At one point, the idea was that the American president was supposed to be the very best of us. That’s gone to shambles and then micro-shambles again over the past couple decades, but we still like to think that they’re someone we can see a bit of ourselves in. The fact is, though, that humans are a weird species. And every president, at least so far, has been human, so it’s unavoidable that we’ve had a few with quirks that were a little out there.
Herbert Hoover Didn’
t Want to See or Be Seen By White House Staff
While in office, both Hoover and his wife made it known that at no point did they want to see the White House staff. They also didn’t want the staff to ever see them. The exact reason is probably rooted in some good old racism, but maybe they just wanted to pretend it was a magic house that cleaned itself, or that it was staffed by a crew of mysterious, invisible elves. Whatever their motivations, what this created was an incredibly weird dynamic where staff would jump into closets and behind bushes when they heard one of the Hoovers coming.
Andrew Johnson Was Friends With A Family of Mice
Being impeached is probably a pretty friendless, lonely feeling. That at least seemed to be the case for Johnson, who took over the presidency after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and was later impeached. Suddenly, though, a group of possible pals that had absolutely zero political interests presented themselves in the form of a family of white mice. Johnson reportedly fed them grain from a mill he owned, left out dishes of water for them, watched them do their little micey business and called them “the little fellows.”
Jimmy Carter Claimed He Saw A UFO
This isn’t some late-night bar tale or poker-table shit-shooting, either. While he was the Governor of Georgia, Carter filed a full-on official report about a time he saw a UFO in 1969. I cannot emphasize enough how much I am not exaggerating how serious Carter was about having seen an unidentified flying object. If you want further proof that I’m not cherry-picking offhand remarks, take it from Carter himself, who said: “If I become president, I’ll make every piece of information this country has about UFO sightings available to the public, and the scientists. I am convinced that UFOs exist because I’ve seen one.”
Ronald Reagan Had An Astrologer on Retainer
You wouldn’t think Reagan and Brooklyn women had much in common, but on one point they do meet: a respect for astrology. It was his wife, Nancy, who sought out the otherwordly advice of an astrologist named Joan Quigley, but Reagan played along. Quigley was consulted and gave instruction, dutifully followed by the Reagans, on what days were safer for travel, what days were better to hold public events and even had a hand in the scheduling of the State of the Union addresses. For her stargazing, she received a $3,000 monthly retainer.
James Polk Banned Liquor and Dancing in the White House
To be fair, this isn’t Polk himself as much as his wife and their shared religion of strict Presbyterianism. Obviously the president, and any American, is welcome to practice any religion they so choose. That’s part of our country’s whole thing, after all. It was just an unfortunate development for anyone hoping to cut loose on White House grounds, since both hard liquor and dancing were summarily banned during the Polks’ occupancy.