Even though left-handed people have a reputation for being unique and arty, such wiring also seems to favor politics. Considering six of the fourteen previous presidents have been left-handed, many wonder why southpaws are overrepresented in the Oval Office. Biologists like Amar Klar suggest it’s because lefties have a “wider scope of thinking.” Furthermore, a 2019 article in the Journal of Neurosurgery suggested that since left-handed people are more right-brain dominant, it might make them “more effective leaders or at least more effective political candidates.”
Whatever the case, notable leaders like Julius Ceasar up to Barack Obama favor their left hand. While some lefty Presidents were forced to learn how to write with their right hand, others showed a natural ambidextrousness like Harry Truman. Some, like Thomas Jefferson or Woodrow Wilson, were born right-handed but made the switch after suffering serious injuries. Considering their overrepresentation in the Oval Office, let’s learn more about our southpaw Presidents.
(For other notable southpaws, discover 20 famous people who are (or were) left-handed. )
To compile a slideshow of left-handed U.S. Presidents, 24/7 Tempo consulted a variety of historical, entertainment, and news publications including Time Magazine , POTUS.com , and Government Technology. Next, we scoured sources to discover which presidents were left-handed and which were ambidextrous. From there, we confirmed aspects of each President’s biography using sites like Whitehouse.gov and Britannica.com .
James A. Garfield
James A. Garfield spent a long time in the United States House of Representatives, nine terms to be exact, but didn’t fare too long in the Oval Office. Born into poverty on November 19, 1831, in northeastern Ohio, Garfield pursued a better future by becoming a lawyer. This primed him for a position in the US Senate, but the Civil War broke out, and he became a major general in the Union Army. Something of a polymath, Garfield also spent time as a preacher and his aptitude for mathematics saw him publish an extended proof of the Pythagorean Theorem. After the war, he returned to politics. At the 1880 Republican National Convention, delegates chose Garfield as a compromise to run for President.
Thanks to his understated front porch campaign, Garfield narrowly beat Winfield Scott Hancock and became the 20th President of the United States. In a single year he accomplished much including purging the Post Office of corruption and instigating the passing of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. The rare ambidextrous president, Garfield could write with both hands but often favored his left. His presidency came to a tragic end, however. A frustrated and aspiring politician named Charles J. Guiteau shot Garfield at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington on July 2, 1881. He might have survived the assassination, but the attending doctors’ unsanitary methods gave Garfield an infection he failed to beat. His short term gave him a reputation as a below-average President. That said, he was the first (technically) left-handed US President in the country’s history.
Herbert Hoover
More than any President in history, Herbert Hoover entered the Oval Office during the worst possible time. Born on August 10, 1874, into an Iowan Quaker family, Hoover became one of the first graduates of the newly developed Stanford University. After taking a job with a mining company, Hoover became fabulously wealthy. With the outbreak of World War I, Hoover created and headed the Commission for Relief in Belgium which provided food to the country. Thanks to the program’s success, President Woodrow Wilson appointed him as head of the Food Administration. With later work as Secretary of Commerce and leading the Federal response to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, Hoover seemed primed for the Presidency.
Indeed, he became President in 1928 after a landslide victory against Democratic candidate Al Smith. Unfortunately for Hoover, the stock market crashed within a year and cast a massive shadow over the rest of his presidency. For his part, Hoover didn’t win any favors as people considered his response to be lackluster. Furthermore, he blamed Mexican Americans for the economic crisis and spearheaded a forced repatriation of nearly 2 million Mexican Americans back to Mexico even though they were US citizens by birth. He was out by 1932 after being defeated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Much like his legacy, views on his left-handedness were mixed. While some sources report him as the second left-handed President, others suggest this is inaccurate.
Harry S. Truman
It took over eighty years for the Oval Office to be graced with another lefty. Harry S. Truman was born on May 8, 1884, in Lamar, Missouri to a livestock-raising family. After serving as a captain in a Field Artillery unit in World War I, Truman returned home and opened a haberdashery (a store for small garments and linens). Eventually, he set his sights on politics. This saw him become a judge in Jackson County before being elected to the US Senate. During that period he became a household name for heading the Truman Committee, which sought to reduce inefficiency in wartime contracts. This helped him score the vice presidential ticket for Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Roosevelt died shortly into his last term, however, putting Truman squarely in the Presidential hot seat. As a wartime president, Truman famously authorized the only use of Atomic bombs. Thanks to his support of the New Deal coalition, Truman won reelection in 1948 with a surprise victory against Republican favorite Thomas E. Dewey. During the new term, Truman found himself in a new war as the Cold War came into full swing this time. Despite winning some favor for attempting to pass early Civil Rights legislation, accusations of corruption within the Executive pressured Truman to not run for a third term. Like many lefties in days past, Truman likely learned to write with his other hand but used his left for most other activities. During several ceremonial first pitches at Major League Baseball games, Truman threw out pitches with both his left and right hands.
