November birthdays

As of this writing, November is tied with October as our birthiest month, presidentially speaking… is a sentence I hope becomes outdated shortly into the new year. A whopping six presidents entering the world in this order:

Zachary Taylor (1784)
James K. Polk (1795)
Franklin Pierce (1804)
James Garfield (1831)
Warren G. Harding (1865)
Joe Biden (1942)

Or if you prefer by birth date, in this order:

November 2: James K. Polk & Warren G. Harding
November 19: James Garfield
November 20: Joe Biden
November 23: Franklin Pierce
November 24: Zachary Taylor

Two share a birthday!

They’re the only two presidents to share a birthday. Hooray!

(There are two sets who share a deathday — Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both famously died on July 4, 1826. James Monroe also died on July 4, but in 1831. Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4. Harry Truman and Gerald Ford both died the day after Christmas. Truman in 1972 and Ford in 2006.)

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Comparatively speaking

Great Scott!

Franklin Pierce ran against General Winfield Scott
James Garfield ran against General Winfield Scott Hancock

Friends, those are not the same person! I made them into a bit of an amalgamation in my head only to discover my mistake when I went to pull together some information about one of them a while ago.

General Winfield Scott Hancock

Born on Valentine’s Day, with his twin brother
Named after Winfield Scott and served under him during the Mexican-American War; I’m not sure if they ever met (anybody know?)
Known by his men as “Hancock the Superb”
Oversaw the execution of the Lincoln assassination conspirators (not Booth, since he was already dead)
When he ran against Garfield, his opponents put out A Record of Statesmanship and Political Achievements of Gen. Winfield Scott (an empty pamphlet)

General Winfield Scott

Old Fuss and Feathers
War of 1812 hero
Perhaps the guy featured on the top of the pile of skulls on the “An Available Candidate: the one qualification for a Whig president” poster. (Sometimes this guy is identified as Zachary Taylor, but the feathers are more in-line with Old Fuss and Feathers’ attire.)

General Winfield Scott?

General Winfield Scott Hancock

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Middle names

Zachary Taylor - no middle name
James Knox Polk
Named for his maternal grandfather, James Knox
Franklin Pierce - no middle name
James Abram Garfield
His father’s name was Abram
PS Abram and his half brother Amos moved west to Ohio, where they married sisters. They were siblings and also brothers-in-law. Their kids were double first cousins!
Warren Gamaliel Harding
Named for a wise man in the book of Acts
Joe Robinette Biden, Jr.
Named for his father, who was given his mother’s maiden name

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Birth century

Again with this batch, we have representation from three centuries:

1700s

Zachary Taylor
James K. Polk

1800s

Franklin Pierce
James Garfield
Warren G. Harding

1900s

Joe Biden

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Political party

Whig

Zachary Taylor

Republican

James Garfield
Warren G. Harding

Democrat

James K. Polk
Franklin Pierce
Joe Biden

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Age elected president

Just look at all of these young presidents in their 40s!

40s: Polk, Pierce, Garfield
50s: Harding
60s: Taylor
70s: Biden

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Unfathomable transportation-related tragedy

You probably know that shortly after Biden was elected to the senate, his wife Neilia and their baby daughter Naomi died in an unimaginable car accident on their way to get a Christmas tree. Their two sons were injured in the accident.

Franklin Pierce also suffered a terrible tragedy shortly after his election. He and his wife Jane had already lost two sons and doted on their only child, 11-year-old Benjamin. On their way to a funeral for an uncle who adored Benjamin, their train derailed and Benjamin was nearly decapitated. Some sources say both parents witnessed his horrific death; others say Franklin was able to shield his wife. Understandably devastated, Jane missed both Benjamin’s funeral and Franklin’s presidential inauguration.

Biden’s friend said “If you ask me who’s the unluckiest person I know personally, who’s had just terrible things happen to him, I’d say Joe Biden. If you asked me who is the luckiest person I know personally, who’s had things happen to him that are just absolutely incredible, I’d say Joe Biden.”
From Joe Biden: The Life, the Run, and What Matters Now by Evan Osnos.

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Terms in office

This batch of birthdays didn’t enjoy long presidencies. With three of them dying during their first term, they max out at just one term.

Less than one

James Garfield (6 months)
Zachary Taylor (less than a year and a half)
Warren G. Harding (two years, five months)

One term

James K. Polk
Franklin Pierce
Joe Biden*

*Still in office and I don’t want to jinx it!

Death by Lightening

I have been telling people about this so much, you’d think I’m getting some sort of royalties (I’m not). Candice Millard’s incredible book Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President is being made into a TV mini series! Death by Lightening comes out sometime in 2025 on Netflix and I’m really freaking excited. Nick Offerman is playing Chester Arthur — I can’t get over his lamb chops. Matthew Macfadyen (Tom Wambsgans from Succession!) is playing Charles Guiteau.

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