Humor in the White House: The Wit of Five American Presidents

"I heard one [presidential] candidate say that what this country needed was a president for the '90s," Ronald Reagan once said. "I was set to run again. I thought he said a president in his 90s." Abraham Lincoln, in one instance, was able to put a serious injury in a humorous light; in response to a young woman's question about where a soldier was wounded, Lincoln replied, "Ma'am, the bullet that wounded him would not have wounded you." Presidents often bring a sense of humor to the White House with them, allowing the American public to catch a glimpse of their not-so-serious sides. This book examines how five of the nation's funniest chief executives-Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan-used wit and humor to their advantage during their terms as president, and how their management of the Executive Branch was thereby enhanced. As a bonus, the effective use of humor by several unsuccessful presidential candidates is surveyed.