You Won’t Believe How Good Looking These US Presidents Were During Their Youth

Most of us are familiar with the faces of US Presidents when they held office in the White House. It is safe to say that most the US Presidents took their seats past their young, glory days. Did you ever wonder how the US Presidents looked before they were presidents?

Source: The CSS Point

It would probably surprise you how they looked when they were in their childhood, teenage, and young adult days. Read on to see major throwback pictures of the US Presidents. Take note not every president is on this list.

Joe Biden

Joseph “Joe” Biden is the current president of the United States. He is the oldest president elected at 78 years old and the first president to have a female vice president. Biden has been the subject of numerous viral memes about their “bromance” with Barack Obama.

Source: New York Magazine

Here is a class picture of Biden back in his Archmere Academy days. He was class president during his junior and senior years. You can tell this good-looking lad is destined for greatness.

Donald Trump

Donald Trump was nominated as president during the 2016 election. He is the first US president with no government or military service. He is also the only officeholder in US history who was impeached twice.

Source: Business Insider

But who would have thought this controversial president used to look like a little doll back when he was a little boy? You’d never think this one would grow up to be a very controversial man.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama makes history as the first African-American president of the United States. He was also given the 2009 Nobel Peace Price laureate. The United States’ reputation overseas and the American economy went through significant improvements during his term.

Source: Do You Remember

Here, we give you a peek at what he looked like during his college days. It is no surprise that 18-year-old Obama looked very cute in his youth. It looks like he always had that likable charm about him. Who could resist that mini afro?

George W. Bush

George Bush comes from a family involved in American politics. He had the highest recorded approval ratings during the September 11 attacks. He also had the lowest ratings during the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

Source: Do You Remember

Here is a throwback picture of him in his 20s. One is from when he used to fly warplanes in the Texas Air National Guard. The other is taken during his university days at Yale where he played softball.

Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton’s presidency would probably be forever out shadowed by the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The scandal led to his impeachment.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a throwback of Clinton during his childhood days in Arkansas. You can see he has always been good-looking ever since. He definitely looked like a charming young boy here. He was born William Jefferson Blythe III before he adopted his stepfather’s surname.

Ronald Raegan

Ronald Raegan is known to be the first president to have been divorced prior to election.  He was able to keep the seat for two terms. He was the only movie actor to become a president in American history.

Source: Business Insider

Before Raegan entered the world of politics, he was a very popular Hollywood actor. And before he became known as an actor, his first job was as a lifeguard at the Rock River in Lowell Park.

Jimmy Carter

James Earl Carter is the 39th President of the USA. He is known to remain active in political and social projects even after his term and he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian work.

Source: Do You Remember

Here is a throwback picture from when he joined the US Navy, where he became involved with the US Navy’s nuclear submarine programs. You can say he made quite the good-looking sailor back then.

Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford is known to be the only US president who was never elected into office. He stepped in when President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974. Unemployment has decreased significantly during his term.

Source: Britannica

Before he became president, he was quite the looker during his college days. Here is a picture of him during his football days when he played for the University of Michigan. He was a star player of their team and he even coached football later on.

Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon is known as the only president who resigned from office. The Watergate scandal caused him to step down from his post. His term started out strong but the scandal made him one of the most controversial presidents in history.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a throwback of Nixon when he was just 14 years old. Nixon is actually a musical genius. He can play the violin, saxophone, accordion, and piano. He was smart enough to be offered a Harvard grant but he had to decline it because he could not leave home.

Lyndon Johnson

Lyndon Johnson, also commonly called LBJ, is one of the few US presidents who were able to seat in all elected offices at the federal level. He took over JFK’s presidency when he was assassinated and won a second term in the next elections.

Source: Business Insider

Johnson had humble beginnings and knew what it was like to have financial problems. Here is a picture of a very young Johnson. The picture was taken in his family home in Stonewall, Texas around 1915. Pretty charming, right?

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, often referred to as JFK is known to be the youngest person to become president by-election at the age of 43. He is also the first Catholic president elected.

Source: Do You Remember

So, does it surprise you that he got the heartthrob looks during his 20s? With his good looks, his marital life was haunted with controversy – the most famous of which is his affair with Marilyn Monroe.

Dwight Eisenhower

Dwight Eisenhower, also known by the nickname “Ike” is responsible for the establishment of NASA. He had a great military career before he joined the realm of politics, where he got to serve as president for two terms.

Source: Do You Remember

Here is a photo of a young Eisenhower posing with his wife-to-be, Mamie Geneva Doud. The picture was taken in November 1915, one month after the two first met. They tied the knot in July 1916.

Harry Truman

Harry Truman is known in history as the president who authorized the first and only use of nuclear weapons in the war against Japan, where Hiroshima and Nagasaki were greatly affected.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a picture of Truman when he served as a captain in the field artillery in France during World War I. If you ignore the ballooning pants, you can say that he was a good-looking soldier back then.

