Another VP Candidate from Minnesota

[msslave]

Kamala Harris has announced her pick for a running mate. After lots of speculation the nod goes to our Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz.

As a reformed former Republican I've been pleased with the job  Gov. Waltz has done for our state. He has been a teacher,  Congressman and spent many years in the National Guard.

During his first term he dealt with the pandemic and the riots following George Floyd's murder. We also saw one of the largest state budget surplus.

I'm happy to see his choice as Kamala Harris' pick, yet I hate the thought of losing him as our Governor.

https://www.startribune.com/harris-vp-pick-minnesota-governor-tim-walz/600844951

[MissBarbara]

It's true that Tim Walz is the third Minnesotan to be selected as a major-party vice presidential candidate, and thus far, Minnesota VP candidates are 2-2 (Humphrey in 1964 and Mondale in 1976).

However, you have to stop there, since both Humphrey (1968) and Mondale (1984) were both defeated in their presidential bids. In fact, in 1984, Mondale lost in one of the biggest landslides in U.S. history, losing to Reagan by 17 million votes (59% to 41%) and losing the electoral vote 525-13.

And that's not mentioning the fact that Minnesotan Harold Stassen ran for president in 1948, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992. And he lost every time.

But I agree that Walz seems an excellent choice, and here's hoping that Minnesota VP candidates go 3-3 in November.

P.S. Here's a Tim Walz fun fact: On Election Day in November, Harris and Walz will both be 60 years old. Walz was born in April 1964, and Harris was born in October 1964.

[staci]

It's true that Tim Walz is the third Minnesotan to be selected as a major-party vice presidential candidate, and thus far, Minnesota VP candidates are 2-2 (Humphrey in 1964 and Mondale in 1976).

However, you have to stop there, since both Humphrey (1968) and Mondale (1984) were both defeated in their presidential bids. In fact, in 1984, Mondale lost in one of the biggest landslides in U.S. history, losing to Reagan by 17 million votes (59% to 41%) and losing the electoral vote 525-13.

And that's not mentioning the fact that Minnesotan Harold Stassen ran for president in 1948, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992. And he lost every time.

But I agree that Walz seems an excellent choice, and here's hoping that Minnesota VP candidates go 3-3 in November.

P.S. Here's a Tim Walz fun fact: On Election Day in November, Harris and Walz will both be 60 years old. Walz was born in April 1964, and Harris was born in October 1964.



Woo for sharing that info.

[msslave]

Miss B thanks for reminding us.about Harold Stassen's multiple campaigns for President.

I got to meet the man once. I was the Republican Party Chairman for our County. Stassen was running for the Senate at that time.

He came up to me and introduced himself, knew my name and knew I was the County Chair. We exchanged a few other words and he was off shaking more hands.

I know it was his staff that provided him with the information about me but still I had a warm feeling about our encounter. (Either that or I peed my pants  )

People laughed at his regular runs for President. I asked a nephew of his about all his attempts at the Presidency. He told me he just had something he wanted to say and his campaigns were his way of doing that.

If you look at his record and ignore all the runs for President Gov  Stassen has a most impressive record.

He was the youngest person elected Governor. He resigned at the start of WWII joining the Navy. In the Pacific he was on the staff of Admiral Halsey.

After the war Stassen did a lot of work in helping to write the charter of the UN.

All those runs for President did make him a joke. But reading his history you can see how impressive this man was. I'll always remember my brief meeting with him.

(Now I sound like Hilda )

[MissBarbara]

Miss B thanks for reminding us.about Harold Stassen's multiple campaigns for President.

I got to meet the man once. I was the Republican Party Chairman for our County. Stassen was running for the Senate at that time.

He came up to me and introduced himself, knew my name and knew I was the County Chair. We exchanged a few other words and he was off shaking more hands.

I know it was his staff that provided him with the information about me but still I had a warm feeling about our encounter. (Either that or I peed my pants  )

People laughed at his regular runs for President. I asked a nephew of his about all his attempts at the Presidency. He told me he just had something he wanted to say and his campaigns were his way of doing that.

If you look at his record and ignore all the runs for President Gov  Stassen has a most impressive record.

