Part of being a biographer is snooping around and finding interesting, if not unusual, facts about people.   In researching American presidents I uncovered the following tidbits:

Thomas Jefferson 

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both signed the Declaration of Independence and died the fiftieth anniversary of the signing on July 4, 1826.  At first they were great friends but time and political differences drove the apart. In their later years, due to the efforts of their friend Benjamin Rush, they began corresponding regularly until their deaths.

 

John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams, the first son of John Adams, liked to go skinny dipping in the Potomac River during his presidency. He once said, ” the four most miserable years of my life were my four years in the Presidency.”

James Madison

James Madison was the shortest President in American History. He stood only 5 feet 4 inches. Madison was an intellectual and Princeton University’s first graduate student. Not known for his social skills, he had the good  sense to marry Dolley Payne Madison.  Dolley was a  gracious and cordial woman who became one of the most beloved First Ladies in United States history.

 

John Tyler

John Tyler had more children than any other president. He had eight children by his first wife, Letitia, and seven by his second wife, Julia. When Tyler was born George Washington was President. When his youngest daughter Pearl Tyler Ellis died Harry Truman was president.

 

If you enjoyed these tidbits, check out the “Wackiest White House Pets”  by Kathryn Gibbs Davis.