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All the Presidents' Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of America's First Families Hardcover – February 18, 2003

by Doug Wead (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 166 ratings
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From Abigail "Nabby" Adams to Barbara and Jenna Bush, George Washington Adams to John F. Kennedy, Jr., the children of America's presidents have both suffered and triumphed under the watchful eyes of their powerful fathers and the glare of the ever-changing public. Many, like the children of William Henry Harrison and Andrew Johnson, writhed under the pressure and fought bitter battles with alcoholism and depression only to die young. Others, like Robert Todd Lincoln, Margaret Truman, and Helen Taft Manning, used the privileges granted them to achieve their own success in the worlds of politics, business, and academia. All, however, had to cope with the entirely unique experience of sharing their fathers with the country that called them to leadership and living a life worthy of their place in history. Combining twenty years of study with never-before-published letters and personal accounts from presidential children, Doug Wead has produced a remarkable and authoritative analysis of the extraordinary people born to American presidents throughout history. Stories of outstanding presidential daughters; the eight weddings performed in the White House and what later happened in the marriages; tales of the real and rumored illegitimate children ofthe presidents; a list of presidential children who pursued politics and the five who were almost president themselves; examples of how the pressures of being a celebrity child interrupt the normal desire for intimacy and personal identity; biographies of living presidential children and where they are now -- these are just a few of the historical gems unearthed. Both an entertaining lesson on our nation's history, a study of the problems and solutions of high-achieving parents, and a fascinating look at the father-son dynamics of the current White House, All the Presidents' Children is a must-read for anyone interested in America's most high-profile pedigree.
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  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Atria
  4. Publication date
    February 18, 2003
  5. Dimensions
    6.75 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0743446313
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0743446310
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wead, who was President George H.W. Bush's special assistant, explores the dynamic bond with their presidential fathers that catapulted offspring to great success or, more often it seems, to the depths of despair. The stress of being the son or daughter of one of the most powerful men in the world, the burden of great expectations, wore away at the mental fabric of many. Some sons became alcoholics, womanizers, gamblers or just plain reckless sorts, while daughters made impossible sacrifices to gain their fathers' approval. After the death of her second son from alcoholism (the elder son drowned, perhaps a suicide), Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, said, "[Y]et another son had been sacrificed on the altar of politics." Among the most interesting of those explored are Robert Lincoln, one of the most successful yet darkest presidential sons; Alice Roosevelt, famous for her fearless tongue and her pet snake named Emily Spinach; John Eisenhower, decorated soldier and military historian; and Theodore Roosevelt Jr., who outdid his famous father on the battlefield. Also profiled are the nine weddings held in the White House. Wead includes only short bios on those presidential children still living, out of respect for their privacy. Still, there is no shortage of drama, scandal and emotion in the lives detailed here, for as Wead sums up, "Two things are unforgivable for the child of a president-success and failure." 16 pages of color photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

DOUG WEAD is a prominent corporate and motivational speaker. In 1980 he cofounded Mercy Corps which has distributed $500 million worth of food and medicine around the world. The author of twenty-six books, he lives near Washington, D.C. with his wife and five children. Visit the author's website: www.dougwead.com and www.mercycorps.org

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atria; First Edition (February 18, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743446313
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743446310
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.85 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 166 ratings

About the author

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Doug Wead

Doug Wead

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Doug Wead is a New York Times bestselling author and former adviser to two American Presidents. He served as special assistant to the president in the George H.W. Bush White House.

Mr. Wead's books are known for their primary sources. He has interviewed six American presidents, seven first ladies, 19 presidential children and twelve presidential siblings.

In 1970 he co-founded the Charity Awards and was a part of the founding of Mercy Corps which has distributed $2 billion of food and medicine around the world. (See: www.dougwead.com)and (www.upstairsatthewhitehouse.com)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
166 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