He was the youngest person elected Governor. He resigned at the start of WWII joining the Navy. In the Pacific he was on the staff of Admiral Halsey.

After the war Stassen did a lot of work in helping to write the charter of the UN.

All those runs for President did make him a joke. But reading his history you can see how impressive this man was. I'll always remember my brief meeting with him.

(Now I sound like Hilda )

I don't think Stassen was a joke.

And I made a slight misstatement. Stassen didn't really "lose every time," since he never received the nomination.

I read a biography of Stassen many years ago, and I was thoroughly impressed with him. Stassen was perfectly aware of the fact that, after 1952, he didn't stand a ghost of a chance of winning the nomination. He ran -- as you perfectly put it -- "he just had something he wanted to say and his campaigns were his way of doing that."

[Pornhubby]

I remember Humphrey. I voted for Mondale.

I think Walz was the result of numerous different factors. He’s white. He is middle of the road. He probably can walk the line on the Israel - Palestine question.

Here is what I read about him today.

Ret. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling: "Many followers not familiar with the military are asking  me “so what’s the big deal about a command sergeant major?” Walz joined at 18 as a private. Rose through the NCO (sergeant) ranks, each requiring extreme competence at increasingly demanding jobs with more people & responsibility at every rank. When you reach “Master Sergeant” you are selected to serve as a First Sergeant (1SG) of a unit…if you’re good enough. Then, those 1SGTs compete for selection to Sergeant Major. Only the best Sergeant Majors are selected for Command Sergeant Major (CSM) billets.

CSMs serve as the senior enlisted person in the unit and the advisor to Commanders at battalion and above. Having served with dozens of CSMs as my unit & command  “battle buddy” I will attest they were all awesome.

They know what they’re doing. They uphold standards. They speak their minds to all ranks (private to generals). They’re not afraid of getting bad news because they know how to fix things when they go wrong. And they serve the command (their commander and their soldiers) with a selfless integrity and a complete dedication.

During social events and informal occasions, they’re usually a whole bunch of fun. And they always have great stories. But they’re always professional.

So, those are my thoughts on Command Sergeants Major. While I don’t know the details of Gov. Tim Walz career wearing the cloth of our country, just the fact that he volunteered to serve and wore the CSM rank tells me a lot about him."

I think the military will support him, if we have another J6 moment.

[MissBarbara]

I remember Humphrey. I voted for Mondale.

I was only 4 in 1984, so I obviously don't remember that election. I remember the 1988 election, but that's chiefly because we held an election among the students at my elementary school, and because my parents were big Republicans.

Which is a long way of asking: In 1984, was there a general feeling, especially as it got closer to Election Day, that Mondale was going to lose? Was there a suspicion that he was going to lose by such a massive margin? When you voted, did you assume or expect that Reagan would win, and by one of the biggest landslides in U.S. history?

Parenthetically, this is a perfect example of how being an historian doesn't necessarily mean I know "history." I know a lot about the 1984 presidential election, but I know very little about the topics I asked in those questions.

[purpleshoes]

1984 was a long time ago, and my memory may be faulty, but I seem to recall that even at the time the general feeling was that Reagan was unbeatable and Mondale was basically chosen by the Democrats to be a sacrificial lamb and take one for the team, so to speak.

So, MissB. Who did your elementary school 'elect' in 1988? You would have been, what, a third-grader then? Was your first actual presidential election in 2000?

One more question for you. Was LBJ the last incumbent not to run for reelection before Biden? That would have been the 1968 election.

[Dudester]

One more question for you. Was LBJ the last incumbent not to run for reelection before Biden? That would have been the 1968 election.

In the early 1800's, there was a period of American history called "The Era of Good Feelings", because in the wake of the war of 1812, there was national unity. With that said, during younger Bush's second administration a writer asked the question if this was the second "Era of Good Feelings" because of a series of two term Presidents. Furthering that, Reagan, Clinton, Bush Jr. and Obama have all been two term Presidents.

So, answering purpleshoe's original question, no one has fallen on the sword since LBJ.