Gerald Ford
While many presidents find their way to the White House through a lifetime of study and legislation, Gerald R. Ford was more of a jock in childhood. Born on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska, he played football at the University of Michigan before graduating from Yale Law School. After a brief stint in the military during World War II, Ford embraced politics when he became a U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 5th district. He served in this capacity for a quarter century, eventually attaining the rank of House minority leader. After Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973, Ford became the first appointed Vice President as per the 25th Amendment. In another bit of luck, Richard Nixon’s historic presidential resignation put Ford squarely in the Oval Office as the 38th President of the United States.
That luck, however, did not extend to the economy which hadn’t been that bad since the Great Depression. It seems that Ford inherited a lot of problems, but he didn’t earn many fans after he controversially pardoned previous President Richard Nixon. Besides signing the Helsinki Accords, Ford presided over the country while South Vietnam collapsed and the Vietnam War essentially ended. During the 1976 Presidential Election, he defeated fellow Republican Ronald Reagan for the nomination before losing to Jimmy Carter in the final vote. Despite being left-handed, Ford showed acumen for his right, often switching back and forth. Regarding his southpaw inclination, Ford once said, “For as long as I can remember, I have been left-handed when I’ve been sitting down and right-handed standing up.”
(For other commanders-in-chief with mixed legacies, discover U.S. Presidents ranked from worst to best. )
Ronald Reagan
A famous Hollywood actor and beloved President during his time in office, Ronald Reagan also counted himself as part of the left-handed legion. Born in northern Illinois on February 6, 1911, Reagan graduated from Eureka College before pursuing a career as a sports broadcaster. Thanks to his instinctual charm, he set his sights on Hollywood and became a well-known actor. After some years in the movies, Reagan became the President of the Screen Actors Guild. This likely gave him a taste for the leadership life as California elected him as governor in 1966. As governor, he won favor by turning the budget into a surplus and surprisingly, raised taxes. Though he lost to Ford in the 1976 Republican Primaries, Reagan came back with a vengeance, winning in a landslide victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter in the 1980 Presidential Election.
Reagan came out swinging too, as he quickly implemented his Reaganomics plan which cut taxes and government spending as well as loosening economic regulations. A firebrand Republican, Reagan escalated the Cold War against Russia, ratcheted up the War on Drugs, and survived a narrowly fatal assassination attempt. After winning reelection in 1984, however, Reagan became embroiled in foreign affairs. Besides bombing Libya, he faced controversy for the illegal sale of weapons to the Iran Contra. Even still, by the time he exited the Presidency, the country looked good. Unemployment was down, the economy was up, and the U.S. enjoyed a remarkably peaceful period. His legacy, however, has become mixed in recent years due to his slow response to the AIDs crisis and disenfranchisement of under-served communities. Like other lefties from this time, Reagan wrote with his right hand but used his dominant left for the rest of his activities.
George H. W. Bush
In something of an anomaly, all three presidential candidates during the 1992 election were left-handed including President George H.W. Bush. Born into a wealthy family on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, Bush served in the United States Navy Reserve before attending Yale. From there, he moved to Texas and established a successful oil company. After trying his hand at politics and failing, Bush became a US Representative for Texas’s 7th Congressional District. From there, he elevated his political status by becoming the United Nations Ambassador, chairman of the Republican National Committee, and finally, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Though he lost to Reagan during the 1980 Presidential election, Reagan threw him a bone and made him his Vice President. This knowledge of the Executive branch’s inner workings presumably helped him win the 1988 Presidential Election against Michael Dukakis.
Much like his colleague Ronald Reagan, Bush Sr. faced extenuating foreign policy circumstances from the moment he stepped into the Oval Office. Besides helping reunify Germany, he presided over the invasion of Panama, and the first Gulf War. At home, Bush earned some enemies for reneging on his campaign promise to lower taxes, opting instead to raise them for the sake of the budget deficit. That said, he provided more rights to the people by passing the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Immigration Act, and the Clean Air Act Amendments. Thanks to a nascent economic recession, however, Bush lost the 1992 Presidential Election to fellow lefty and opposing Democrat Bill Clinton. Bush engaged in various philanthropic activities after leaving the White House. After his son George W. Bush entered the presidency, they became the second father-son duo to both be president (John Adams and John Quincy Adams were the first).
Bill Clinton
They say that left-handed people have higher than average verbal skills. Perhaps this explains Bill Clinton’s natural charisma and aura of coolness. No other president has gone on late-night television to play saxophone. Born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, Clinton seemed destined for great things. He attended Georgetown University before winning a coveted Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University and graduating from Yale Law School.
