Thursday, January 20, 2011

US Presidential Trivia: Prior to Barack Obama, who was the last Democratic President that did not hail from the South?

Democratic Presidents, particularly those elected in the modern era, have a history of being Southern.  I can't say much more than that without giving away the answer to the question, so let's get right into it.  From our U.S. Presidential Trivia game: Prior to Barack Obama, who was the last Democratic President that did not hail from the South?  Was it John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter?



Today, fifty years ago, John F. Kennedy was sworn in as President.  It is only fitting, of course, that the answer is the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy.

Prior to his election, Kennedy had served as a United States Senator from Massachusets.  Kennedy served in the Senate from 1952 - 1960 - he was, in fact, nominated for Vice President at the 1956 Democratic National Convention (a nomination he lost to Senator Estes Kefauver).  

Other than that, between Kennedy and President Obama, every Democratic President has been from the South.  Lyndon Johnson was a Senator from Texas, and in fact the Majority Leader of the Senate, at the time he was elected Vice President.  Jimmy Carter was the Governor of Georgia from 1970 - 1974, and Bill Clinton was Governor of Arkansas from 1978-1980, then 1982 - 1992.

It is interesting, at least to me, that 3 of the past 5 Democratic Presidents have hailed from the South, and it certainly speaks volumes about the regions importance in Southern states.  Barack Obama won two Southern States - Virginia and North Carolina - on his way to victory.  John Kennedy also won most of the South in 1960. 

No comments:

Post a Comment