[MissBarbara]

1984 was a long time ago, and my memory may be faulty, but I seem to recall that even at the time the general feeling was that Reagan was unbeatable and Mondale was basically chosen by the Democrats to be a sacrificial lamb and take one for the team, so to speak.

So, MissB. Who did your elementary school 'elect' in 1988? You would have been, what, a third-grader then? Was your first actual presidential election in 2000?

One more question for you. Was LBJ the last incumbent not to run for reelection before Biden? That would have been the 1968 election.

I'm pretty sure the students voted for Bush.

You have to define "run for re-election," and you also have to define "incumbent."

It's true that all of the presidents after Johnson -- Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump ran for re-election.

Biden DID run for re-election, before he withdrew from the campaign (yet he did run...).

Johnson was an incumbent who ran for and won re-election in 1964. And he ran for re-election in 1968. He announced his run in November 1967, created a campaign, and began running. He participated in two primaries. Then, in late March 1968, he famously announced that he was not running -- after having run (technically) for four months.

So, to put a fine point on it, Johnson was the last elected president who was not his party's candidate on Election Day. Just like Biden.

Before that "the last elected president who was not his party's candidate on Election Day" was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. He succeeded to the presidency when Harding died in August 1923, and he won re-election in his own right in 1924. In August 1927, Coolidge was on vacation in South Dakota, and he called a press conference. One of his secretaries handed out little slips of paper to the assembled reporters. They looked like this:




Prior to Coolidge, the last elected president who was not his party's candidate on Election Day and who was not an incumbent or successor president was Rutherford Hayes in 1880. Hayes won election in 1876 over Samuel Tilden in one of the most controversial elections in U.S. history. The situation was too complex and chaotic to describe here, but that election could justifiably be labeled a "stolen election." In the end, after Congress created an ad hoc "Electoral Commission" to determine the winner, Hayes was declared the winner by a single electoral vote, 185-184. As a condition to the resolution of the election, Hayes agreed to not run for re-election in 1880. And he did not.

(Fun Fact: Samuel Tilden received his law degree in 1836 from the same university where I work.)

There were three other elected presidents who were not their party's candidate on Election Day: Harry Truman in 1952 (he succeeded to the presidency in April 1945 when FDR died, won re-election in 1948, and declined to rum in 1952), James Buchanan (1860) and James Polk (1848).

Then there's Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt succeeded to the presidency when McKinley was assassinated in September 1901, and served all but 6 months of that term. He was elected to a full term in 1904. He declined to run in 1908, delegating William Taft  (one of my favorite presidents) as his successor. Taft won the 1908 presidential election handily, but as Taft's term wore on, Roosevelt grew more and more dissatisfied with Taft. In 1912, Roosevelt challenged Taft for the GOP nomination, but at the convention, the delegates chose Taft on the first ballot. Not to be daunted, Roosevelt then announced he was running in the election as a Third Party candidate. On Election Day, Roosevelt only succeeded in splitting the GOP vote, thereby handing the White House to Woodrow Wilson. My friend Taft, the GOP candidate, came in third, behind Wilson and Roosevelt.

[msslave]

WOO ... I know you're a professor but you not only educate us here but you do it in such a concise and understandable way.

Meanwhile, there's what iffing already going on here in Minnesota. Should Gov. Waltz ascend to VP our Lt. Gov. will become Governor. Peggy Flanagan is a native American. The new Lt. Gov. will be filled by the President of the Senate. That is Bobby Champion, a black man. Wow... what a possibility for diversity.

[purpleshoes]

Next question MissB:

Are Gerald Ford and Andrew Johnson the only two men who have served as President without ever being elected as POTUS?

Ford became vice-president after Spiro Agnew chose to leave the office (for good reason) and became President when Nixon resigned. He ran as the incumbent in the 1976 election but lost to Jimmy Carter.

Johnson ascended to the office after Lincoln was assassinated, but did not run in 1868. I don't know if that was his idea or if he was snubbed by the party but he wasn't on the ballot.

I have to agree with Bob, the way you present historical information is fascinating and easy to understand.

[MissBarbara]

Next question MissB:

Are Gerald Ford and Andrew Johnson the only two men who have served as President without ever being elected as POTUS?