MEE
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2018
Verified Purchase
Im only 9% into this book. but it's worth the price to read about the friction between John Tyler's first born (Letty Tyler Semple) and his second wife Julia Gardiner Tyler. I was attracted to this book having learned that more than half of our US Presidents have suffered the loss of a child. I ordered this book as a lesson on how they coped with it, The drama (so far) is more than I imaged,
And another...
"In the fall of 1863, in the middle of the great Civil War, Congressman James A. Garfield and his wife finally moved into a home of their own...That November the congressman rushed home to Ohio to be at the side of his gravely ill, three-year-old daughter. His wife later wrote that “it surprised me and made me love you so tenderly to see you taking care of our little girl, and watching beside her so gently….” But Eliza Arabella “Trot” Garfield died of diphtheria on December 3, 1863...James Garfield said of his loss that it was “as if the fabric of my life were torn to atoms and scattered to the winds.” When Congressman Garfield finally returned to his Washington office there was a letter from home awaiting him. It was dated November 6, written just after his previous visit home, a month before the loss of his three-year-old. His wife was recounting how his little daughter, “Trot,” had cried because he had left home without kissing her. It was more than Garfield could take. “I find myself sitting alone calling her by her pet names,” he wrote his wife, “and asking her if she loved me and almost hoping to hear an answer.”
7 people found this helpful
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Herbert Barger
4.0 out of 5 stars Jefferson-Hemings Controversy
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2003
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Overall the book seems to be interesting. Some reviewers have cited inaccuracies and that is what I wish to address. I can vouch only for the Thomas Jefferson-Hemings remarks of Mr. Wead.
Even though interviews with knowledgeable people indicated that, "closer inspections of the evidence has cast doubts on the conclusiveness of the DNA results and other theories and explanations being proposed", Mr. Wead now gives the reader the benefit of HIS research. He does not reveal to the reader that a blue ribbon panel of 13 top notch senior scholars concluded in the Scholars Commission Report that there is NO proof of the Jefferson-Hemings parenting oral history. The Monticello Association (Thomas Jefferson descendants), after three years of careful research, used this valuable research material and other research to conclude that the Hemings and Woodsons were NOT proven to be Thomas Jefferson children and thus they were ineligible to be members of that family association.
Disregarding this valuable research, Mr. Wead states, "My own research of the other Jefferson children,(my note: a presumed reference to the Woodson and Hemings children), leads me to believe the president was indeed the father of Sally's children."
What can we believe about the other Presidents' Children in this book?
6 people found this helpful
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Stella Carrier
5.0 out of 5 stars The Target Reading Group
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2017
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For This kindlebook of All the President’s Children by Doug Wead is I’m aware probably a different group than what I am in. However, the writer in me is aware that it would be helpful for me to check out writings different from what is expected of me to look at to expand the way I understand not just myself but the world around me. Wead matter of factly explains why and how he came to creating this book. Additionally, the book contains details on how some of the children of Presidents referenced had it challenging. I admit that before this book I truthfully did not know that a veteran kayaker made a prescient prediction on one of the presidential children that unexpectedly met an early death in life.
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Carol Banks
5.0 out of 5 stars Families in a League of Their Own
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2004
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I just finished reading Doug Wead's book on presidential children. I found it to be fascinating to read about the children of our presidents and how each of these families were shaped and influenced by the activities of their presidential fathers. It was quite apparent that presidents and their wives in the earlier years of our nation were quite strict and expected too much of their children so that many of them had difficulty meeting those expectations. On the other hand, there were a few who rose above their identities to become recognized for their own contributions to society. Fortunately, presidential children have fared much better in the latter half of this century. Mr. Wead ends the book with describing the personalities of the only two men in our history to follow their fathers in the role of president of the United States. This book is a thorough and well-written narrative giving an inside look at presidential families and how they were affected by this highest office in our nation and molded by expectations both within their families and by society at the time. For anyone that likes history, Wead's book on presidential children should be a "must-read" and part of their personal collection.
9 people found this helpful
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Mary Holland
3.0 out of 5 stars I overall enjoyed it.
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2015
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I got a little confused by the jumping back and forth to distant past and more recent past. Also found some points were very repetitious. I appreciated the eye opening of life in early America and the pressures on these children. I overall enjoyed it.
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V. L. Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars High Profile Children of 43 American Presidents
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2011
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Doug Wead spent years researching the lives of all the children of 43 American presidents, beginning with George Washington. Coping with the unique experience of sharing their fathers with the world makes interesting reading. I loved this fact-filled book when it was first published in 2004 and am re-reading it after assessing Ron Reagan Jr's puzzling memoir of former President Ronald Reagan.

Several president's children have written candid autobiographies, including John Eisenhower, Margaret Truman, and Alice Longworth Roosevelt. Eight weddings have been performed in the White House, five children were almost president themselves, and many pursued politics as a career.

This is an entertaining book and I highly recommend it. In my opinion President Obama and most recent presidents have realized the pressure on their families and taken steps to minimize any future backlash from the media, as best they can.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

G. THOMSON
5.0 out of 5 stars interesting history
Reviewed in Canada on June 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
I found out about marriages and upbringings. Who's children were interested in politics and who could care less about it.
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