Franklin Roosevelt

Franklin Roosevelt was instrumental during World War II. He won as president four times and his third and fourth term was dominated by WWII. He served as president for more than 12 years – making him the president with the longest term.

Source: Do You Remember

Here is a throwback of him when he was just 18 years old back in 1900. He went to Harvard where he became the editor-in-chief of The Harvard Crimson daily newspaper. He also was a cheerleader during his time there.

Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover was unfortunate as president since the Great Depression happened during his first year in office. He had a hard time handling the situation and his term was considered to be one of the worst in US history.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a picture of Hoover when he was just 17 years old. At this time, he was attending Stanford University. Hoover was one of the students who entered Stanford When it was officially opened and got to attend with free tuition.

Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge was a man who is known for saying very little. This is the reason why the former president was also called “Silent Cal.” Despite this, he was praised for his support of racial equality during his term – a time when racial tensions were heightened.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a throwback of Coolidge when he was the governor of Massachusetts. The picture of him milking a cow was taken around July 1920 in his father’s home in Vermont, which just shows how humble he always was.

Warren Harding

Warren Harding is actually one of the most popular US presidents in history during his term. However, after his death, numerous scandals were brought to light that diminished his reputation.

Source: Business Insider

But before all the chaos, Harding once served as a senator of Ohio. Here is a picture of him at 33 years old. The picture was taken around 1889, while he was in the senate. He is the first sitting senator to be elected president.

Woodrow Wilson

The 28th president of the United States had a progressive stance when it comes to foreign policies that later became known as Wilsonianism. He is the first president to do the first live remote national radio broadcast.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a picture of him back in 1875. He definitely looked like a regal leader, destined to lead the country someday. After a brief career in law, he settled into an academic career where he became a professor of history and political science.

William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft is known in US history as the only person who became US President and Chief Justice of the United States. This means he was able to hold the highest seats in both executive and judicial branches of the government.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a class photo of Taft during his college days at Yale, where he was a heavyweight wrestling champion. The photo was taken in 1878. He definitely looks like a noble gentleman.

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt also fondly called “Teddy” is the youngest person to become the president at the age of 42. This happened when he assumed the seat after President McKinley was assassinated.

Source: Business Insider

Roosevelt is the first president to win a Nobel Peace Price. Here is a photo of a young Roosevelt back in 1885. This photo was taken while he was hunting and ranching in Dakota. Who would have thought this man was a sickly child?

William McKinley

William McKinley’s presidency was marked by rapid economic growth in the country. He is considered to be an innovator of American interventionism and is known for his pro-business sentiments.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a picture of McKinley from 1858. At a young age, he bravely enlisted in the Union Army after the Civil War started. He started out as a private and ended as a brevet major. He was the last president that got to serve in the Civil War.

Glover Cleveland

Glover Cleveland is known to be the only US president in history to serve two non-consecutive terms in office. He was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. He is a distant relative of the man they named Cleveland, Ohio, after.

Source: Business Insider

Here is an early but undated photograph of Cleveland. This must have been taken when he was taking a clerical job in a law firm in Buffalo. Before taking up law, he was a teacher at the New York Institute.

Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison is a US president highly praised for his commitment to implementing the voting rights of African Americans. However, this has been overshadowed by the corruption that took place during his leadership.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a picture of Harrison back in 1850, while he was studying at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. It is believed that this was taken during his college years. Even as a young adult, he looked like a wise man.

Chester Arthur

Chester Arthur entered his term with the majority of the public distrusting his intentions. But he ended his term and proved to be one of the most likable and respected presidents. He had a solid run while in office and he did not do any projects that alarmed the public.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a picture of Arthur back in 1859. He was still a young lawyer back then. Arthur posed for this daguerreotype before he got married. He was practicing law in New York City at that time.

James Garfield

James Garfield only became president for 6 months. An assassination attempt was made when he was shot at the back on July 1881. But on September 1881, he died of blood poisoning because his gun wounds were not attended to carefully.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a picture of Garfield from 1847. Garfield had a tough time growing up. His father died when he was just 2 years old and he had to earn money driving canal boats so that he could go to school.

Rutherford Hayes

Rutherford Hayes’ presidency was considered a turning point in American history as it was the formal end of Reconstruction. His administration was influenced by his belief in meritocratic government and equal treatment.

Source: Business Insider

Here is a picture of Hayes from December 30, 1852. Beside him is his wife, Lucy. This is actually their wedding picture. Lucy became the first president’s wife who was able to graduate from college.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is probably one of the most popular US presidents. He led the nation through the American Civil War and he was able to abolish slavery. His nickname “honest Abe” was all thanks to his reputation of being fair and honest.

Source: Business Insider

This is a picture of Lincoln when he was in his 30s. During this time, Lincoln was serving as a member of the House of Representatives. His assassination was the most controversial among the presidents.