Ford became vice-president after Spiro Agnew chose to leave the office (for good reason) and became President when Nixon resigned. He ran as the incumbent in the 1976 election but lost to Jimmy Carter.

Johnson ascended to the office after Lincoln was assassinated, but did not run in 1868. I don't know if that was his idea or if he was snubbed by the party but he wasn't on the ballot.

Before answering your question, a brief commercial break for the 25th Amendment.

The 25th Amendment has four sections. The first section officially clarifies something implicit in the Constitution and historically followed in practice:

"In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President."

The second part made official a process that was nowhere mentioned in the Constitution and that had never been followed previously:

"Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress."

Prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment in 1967, if the vice president died, resigned, or was removed from office, the vice president's chair remained empty for the rest of the term. A very surprising aspect of U.S. history is that from 1788 to 1968, the vice president's chair was empty 16 times and for a total of more than 38 years combined, including when Tyler, Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, and Lyndon Johnson succeeded to the presidency after the president died in office, when 7 Vice Presidents died in office, and when John Calhoun resigned the office. Yet during those periods, the president never died in office, forcing a succession to the presidency by someone other than the vice president.

In that light, there have been 9 people who became president without being elected president (the eight I mentioned above plus Gerald Ford). Among those nine men, four were nominated by their party for re-election and won (Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, and Lyndon Johnson), and one was nominated by his party for re-election and lost (Ford). The other four all ran for re-election, but did not receive their party's nomination (Tyler, Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and Arthur). 

Meanwhile, in October 1973 -- six years after the 25th Amendment was ratified -- Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned. President Nixon followed the 25th Amendment, and nominated Gerald Ford to replace Agnew as vice president. Congress approved the nomination overwhelmingly, and Ford took office in December 1973. Barely 8 months later, Nixon resigned in early August 1974, and Ford succeeded to the presidency. He became the first (and thus far only)  president who was not elected president or vice president. Since the vice president's chair now remained empty due to Ford's succession, Ford then nominated, and Congress approved, Nelson Rockefeller to replace himself as vice president.

If you're keeping score at home, that means during the single presidential term that ran from January 20, 1973 to January 20, 1977, there were three vice presidents (Agnew, Ford, and Rockefeller) and two presidents (Nixon and Ford).

To answer your last question, and as I mentioned above, Andrew Johnson succeeded to the presidency after Lincoln died on April 15, 1865. Since Lincoln had been inaugurated to his second term on March 4, 1865, Johnson served as president for about 3 years and 11 months of that term. The 1864 presidential election was unique in that Lincoln, a Republican, ran with Johnson, a Democrat, on a fusion ticket called the National Union Party. (It was also unique in that the election was conducted during the depths of the American Civil War). Johnson succeeded to the presidency, and quickly demonstrated an ineptness that outraged both the Democrats and the Republicans. In 1868, as his term was drawing to a close, Johnson sought the Democratic nomination for president. He didn't stand a chance, and while he receive some votes on the first ballot at the Democratic convention, New York Governor Horatio Seymour quickly won the nomination.

But Johnson had a mitigated second coming. After leaving office in March 1869, Johnson returned home to Tennessee. Six years later, in January 1875, Johnson was elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, and he took his seat in March 1875. His service was short-lived. He returned home to Tennessee after the Senate session ended in July 1875, suffered a series of strokes, and died on July 31, 1875.

Fun Fact: In March 1869, Johnson was so frustrated by being denied the Democratic nomination and Grant -- who Johnson considered an enemy -- winning the election, that he refused to attend Grant's inauguration. The was the last time that an outgoing president refused to attend his successor's nomination until January 20, 2021.

[watcher1]

It's true that Tim Walz is the third Minnesotan to be selected as a major-party vice presidential candidate, and thus far, Minnesota VP candidates are 2-2 (Humphrey in 1964 and Mondale in 1976).

However, you have to stop there, since both Humphrey (1968) and Mondale (1984) were both defeated in their presidential bids. In fact, in 1984, Mondale lost in one of the biggest landslides in U.S. history, losing to Reagan by 17 million votes (59% to 41%) and losing the electoral vote 525-13.

