Cigar Smoking Presidents

There have been fifteen men who held the Office of President of the United States who enjoyed a cigar or two. These presidents range from early in America's life, to the modern era. While their cigar smoking may not have impacted any of their policies or political careers, it is possible that it played a part in their public perception. Early in America's life, smoking and enjoying tobacco was a matter of American pride. Its influence on American agriculture has been fundamental in establishing crop culture. However, the closer to the modern era we became, the less socially acceptable its become to see the president enjoying a cigar.

Starting in America's infancy, the fourth President of the United States, James Madison, was not only a cigar smoker, he actually grew tobacco in Virginia. Madison smoked cigars until his passing at 85 years old.

The seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, was an avid cigar smoker, even for his time. President Jackson was also a fan of pairing his cigars with coffee, which was also a more popular option after the establishment of the United States. In addition to smoking his cigars during his time as President of the United States, Jackson enjoyed cigars at his home in Tennessee.

One of the most famous presidents for smoking cigars was Ulysses S. Grant. Grant smoked cigars throughout much of his adult life, including his time as a general in the American Civil war, and as the 18th President of the United States. Grant enjoyed his cigars liberally, and smoked upwards of 20 a day. Knowing he was an avid cigar smoker, people would send him cigars all the time. Because of this, Grant was a generous member of the cigar community. He obtained more cigars than he could ever dream of smoking, and shared them with almost everyone he met.

Chester A. Arthur, the 21st President of the United States, enjoyed cigars after dinner. He would share stories with his dinner guests, drink champagne, and indulge in some rather expensive cigars.

Benjamin Harris had quite the hookup for cigars. In his hometown of Indianapolis, he knew a tobacconist who would send him cigars to the White House. Harris apparently smoked enough to basically have a personal cigar curator.

William McKinley enjoyed cigars very much, though he never let anyone from the public see it. In fact, he would not allow anyone to take pictures of him smoking cigars. While he was particular about his public perception, he apparently enjoyed cigars to the point where, if he was not in the public eye, he was smoking one. He was also said to be the most passionate and intense cigar smoking President of the United States.

Theodore Roosevelt, a president who lived an interesting life outside of the Oval Office, was also known to enjoy a cigar from time to time. When he was young, his father forced him to smoke cigars in an effort to relieve his asthma. While this did not work, Roosevelt was known to smoke at least one cigar a day.

Roosevelt's successor in the White House, William Howard Taft, enjoyed cigars both in private, and in public. Taft was also an avid golfer, and enjoyed smoking cigars while playing a round or two of golf.

Calvin Coolidge started his day by smoking a cigar. In fact, the cigars he smoked were rather long, so he could enjoy them as much as possible. Coolidge would smoke 3-6 supercoronas a day, and would hand out cigars to members of Congress. Coolidge was also known to be a bit dramatic with his cigars, using them as props during arguments and conversations.

Herbert Hoover, had the same consumption rate as Ulysses S. Grant, by smoking up to 20 cigars a day. Hoover enjoyed strong cigars, the stronger the better. Imagine smoking up to 20 cigars a day, that were not only strong, but the strongest you could find.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was a general in World War II prior to becoming President of the United States, was not an avid cigar smoker. However, he did enjoy smoking cigars at parties and after meetings.

Arguably the president who is most synonymous with cigars in John F. Kennedy. While Kennedy was an avid cigar smoker, he was responsible for the Cuban Embargo, causing American citizens to no longer have access to Cuban cigars. Prior to enacting the embargo, Kennedy apparently acquired upwards of 1,200 Cuban cigars.

Richard Nixon did not smoke cigars as often as the previous presidents mentioned. However, he did enjoy a cigar after official dinners and parties. Nixon was also the last President of the United States that allowed cigars to be passed out to guests at parties. His was also the last administration where cigars were looked at in a favorable light in the White House.

Bill Clinton enjoyed smoking cigars, along with using them in other ways. While he was seen smoking cigars in the White House, his administration was the one that banned smoking within the White House walls.

Finally, George W. Bush was also known to smoke cigars while he served as President of the United States. however, he was very cautious about being seen smoking cigars in public.

The Office of the President of the United States has been held by more than a few cigar smokers. While the appreciation and perception of cigars in the White House has diminished, they played a key role in American political history. While cigars have become a taboo topic in the government, do you think the president should be allowed to smoke cigars while in office?