Collection Presidential Pastimes
Although the presidency is an often all-consuming job, many presidents have found solace in their various hobbies and pastimes. When...
Main Content
No sport created more excitement, enthusiasm and interest in the colonial period and the early republic than horse racing. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson took immense pride in their horses and bred them to improve the bloodlines of saddle, work, carriage and racehorses. Early presidents loved horse racing, the most popular sport in America at that time.
George Washington, considered by his peers as the best horseman of his era, helped organize races in Alexandria, Virginia, and frequently attended race meetings throughout the region. Jefferson rarely missed the meets at the National Race Course in Washington, D.C., which opened just outside the city boundary two miles north of the White House in 1802. The best horses in the country competed there into the 1840s, and the Jockey Club dinner and ball, a highlight of the social season, concluded the meeting.
Andrew Jackson's passion for horse racing and gambling was renowned and he once fought a duel over an argument sparked by a wager. Jackson bred racehorses at the Hermitage and operated a racing stable from the White House during his presidency. It was an open secret that Jackson entered runners in the name of his nephew and private secretary Andrew J. Donelson. Ulysses S. Grant was the last president actively involved in horse racing. He bred Arabians and loved mounting a sulky and driving trotters at high speed down Pennsylvania Avenue.
Jackson’s gray mare, Bolivia, painted by Edward Troye in 1836, was a part of a White House racing stable that also included Lady Nashville, Emilie, and Busiris.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MassachusettsWoodcut scene of a race meeting in 1834. The "carriage folk" paid a toll to look on from covered stands for spectators, especially for the ladies. Standees watched the races for free outside the rails. American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine, 1834.
Andrew Jackson on horseback, engraving by an unidentified artist, c. 1830.
Thomas Jefferson was a fine horseman who rode horses almost daily for exercise while president.
Washington, a skilled rider and an avid sportsman, greatly enjoyed fox hunting and horse racing. Rembrandt Peale, Oil on canvas on panel, c. 1823.
This 1837 map of Washington located the National Race Course. Booths selling wine, whiskey, rum and other refreshments and food insured a festive air on race day with lively betting.
Historical Society of WashingtonDexter, famed for his ideal trotting action called the "Dexter stroke," won 46 of 50 races and trotted the mile in a record 2:17.1/4 during the 1860s. Robert Bonner bought and retired the horse, but allowed presidential candidate Ulysses S. Grant the thrill of taking the reins at top speed in this popular 1868 lithograph by Currier & Ives.
Library of CongressOne day at the National Race Course in Washington, D.C., President Andrew Jackson took Vice President Martin Van Buren up to the course to watch Busiris train. General Callender Irvine owned and stabled Busiris with Jackson when he raced in Washington. While on the track the horse became unruly and Jackson shouted, "Get behind me, Mr. Van Buren. He will run you over!" For a long time afterwards, newspapers and cartoonists used this incident to ridicule Van Buren's reliance on Jacksons fatherly political support. The faces of William Henry Harrison, Martin Van Buren, Daniel Webster and Hugh Lawson White have been pasted on the horses in this political cartoon depicting the 1836 presidential race. Van Buren, the Democratic candidate and eventual winner, was ridden by his advocate Andrew Jackson.
Although the presidency is an often all-consuming job, many presidents have found solace in their various hobbies and pastimes. When...
On July 11, 1798, President John Adams approved legislation that officially brought "The President's Own" United States Marine Band into being, making...
Portrait artists have captured the image and personality of our presidents throughout history, providing a record of their time in...
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to office at the height of the Great Depression. He ushered in an environment...
From diplomatic dinners to holiday gatherings, the White House has always played a central role in the nation’s official en...
George Washington never lived in the White House, but played a major role in its design, as well as the...
In 1816 the naval war hero, Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., and his wife, Susan, moved to the nascent capital city of...
Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament....
No sport is more closely tied to the American presidency than baseball. One of Washington’s first baseball fields was lo...
A dinner at the White House has always had significance beyond the merely gastronomical. The elegance of the State Dining...
In April 1789, George Washington took the oath of office in New York City. Constitutional guidelines for inaugurations are sparse, offering...
In this special episode of The 1600 Sessions, we turn the tables on our podcast’s usual format. Financier and philanthropist Da...