And that's not mentioning the fact that Minnesotan Harold Stassen ran for president in 1948, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992. And he lost every time.

But I agree that Walz seems an excellent choice, and here's hoping that Minnesota VP candidates go 3-3 in November.

P.S. Here's a Tim Walz fun fact: On Election Day in November, Harris and Walz will both be 60 years old. Walz was born in April 1964, and Harris was born in October 1964.

You know you are old when you can say you have been alive for every Harold Stassen run for president except his 1948 run.I liked Humphrey in 1968 but Nixon promised he would bring the troops home if elected. Nixon didn't get his nickname of Tricky Dicky for nothing.

[Pornhubby]

I think George HW Bush was the last Republican presidential candidate, in 1988, I have voted for. I was pretty deep in the GOP back then. I even went to Washington for the inaugural.

Then, in 1992, I was in Houston for the GOP national convention. There was a certain political operative who drugged and sodomized a number of underaged pages at the convention. There was a huge scandal at upper levels of the party, but which was largely suppressed. They took no action against the man, who went on to later be John McCain’s campaign chairman. So much for the “party of family values.” I was so disgusted, I vowed to never vote for another Republican. A promise I have kept.

[watcher1]

Fun Fact: In March 1869, Johnson was so frustrated by being denied the Democratic nomination and Grant -- who Johnson considered an enemy -- winning the election, that he refused to attend Grant's inauguration. The was the last time that an outgoing president refused to attend his successor's nomination until January 20, 2021.

Today, I was watching a history walking tour of the Antietam battlefield in Maryland, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. In 1867, there was a dedication of the cemetery , where some 4,000 bodies that had been buried throughout the battlefield,  were dug up and reburied.  President Johnson gave the speech dedicating the ceremony. But the plaque that was installed commemorating the cemetery did not have Johnson's speech. Instead, President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation speech was hung on the wall instead.

[MissBarbara]

Fun Fact: In March 1869, Johnson was so frustrated by being denied the Democratic nomination and Grant -- who Johnson considered an enemy -- winning the election, that he refused to attend Grant's inauguration. The was the last time that an outgoing president refused to attend his successor's nomination until January 20, 2021.

Today, I was watching a history walking tour of the Antietam battlefield in Maryland, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. In 1867, there was a dedication of the cemetery , where some 4,000 bodies that had been buried throughout the battlefield,  were dug up and reburied.  President Johnson gave the speech dedicating the ceremony. But the plaque that was installed commemorating the cemetery did not have Johnson's speech. Instead, President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation speech was hung on the wall instead.

I hope the guide leading that tour didn't say it was "the bloodiest battle of the Civil War." It was certainly one of the most important battles of the Civil War, but in terms of casualties, Gettysburg was, by far, the bloodies battle of the Civil War (51,000 combined casualties). In terms of casualties on both sides, Antietam ranks #8 (23,000 combined casualties). Antietam was the bloodiest single day of fighting in the Civil War, and perhaps that's what you meant.

Because I'm a nerd, I tried to find the text of Johnson's speech. I couldn't find the full text, but I found this excerpt, which is very moving:

"When we look on yon battle field I think of the brave men on both sides, who fell in the fierce struggle of battle, who sleep silent in their graves. Would to God we of the living could imitate their example, as they lay sleeping in peace in their tombs, and live together in friendship and peace."

That would have been a perfect quote to put on the monument. However, by September 1867, Johnson had successfully alienated everyone in the country, Republican and Democrat, North and South.

So, as kids today like to say, he can suck it.

[Pornhubby]

However, by September 1867, Johnson had successfully alienated everyone in the country, Republican and Democrat, North and South.

So, as kids today like to say, he can suck it.

[/b]

I think that’s why Johnson is consistently rated the worst US President in history. He totally pissed everybody off. And you can’t win any beauty contests, if everyone hates you.

[purpleshoes]

Prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment in 1967, if the vice president died, resigned, or was removed from office, the vice president's chair remained empty for the rest of the term. A very surprising aspect of U.S. history is that from 1788 to 1968, the vice president's chair was empty 16 times and for a total of more than 38 years combined, including when Tyler, Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, and Lyndon Johnson succeeded to the presidency after the president died in office, when 7 Vice Presidents died in office, and when John Calhoun resigned the office. Yet during those periods, the president never died in office, forcing a succession to the presidency by someone other than the vice president.

