, Connecticut. 0-8371-6275-0. 69. registration.
  30. Behrman, Carol H., James K. Polk, Twenty-First Century Books, 2004.
  31. King, Charles, The True Ulysses Grant, Philadelphia & London, J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1914. Google Print
  32. Levy, Debbie, John Quincy Adams, Twenty-First Century Books, 2004, p. 28.
  33. Ferling, John E., John Adams: A Life, Owl Books, 1996,, p. 169. Google Print
  34. Widmer, Ted and Arthur M. Schlesinger, Edward L. Widmer, Martin Van Buren, Times Books, 2005, p. 2.
  35. Loderhouse, Gary and Nelson Price, William Addison Hunter, Legendary Hoosiers: Famous Folks from the State of Indiana, Emmis Books, 1999. Google Print
  36. Phillips, Louis, Ask Me Anything About the Presidents, HarperCollins, 1992.
  37. Using the values in the table, by pairing every winner with every losing candidate in the same election year from 1900 until 2020, the average (mean) amount by which the winner was taller than the loser was 1.20 inches.
  38. Web site: Stereographs. American Antiquarian Society. https://web.archive.org/web/20191016174338/https://www.americanantiquarian.org/stereographs.htm. 2019-10-16.
  39. Using the values in the table, by pairing every winner with every losing candidate in the same election year where the height was known for all main opponents listed, the average (mean) amount by which the winner was taller than the loser was 0.39 inches. When excluding the 2016 election in order to eliminate gender as a variable (since men are naturally taller than woman), the winner was only 0.21 inches taller on average, which, upon noting how all candidates are rounded to the nearest half-inch, rounds to a 0 inch difference.
  40. Book: Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451: A Novel. Simon & Schuster. 2012. 93. 978-1-4516-7331-9.
  41. Los Angeles Times, March 25, 1988, p. 7
  42. Lowndes, Leil, How to Make Anyone Fall in Love with You, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1997, pp.174-175. Google Print
  43. Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns, edited by D.A. Carson, Zondervan, 2002, p. 83. Google Print
  44. Kleinke, Chris L., First Impressions: The Psychology of Encountering Others, Prentice-Hall, 1975, p. 13. Google Print
  45. Clifford, Brian R. and Ray Bull, The Psychology of Person Identification, Routledge & K. Paul, 1978, p. 115. . Print
  46. [Nancy Etcoff (psychologist)|Etcoff, Nancy]
  47. News: Is Hillary Clinton getting taller? Or is the Internet getting dumber?. Mathews. Jay. September 24, 2015. The Washington Post. en-US. 0190-8286. August 19, 2016.
  48. Web site: Gaz . Randall D. . Healthcare Statement on Mitt Romney . January 8, 2021 . height: 6’1.5”, weight: 184 lbs . Wall Street Journal . August 25, 2012.
  49. News: John McCain Medical Records . The Washington Post. 7. May 23, 2008. February 23, 2009 . height: 175.3 CM, weight: 78.93 KG, BMI: 25.68.
  50. Web site: Lawrence K. . Altman. On Kerrys Journey to Health,Stops for Shrapnel and Cancer. The New York Times. October 3, 2004. October 29, 2022.
  51. Book: Gillis, John S.. Too Tall, Too Small. 1982. Institute for Personality and Ability Testing, Inc.. Champaign, Illinois. 0-918296-15-3. 20.
  52. News: Maureen. Dowd. Where They Stand. The New York Times. June 21, 1992. May 13, 2009 .
  53. Book: Morris, Charles E.. Progressive Democracy of James M. Cox. 1920. The Bobbs-Merrill Company. 9781444637489. 9.
  54. Gillis, Too Tall, Too Small, p. 20. Lists his height as 5feet.
  55. Web site: William Jennings Bryan. Edwards. Rebecca. DeFeo. Sarah. 1896: The Presidential Campaign. Vassar College. 2000. April 20, 2009. Lists his height as 5feet.
  56. Book: Wilson, Charles Morrow. The Commoner: William Jennings Bryan. 1970. Doubleday. Garden City, N.Y.. 40. registration. Lists his height as 5feet during his second year in college.
  57. Book: Springen, Donald K.. William Jennings Bryan: Orator of Small-Town America. 1991. Greenwood Press. 0-313-25977-1. 15. Lists his height as 6feet.
  58. Records of his height have been difficult to obtain. In one biography, he was described as "just under six feet in height". While not a definitive record of his height, this description does allow us to presume he was at least comparable in height to Cleveland. See Book: Crawford, Thomas Clark. James G. Blaine: A Study of his Life and Career, from the Standpoint of a Personal Witness of the Principal Events in his History. 1893. Edgewood Publishing Co.. 26. 978-0-7222-8992-1. June 26, 2009.
  59. Book: Jordan, David M.. Winfield Scott Hancock: A Soldier's Life. 1988. Indiana University Press. Bloomington and Indianapolis. 0-253-36580-5 . 23.
  60. Book: Bigelow, John. The Life of Samuel Tilden (vol. 1). 1895. Harper and Brothers. New York. 283.
  61. Book: Stoddart, Henry Luther. Horace Greeley: Printer, Editor, Crusader. 1946. G. P. Putnam's Sons. New York. 38.
  62. Book: Eckenrode, Hamilton James. George B. McClellan, the man who saved the Union. Bryan Conrad. 1941. University of North Carolina Press. 2. 9780807803752. June 26, 2009.
  63. Book: Johanssen, Robert W.. Stephen A. Douglas. 1973. Oxford University Press. New York. 4.
  64. Book: Davis, William C.. Breckinridge: Statesman, Soldier, Symbol. 1974. Louisiana State University Press. Baton Rouge. 0-8071-0068-4. 18.
  65. Book: Life of John Charles Fremont. 1856. Greeley & McElrath. New York. 31. July 6, 2009.
  66. Book: Heidler, David Stephen. Encyclopedia of the War of 1812. 2004. Naval Institute Press. 1-59114-362-4. 464. May 17, 2009.
  67. According to Cass's biography, he was "about five foot eight or nine inches". See Book: Woodford, Frank B.. Lewis Cass: The Last Jeffersonian. 1950. Rutgers University Press. New Brunswick and New Jersey. 32. registration.
  68. Book: Seymour, Chas C. B. . Self-made men. 1858. Harper & Brothers. New York. 137. July 6, 2009.
  69. Book: Scott, Nancy N.. A Memoir of Hugh Lawson White, Judge of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, Member of the Senate of the United States, etc., etc.. 1856. J. B. Lippincott & Co.. Michigan. 243. June 25, 2009.
  70. Book: Mooney, Chase Curran. William H. Crawford, 1772-1834. 1974. University of Kentucky Press. Michigan. 0-8131-1270-2. 7. June 25, 2009.
  71. One biography of Crawford describes his stature as being "considerably over six feet". See Book: Butler, Benjamin F.. Sketches of the Life and Character of William H. Crawford. 1824. Packard and Benthuysen. Albany. 35.
  72. Cornog, Evan, The Birth of Empire: DeWitt Clinton and the American Experience, 1769-1828,
  73. Book: Sotos, John G. . The Physical Lincoln . Mt. Vernon Book Systems . 2008 . 978-0-9818193-2-7.