After that, he moved home to Arkansas and set about pursuing politics to wild success. First, he became the State Attorney General before moving into the Governor’s Mansion for two terms. There, he transformed the Arkansas educational system and served as chairman of the National Governors Association. Such moves likely helped Clinton curry enough favor to successfully run for the highest office during the 1992 Presidential Election. This battle of the lefties saw Clinton achieve victory over incumbent George H.W. Bush and businessman Ross Perot.
He was the first Baby Boomer President and enjoyed widespread peace during his first term. During that time, he passed the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. As the 1990s progressed, however, Clinton developed a more conservative viewpoint. This was best typified by his passing of financial deregulation measures and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act.
As the coolest President in decades, Clinton easily won reelection in 1996. Shortly after starting his second term, however, Clinton became embroiled in the Monica Lewinsky Scandal. The media exposed him for having an affair with the 22-year-old White House Staffer. In response, Clinton faced several impeachment trials, the first president in such a situation since Andrew Jackson. Though he was acquitted of the charges, the shadow of controversy hung over the remainder of his time in office. That said, he left the Presidency with the country reporting its first budget surplus in 30 years.
Barack Obama
Previous Presidents favored their right hand for writing even if they were left-handed. Barack Obama, however, cheerily embraced his southpaw inclination when called out for it. Born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama attended Columbia University before leaving academia to work as a community organizer in the wide streets of Chicago. A few years later, however, he returned to the Ivory Tower at Harvard Law School.
There, he became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. This led to a career as a civil rights attorney. He also became a professor teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. Primed for politics, Obama became a state senator representing Illinois’ 13th district between 1997 and 2004. From there, he became a US Senator. Despite being relatively new to the politics game, Obama won the 2008 Presidential Election due to widespread appeal and a message of hope.
Upon entering the Oval Office, Obama immediately became embroiled in the 2008 Financial Crisis. In response, he passed a landmark stimulus package which earned him as many fans as detractors. Despite ending America’s dominant role in Iraq, Obama presided over Operation Neptune Spear, the historic raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. A surprising Warhawk, Obama also contributed to the overthrowing of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. In his second term, Obama turned his attention to the people by combatting climate change and passing the Affordable Care Act. Not one to shy away from his southpaw, while signing his first executive order, he said, “That’s right, I’m a lefty, get used to it.”
Thomas Jefferson
While not a born lefty, Founding Father Thomas Jefferson deserves an honorable mention. That’s because he switched to his left hand later in life. Born on April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia Colony, Jefferson attended the College of William & Mary before reading the law and writing books. Soon after, Jefferson represented Virginia in the Second Continental Congress. He then served as the state’s governor during the Revolutionary War. As a Founding Father, Jefferson embarked on the type of political career that most politicians dream of. Besides being the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson served as the first Secretary of State and helped create the country’s First Party System. Due to the electoral laws of the time, he became Vice President in 1796 due to his election loss before winning the Presidency in 1800.
A life-long agrarian with trade in mind, Jefferson spent his first term aggressively defending America’s shipping and trade routes. Eager to expand American holdings, he also doubled the size of the country through the Louisiana Purchase. During his second term, however, Jefferson became embroiled in the much-publicized trial of his former Vice President Aaron Burr. That said, he also passed the Embargo Act which helped kickstart America’s manufacturing industry. Besides helping found the country and becoming one of the more favored Presidents in history, Jefferson also wrote with his left hand. Seemingly born ambidextrous, a mid-life right wrist injury saw him switch to writing with his left hand permanently.
Woodrow Wilson
Much like the previous President on this list, President Woodrow Wilson switched to his left hand after injury. Born on December 28, 1856, in Staunton, Virginia, Wilson experienced the Civil War and subsequent Reconstruction era as a child. He had his sights set on a career in academia and became a professor at Princeton University after earning his Ph.D. in history and political science at John Hopkins. During his various tenures, Wilson became a champion of progressive causes in higher education. Sensing a growing political skill, Wilson became the governor of New Jersey between 1911 and 1913. Thanks to success in the governor’s mansion, Wilson easily defeated incumbent William Howard Taft in the 1912 Presidential Election.
Immediately, Wilson set about earning enemies by opposing the women’s suffragette movement and authorizing widespread segregation measures. While it was celebrated at the time, his passing of the Revenue Act of 1913 and the Federal Reserve Act has since been criticized for creating both the Federal income tax and the Federal Reserve. An arguably aggressive President, Wilson narrowly won reelection in 1916 against Charles Evans Hughes. His last term was spent facing Germany in World War I. Though he sought to run for a third term, a stroke left him unfit for the position. A lifelong right-handed person, Wilson switched to his left hand after the stroke and showed a remarkable ability to write well-formed letters with his less-dominant hand.
(For an extended look at Presidential timelines, explore more about each President’s path to the White House. )
The post These U.S. Presidents Were (or Are) Left-Handed appeared first on 24/7 Tempo .
Local News