In that light, there have been 9 people who became president without being elected president (the eight I mentioned above plus Gerald Ford). Among those nine men, four were nominated by their party for re-election and won (Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, and Lyndon Johnson), and one was nominated by his party for re-election and lost (Ford). The other four all ran for re-election, but did not receive their party's nomination (Tyler, Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and Arthur). 

I had never even considered how often the office of vice president has been empty. Over 38 years? That's just mind-boggling.

Learning about Andrew Johnson's ineptness made me wonder about how historians would rank the worst presidencies of all time. According to the article I read, the ten worst (in order) are:

    1. James Buchanan // 1857–1861
    2. Andrew Johnson // 1865–1869
    3. Franklin Pierce // 1853–1857
    4. Donald Trump // 2017–2021
    5. William Henry Harrison // 1841
    6. John Tyler // 1841–1845
    7. Millard Fillmore // 1850–1853
    8. Warren G. Harding // 1921–1923
    9. Herbert Hoover // 1929–1933
    10. Zachary Taylor // 1849–1850

Worth noting, the worst and second worst on that list served immediately before and after Abraham Lincoln. The other thing that's noteworthy is that only one person listed served in the 21st century.

Thank you for another fascinating lesson in US History.  Woo #3153.

[MissBarbara]

I had never even considered how often the office of vice president has been empty. Over 38 years? That's just mind-boggling.

Learning about Andrew Johnson's ineptness made me wonder about how historians would rank the worst presidencies of all time. According to the article I read, the ten worst (in order) are:

    1. James Buchanan // 1857–1861
    2. Andrew Johnson // 1865–1869
    3. Franklin Pierce // 1853–1857
    4. Donald Trump // 2017–2021
    5. William Henry Harrison // 1841
    6. John Tyler // 1841–1845
    7. Millard Fillmore // 1850–1853
    8. Warren G. Harding // 1921–1923
    9. Herbert Hoover // 1929–1933
    10. Zachary Taylor // 1849–1850

Worth noting, the worst and second worst on that list served immediately before and after Abraham Lincoln. The other thing that's noteworthy is that only one person listed served in the 21st century.

Thank you for another fascinating lesson in US History.  Woo #3153.

You're right: The president whom many consider to be the best U.S. president is sandwiched by the presidents whom many consider the worst U.S. presidents. You can take it a step further, since Franklin Pierce, who preceded Buchanan, usually ranks toward to the bottom of the list.

Here's a more recent list, which was compiled by hundreds of professional historians and political scientists, almost all of whom have PhDs and work at universities:

https://www.axios.com/2024/02/19/presidents-survey-trump-ranks-last-biden-14th


I would remove Harrison and Taylor from that list, since they both died after a short time in office (Harrison died exactly 30 days after being inaugurated), and there's nothing to judges their presidencies by, pro or con. You'll also note that Trump ranks dead last.

So, here's the revised rankings, starting with the worst:

    1. Donald Trump
    2. James Buchanan
    3. Andrew Johnson
    4. Franklin Pierce
    5. Warren Harding
    6. Millard Fillmore
    7. John Tyler
    8. Herbert Hoover
    9. Richard Nixon
  10. Calvin Coolidge

Even among these presidents, Johnson, Fillmore, and Tyler were successor presidents, and Harding died in office.

So here's a revised-revised bottom 10, including only presidents who were elected and who served at least one full term in office:

    1. Donald Trump
    2. James Buchanan
    3. Franklin Pierce
    4. Herbert Hoover
    5. Richard Nixon
    6. Calvin Coolidge
    7. George W. Bush
   8. Benjamin Harrison (who was William Harrison's grandson)
   9. Rutherford Hayes
  10. Martin Van Buren

Your point about presidents who served in the 21st century is somewhat mitigated by the fact that only four U.S. presidents served in the 21st century: Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden. Technically, Clinton also served in the 21st century -- but only for the 20 days between January 1, 2021 and January 20 2021.