Fun Presidential Election Facts
As America awaits the announcement of our 45th president, we thought we’d share some fun election facts with you.
Did you know that only 12 presidents have been elected for a second term?
In order to run for the office of president, a candidate must: (1) Must be at least 35 years old, (2) have lived in the United States at least 14 years, and (3) be a natural-born citizen.
The first female ran for president in 1872. Her name was Victoria Woodhull.
The first black politician was elected in 1855. John Mercer Langston was elected as Town Clerk in Brownhelm, Ohio.
James Monroe received every electoral vote but one in the 1820 election. A New Hampshire delegate wanted George Washington to be the only president elected unanimously, so he voted against Monroe.
Nearly everyone remembers the elections of 2000– Gore VS Bush. Gore won the popular vote, but Bush won the electoral college. Gore wasn’t the only non-president to win the popular vote:
According to History.com:
- In 1824 Andrew Jackson won the popular vote but got less then 50% of the electoral votes. John Quincy Adams became the next president when he was picked by the House of Representatives.
- In 1876 Samuel Tilden won the popular vote but lost the election when Rutherford B. Hayes got 185 electoral votes to Tilden’s 184.
- In 1888 Grover Cleveland won the popular vote but lost the election when Benjamin Harrison got 233 electoral votes to Cleveland’s 168.
- In 2000 Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the election to George Bush. In the most highly contested election in modern history, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the Florida recount of ballots, giving Bush the state’s 25 electoral votes for a total of 271 to Gore’s 255.
At 43, JFK was the youngest president elected to office, while Ronald Reagan was the oldest at 69.
William Henry Harrison only held the office as president for one month before he died of pneumonia.
Eight presidents have died in office.
- William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia.
- Zachary Taylor died of gastroenteritis.
- Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
- James Garfield was assassinated.
- William McKinley was assassinated.
- Warren Harding had a heart attack.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
- John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution states; Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:
“I do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Source: History.com